Thank you, Madam Chair.
My apologies for replying in English. I'm using the translation feeds because I want to make sure I'm getting the nuance.
I would echo Mr. Koffler Fogel's remarks. The idea that interns are gifts misses the fact that the person being gifted, if I use that word, is a person who is gaining from this experience. There is a goal to it; it is not simply to sway the opinion of a member. There is also public value in having more people learn about how politics works. Again, I would echo Mr. Koffler Fogel's remarks that there is the workload on the member to conduct this activity.
What I would stress is that there is a consideration of lobbying that is not consistent with the way things have evolved. Recent changes in charity law have enabled more and more organizations to take part in government relations activities. Engaging in public policy enables them to speak out and to advance their goals through that mechanism. The Boys and Girls Club, which I believe Ms. Sahota mentioned, would not be allowed at present to offer an internship program, given that they are also registered to lobby. It's the same with the Assembly of First Nations and so on. I can have only 10 interns per year. That's all I have funding for. It's a very large and diverse country, so I hope we can find more opportunities.