Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good day, Mr. Shapiro. Thank you for accepting our invitation. Thank you as well to Mr. Benson.
Mr. Shapiro, an article in this morning's newspaper talked about how some members and government officials accept so-called hockey freebies. These invitations are extended to members or ministers by lobbyists or companies that do business with the government. A reference was made to certain members who accepted invitations to watch the game from a box. As everyone knows, box seats are relatively pricey. I wish the Senators had won their games. At least Members of Parliament would have been there to cheer them on. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
What is your policy regarding such matters? I don't wish to mention any names, but the article refers to a certain MP who sought direction from your office before accepting this invitation.What is your position on requests of this nature from MPs, ministers or government officials? Does it come down to a question of judgment or do you simply wish to be informed or to have the facts on record so that if, for instance, a reporter brought the story to the public's attention, you'd be protected because you could say that you had approved the request? Please explain your policy so that the public can understand the need to proceed with caution when situations like this arise.