Thank you.
There are two paragraphs in the letter sent to Mr. Prentice last year—
I just want to quote for the record, so everybody is aware. It says:
Subject to subsections (3) and (4), all information obtained with respect to a Canadian, a non-Canadian, or a business by the minister or an officer or employee of Her Majesty in the course of the administration or enforcement of this Act
—the act being the Investment Canada Act—
is privileged and no one shall knowingly communicate or allow to be communicated any such information or allow anyone to inspect or have access to such information.
The penalties, if I can just quote for the record, are:
Every one who contravenes section 36 or who knowingly provides false or misleading information under this Act or the regulations is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
So the civil servants in front of us today are statutorily restricted from making comments specific to this case. I just wanted to make sure that members of the committee are aware.
We are now going to go to Mr. Lake.