As I highlighted, the key thing is really the threats we face. Our role as parliamentarians is to hold the government to account. That's really what Parliament is here to do. It's the way our whole Westminster system is set up.
We've had historical examples, and again I use the two, and then, most recently, foreign interference. If a member is facing foreign interference threats directly, and you're not aware of it, hands are tied. Again, all of the feedback that's come forward in the recommendations of NSICOP over the last five years since the 2019 annual report is that parliamentarians and senators need to be apprised of what those threats are. If you don't get them and you're not aware of them, it's really hard for us to address them.
It's our role to then pass legislation that the government of the day brings forward to try to address it. If we have no understanding of what those threats are, it's very difficult for us to do our job properly to provide the best legislation and the best protection for Canadians. That's really what I'm trying to do.
It's no different than if you're a member of the Canadian Armed Forces or you're in law enforcement. By virtue of your position, you're in a position that should have a higher level of security clearance than the average Canadian, because you should be aware in order to do your job.
I just think, arguably, that parliamentarians have that requirement to be more educated and have better awareness so that, when that second step of the need to know principle arises, you can address and get access if that's determined, and you make the compelling case to the government of the day.