Well, I was struck by the comments made by both QCGN and the FCFA in terms of the creation of a foundation which would establish a kind of arm's-length distance between the governments.
I wasn't familiar with the program that Mr. Rankin referred to inside of the Department of Justice. I must say I'm very relieved at the fact that our lawyers are not justice department employees. When we are appearing in court and the justice department lawyers are on the other side, on the question of accountability, the question of who the client is, there's no question as to.... Although I'm very aware that you should never judge a lawyer by their client, it is nevertheless a simplifying factor.
One idea that just occurred to us, listening to the exchange of the previous witnesses before the committee, was the possibility that an agent of Parliament might be an office that could provide that kind of independence you're looking for. A foundation is one that's being put forward, and we certainly don't have any problems with it. There would have to be some clear accountability rules. The finances would have to be accountable to Parliament on an annual basis, as our finances are.