Thank you, Mr. Christopherson.
We heard the other side's arguments, including the fact that we should not politicize the debate. We in committee often meet public servants who assume administrative responsibilities. Committee members often complain that they do not receive all the answers they would like to have and that it is difficult to truly understand all the circumstances in a given file.
There is something here that is deeply troubling to me. The committee had to review the file that was referred to the Auditor General, but the motion was only adopted after much delay. And yet the matter is an important one, and the motion was finally adopted thanks to the initiative taken by my late colleague Benoît Sauvageau. He had in fact informed the committee, which was then chaired by a Conservative member, that six and a half months had gone by since this important matter had last been considered.
The witnesses that appeared before us left a number of answered questions. Namely, we still do not know why it took so long for this issue to be debated by the Public Accounts Committee. Why did this file take so long to reach the Auditor General? Were attempts made to obstruct the process? It appears that the lobbyist in this case met with two members. I think we should meet with her and ask her to clarify this issue.
Mr. Williams said that he'd not know what we should be asking of Ms. Buckler. I could easily suggest some to him. I think we should know exactly what kind of work she did with the members and what her reasons were. The letter that was given to us does not contain any answer in this respect. Why did Royal LePage, which already had the contract, have to hire a lobbyist? Was it to protect itself, or to prevent the issue from being referred to the Auditor General?
I believe that these questions have not been answered, and that is mainly why we should hear from Ms. Buckler. This is not a question of politics: we have to know what really happened and gain an understanding of the issue. It is a matter of transparency.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.