Thank you very much, Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here today.
I'll start by outlining the role of the public accounts committee. It is to hold to account how tax dollars are spent across the country—for what purposes and whether or not they are justifiable within the reports of the Auditor General and how departments function.
I know that things become very politicized as they progress, and ArriveCAN is one of those things. I am not questioning the quality of the app, although in the Auditor General's report there were some challenges. What I am questioning today from all of you is how these dollars were spent, which we can't really get to the bottom of. I think we owe it to Canadians to ensure that we understand and ultimately improve the process for how contracting happens and how the Lobbying Act and the conflict of interest code ensure that there is accountability in how tax dollars are spent.
Perhaps I'll start with Mr. Bashir, if that's okay.
You have worked in various different departments within the federal government and now you are working for KPMG. Can you help us outline how the Lobbying Act applies to you and how the conflict of interest code has applied to you in your new role, having all of the experience you have within the bureaucracy of government and having built a network of relationships?