Thank you, Iqwinder.
I want to say, first of all, that I was invited previously to come before this committee, and I declined previously because my focus is not on revisiting the 2022 Conservative leadership race, but on my job as mayor of Brampton. It's a very busy job. I don't have an interest in revisiting partisan debates. My focus is on the progress of the city that I lead. Even today, we had a region of Peel budget meeting, so it is difficult to add new work to the schedule, but I respect the committee process. I respect the summons that was issued, and I'm here today to answer any questions you may have.
I don't believe I have a lot to add to this discussion, and frankly, part of my concern about participating was that.... I know how the committee process works in Ottawa. I was an MP for three terms and spent almost nine years in Ottawa. I know that at committee, every party has their own agenda. The Liberal Party will have an agenda. The Conservative Party will have an agenda. The NDP will have an agenda. The Bloc will have an agenda.
There is a commission on foreign intervention, the Hogue commission, and if I had been asked to testify there, I would have. My concern about being brought into a partisan environment is that it is not something I'm interested in engaging in. Municipal politics, municipal public service, is non-partisan. Right now, we have a productive working relationship with the Government of Canada, which is Liberal, and with the Government of Ontario, which is Conservative, and we have a lot of exciting projects that we're embarking upon, so I don't really want to get drawn into partisan debate.
At the same time, I understand that it's important to guard our democracy against foreign intervention, and if there is something that I can add today that would be helpful, I would be happy to answer questions. I've already made some comments in the media about why I felt there wasn't much I could add, but I'm here to answer your questions if needed.