Thank you, Mr. Chair.
In light of the questions so far, in the context of this study—which I think is essential—I find it unfortunate that parties are turning this into a partisan issue and taking advantage of the witnesses' presence to ask them whether or not a party leader should have security clearance. I think there are far more important questions to ask.
Mr. Elcock, you mentioned that you were the head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service from 1994 to 2004, if I'm not mistaken. You didn't make an opening statement, so I'd like to give you a chance to tell us about that experience.
Several witnesses told us that there was foreign interference in elections by agents of the Government of India and that criminal activities had taken place on Canadian soil. I don't know how many years ago that was, but when you were in that position, was that something you were starting to see?
What difference do you see today? Has the situation gained momentum? We're seeing criminal activity, and the RCMP is holding press conferences to reveal certain aspects of ongoing investigations. It's almost unheard of.
Can you tell us about your experience and how you see things?