Mr. Lemire, in my opinion, you're raising a thorny issue. When individuals mobilize the people out of self-interest, you have to wonder how that serves the public interest.
That's why I always hammer away at the same idea, that I support public consultations. I constantly encourage all members of the public to speak out during this consultation, no matter what they have to say. In my view, government and parliamentarians have a duty to hear from the people in an unfettered manner, with no labels, no packaging, and so on.
On the other hand, you can't completely ignore mobilization attempts either, because members of the public aren't always in a position to properly structure their opposition. So I'm lenient about that, because I know that, right or wrong, true desire and true frustration must be expressed. It's not my place to say who's right or wrong.
However, it's clear to me that we have a gap between the people's understanding and the legal and economic understanding of this transaction's implications. A balance must be struck between the two if we want to avoid a revolt over the process.
I feel that no one benefits from the public being skeptical of the merger rating and assessment system, among other things. I believe we all have a vested interest in making sure we close that loophole. However, I'm not necessarily the person who can do that. I'm doing what I can, but I think that collectively we need to inform the public. I understand these mobilization efforts, even though they may be clumsy.