Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to do a test.
I don't know if the interpretation is working or if the witnesses can hear me clearly in English. It looks like it is. Excellent.
So I was thanking all three of you for being here.
Mr. Ling, you were saying that it was unusual for a journalist to testify before a committee. Usually, you cover them. I especially want to thank you for taking part in this. You said at the outset that the foreign interference issue absolutely shouldn't be a partisan issue, and that it needs to be addressed more seriously.
I feel as though, over the past few weeks, we've been caught up in accusing one party and the other for not doing enough, of deflecting the debate on whether or not a party leader should get a security clearance. In short, I feel that, by having these debates, we're losing sight of the objective and the essential point, which is to counter this foreign interference.
I see you nodding. I imagine you agree with me. I'll let you answer, but I'd like to know something first. We realized that there had been foreign interference in our last election, and even in some leadership races. However, we're on the cusp of another election. It's no secret that this can happen from one day to the next.
Have we learned from this past interference? Do you think we're ready to call an election and counter foreign interference in the future? Is Canada ready for that?