Of course. As the commissioner, I was responsible for the management of the RCMP, both under the act and under the direction of the minister. I knew a lot of things about what was going on. I tried to keep myself very informed about the important things. I did not know everything that was going on.
I was responsible to the minister and ultimately to Parliament, and I discharged that responsibility to the best of my ability. I did not see every document. I did not participate in every discussion that took place. But during my time as commissioner, I tried to inform myself to the best of my ability, and I acted based on that information.
As a matter of fact, when Mr. Lewis came to see me.... He actually didn't report to me, but because I knew he was concerned about certain things, I said he should come to see me. That's why we had a number of meetings. I never closed the door to anyone who had concerns, but once somebody made a concern known to me, I made the decision based on whatever was the best way to proceed. That's a management responsibility. That's the captain's responsibility.
Everybody has the right to raise an issue. How that issue is dealt with is left to the best judgment of the officer who is appropriately designated to respond to that, and I did that every time.