Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you. I loved that role. It was a round table that brought stakeholders from different interests together and, guess what? We actually reached, for us, some important conclusions, and the inclusiveness was a very big part of that. That round table lasted for about 20 years, which is very unusual.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Let me say, Mr. Chair, thank you for those very touching personal comments. They do touch the heart and I'm very grateful. When I repeat some of them to my wife tonight, she'll have a different opinion, but that's okay—that's 54 years of marriage.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I will just respond to say that, Scott, we have a custom that we fine people $10 any time they use the old titles, and it's double for each subsequent offence, so continue to offend, please, because all that money goes to the Rideau Hall Foundation.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  —we have 14 grandchildren: seven boys and seven girls.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Sure.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Sure.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  You have put very good questions, and I don't have the specific answers to them. They will have to be determined at the time, of course, with the advice of the advisory board. The timing is a very sensitive and important question, and there are arguments on either side of when that time should be.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's a very thoughtful observation. It has the beauty, of course, of precision and clarity. On the other hand, you want to determine how much evidence you need. We've alluded to earlier precedents and we will look at earlier precedents. I'm a lawyer by training and I'm not sure I should say I enjoy those questions, but that's what we do for a living.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  —and set up a stream of advice that came independently of the very good advice that we received from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Office of the Clerk of the Privy Council, and the Department of Justice. On legal questions, we used three external people who served pro bono simply to provide that stream of advice.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I look forward to further advice on those matters. Thank you.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  My plan would be consult widely and to ensure that we are consulting with and receiving advice from parties with an important interest in the process. The advisory board itself will be an important body to provide that kind of input and those kinds of thoughts. I will be in contact, of course, with various political parties to seek their advice on those and other questions.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes, if I am appointed, which is not yet confirmed since I have only been nominated. The discussions are under way. However, there will be a secretariat with a small, but strong, team.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think so, yes. First of all, I'd like to say what a privilege it was to hold the office of Governor General of Canada for seven years. Both my wife and I felt honoured. Perhaps the most important thing is to have a very clear sense of who and what the country is. We were grateful to be able to meet so many Canadians in their communities.