I appreciate the question, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, with respect to what I knew about the mislabelling or false information concerning Mr. Arar, I was aware a serious investigation had been going on for some time. I was aware that there was a person in the file by the name of Mr. Arar who was a person of interest.
I personally became directly involved in the file after Mr. Arar was detained and sent to Syria. After he was in Syria, the matter was brought to my attention. I informed myself of that. I asked for the file and I asked for specific documents relating to what happened.
In the process of getting that information, I found out that investigators were speaking with American officials while he was in detention. As part of that discussion or that correspondence with RCMP officials, I learned that in this process they tried to correct what was labelled as false or incorrect information with regard to Mr. Arar. That was the first time it came to my attention that there was a possibility or that we had mislabelled or mischaracterized Mr. Arar in our dealings with him in the investigation. That was my first point of knowledge about the matter, and I inquired further how this had happened.
Does that answer the question? I'm willing to take further questions. I think the point was when did I know, and I think I've explained that. That's the first point.