Mr. Chan, I appreciate the question.
When I met with the minister on the Friday, the only other person who was in the room was the Deputy Minister of the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Madam Suzanne Hurtubise.
The only thing that was discussed was the appearance before this committee. On Thursday we knew the committee was possibly going to meet, and on Friday we knew the committee would probably meet on Tuesday. We therefore said it was the appropriate venue for us to respond to this matter.
It's why I did not go public through the media, and it's why I was severely criticized by the media, because they said I should have responded. They asked me questions at the memorial service on Parliament Hill.
We both decided on the best venue.