Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Mayrand, for being with us.
No doubt you're aware of the decision that was released last week by Justice Mosley in the McEwing case and some of the conclusions that were drawn with respect to voter suppression calls, that they have been orchestrated and they were widespread. The judge found fraud to have existed. The judge also signalled the high probability that the Conservative Party's CIMS database was the source of the information used for the voter suppression.
He also observed that the Conservative Party, “...made little effort to assist with the investigation at the outset despite early requests”. He's referring here to Elections Canada investigations.
One last thing he did, to be fair to all individuals, was to find that neither the CPC nor any MPs or individuals were found to have been specific perpetrators. But the judge did say, “...the evidence points to elaborate efforts to conceal the identity of those accessing the database and arranging for the calls to be made.” I emphasize the word “those”.
Basically the question is, Mr. Mayrand, were these conclusions by the judge in any way a surprise to you? Whether they were or they weren't, is there any way you can help us understand the challenges and the obstacles Elections Canada has been facing in its own efforts to identify the perpetrators of the fraud?