I can reassure you on certain aspects.
Recyclage Lithion is the company involved in the conflict of interest that was discussed. In this case, I always recused myself. I always disclosed this conflict of interest and I never participated in any decision concerning this company.
As for the other companies mentioned, I have no interest in them. As my colleague Mr. Kukucha said, these are companies with which one can perceive indirect links. For example, Li-Cycle is a competitor of Recyclage Lithion. I have no interest in this company, but, as a precaution, if a file concerning it is presented for a decision, I will recuse myself, since my decision could be perceived as being tainted by my interest in Recyclage Lithion. I therefore recused myself.
As for the other files, there is only one other source of apparent conflict of interest, and that is the clients of a sister company of Recyclage Lithion called Seneca, which offers consulting engineering services. I have no interest in or connection with this company, but when it presented files with its clients, such as Nouveau Monde Graphite and enim, I felt that these companies were connected to someone I knew, so I declared my apparent conflict of interest and recused myself. That's what happened.
With regard to the controversial payment related to COVID‑19, the sums referred to in all these files are added together, as if they had been paid in the presence of a conflict of interest. It's not a conflict of interest; it's the appearance of a conflict of interest that I declared out of an abundance of caution concerning companies with which I have no connection. That's all it is. Then people come along and lump things together and draw unfortunate conclusions. We shouldn't cry wolf when there isn't one.