—if this point is not made.
That is, we have these documents. I understand the clerk got them only at the last minute, so I don't blame him at all for getting them to us a few minutes later. But the testimony that Mr. Girard made earlier on would lead a lot of people listening to it, without access to these documents, to believe that his inability to present as a candidate for the staff relations association was in some way linked to this pension and insurance issue.
These letters, just for the record, indicate that it has nothing to do with the pension and insurance issue. There seems to be some considerable controversy over whether RCMP members should unionize. His organization or his lobby group seems to express the view that they should. I'm not really of a strong opinion either way; it's not my role. I just want to make it clear that this individual was not forbidden, according to this information, from running because of anything related to the pension or insurance scandal that we're debating and discussing here, but rather over some other entirely extraneous dispute over whether or not RCMP members should unionize and whether or not he should be allowed to advocate for their unionization.
I think it's an important distinction, and I just wanted to put that on the record.
Thank you.