I was never asked the question directly, but I just volunteer it to try to be helpful to the committee.
As this issue started to bubble in September and October, I, like many people, wanted to understand the decision-making framework, who had what role, what authority and what power.
I verbally asked my colleague for a backgrounder on the issue. That backgrounder was sent to me on October 12, in the afternoon, and I am now free to provide that to the committee. That opinion— which gave no opinion on what to do; it's simply a backgrounder on roles, responsibilities and authorities—has been the foundation for my participation in this file ever since.