I guess it's a matter of opinion. I think the members of an advisory committee should have to disclose any conflicts of interest, which should then be scrutinized by an independent committee. We all have connections here and there and everywhere, so we all have conflicts of interest to some extent, even if they just relate to our kids. What's important is the process to address those conflicts of interest.
As I mentioned, the fact that the task force members would not publicly disclose their conflicts of interest on the pretense that they were volunteering their time was a big problem for me. The fact that they claimed not to have any conflict of interest when they were shareholders in the pharmaceutical companies was also a big problem for me.
How do you solve that problem? By being transparent and, by extension, accountable. As you can clearly see from the meeting minutes, I suggested having a member of the media at every meeting or, at the very least, recording the meetings. I even suggested letting any Canadian call in to listen to the meeting. The idea wasn't to let them participate; otherwise it would never end. It was simply to add a layer of transparency. That's paramount, especially when you're dealing with vaccination.