Mr. Chair, I think the member made an aspersion that I would like to respond to before he continues with his questioning.
You being flexible, I think I'd simply like to say to this member that as the chair has stated, there is the opportunity to call people for that specific purpose. But here we have a Standing Order that clearly reads that the committee “shall examine the qualifications and competence of the appointee or nominee to perform the duties of the post to which he or she has been appointed or nominated”. That's the sole reason they're here, and we should respect that Standing Order.
If you want to get into the questions the witness has, you certainly can, but do it in a different forum with a different witness. These witnesses certainly shouldn't be subjected to that, because the only reason they're here is because of the Standing Order. It's not a question of defensiveness; it's just a question of the facts.