Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I know fully well what my colleague, the Minister, feels today. I have had myself to answer these types of questions.
I would like to return to the case of Pharès Pierre, who has quite a record. You know fully well, Mr. Minister, that Citizenship and Immigration has close links with Foreign affairs and security agencies; it is a powerful department. We are faced this morning with this reality: this appointment does not respect the principle of justice and the appearance of fairness.
You might say that you were not aware of the record of Mr. Pharès Pierre, but nevertheless this appointment is extremely troubling. It is very obvious that when refugees who fled the Aristide regime at the time have to face a Pharès Pierre, who was chief of staff of this president, serious ethical problems will arise.
This morning, the Immigration and Refugee Board stated that security is also a responsibility of your department.
I would like to ask Mr. Fadden, whom I know well, what he did on this file. If the Minister was not aware of the past of Mr. Pharès Pierre, the department must have known. Was it hidden from him or was he aware of the record of Mr. Pharès Pierre?