Procedure and House Affairs committee  We do have partnerships. We have the Five Eyes security partnership with particular countries on the sharing of information and threats. We do share information with other countries. This is more Mr. Jean's wheelhouse. You can ask him about that specifically. I believe there was a G7 initiative specifically on foreign interference after the Russian attacks on the French and German elections.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  In principle, they could be. The other thing that could be done at the same time is legislating. A public inquiry will inevitably lead to a recommendation that applicable Canadian statutes be strengthened and enhanced. This could be done in parallel with an inquiry. Whether it's a parliamentary committee, a third party or an inquiry, it will recommend legislation.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Two different approaches can indeed be pursued concurrently. The next election is only two years away. The real challenge is to protect the upcoming election.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's a question you should be asking the government rather than me.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  You, as parliamentarians, are in a position to determine how useful it would be to review the past. What I recommend is moving forward and enacting legislation to protect future elections.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes, but an inquiry won't lead to a recommendation on the wording or content of an act. It will inevitably lead to a recommendation for Canada's Parliament to enact stronger legislation along the lines of the British or Australian model. It's up to parliamentarians to do that.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The context is always different. I was deputy clerk and helped the Harper government pass Bill C-51 late in its mandate. A little bit later, I helped the Trudeau government amend it through Bill C-59. At the time, in 2015-16, there was still a great deal of focus on anti-terrorism.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It's important to be alert to both types of threats. All the MPs here today were probably present during the attack on Parliament Hill in the fall of 2014. There have also been attacks in Toronto and elsewhere. There are all kinds of threats to the safety of Canadians. These include terrorism, foreign interference and violence within the country.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's a good question. Finding someone who is sufficiently independent and also knowledgeable about the subject at issue is always a challenge. It's not easy to find someone like that. In Canada, we tend to ask judges to chair inquiries. In my experience, that sometimes works very well, and at other times, not at all.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes, but finding someone everybody can agree upon in a highly partisan political context is always a challenge. How many Canadians could be involved in the selection process and be accepted as reliable individuals? I believe that it would be more innovative to seek someone from outside.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It's up to you, as legislators, to determine whether a public inquiry is necessary. There are always limits on how useful such an inquiry can be, the crux of the matter being that some information ought not to be disclosed because it would undermine our ability to collect such information in future.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think you'd have to ask Mr. Jean that.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  You would have to ask Ms. Telford that. I don't know.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Again, you should ask Mr. Jean. When I was clerk—and I don't know how it works now—I ensured there was direct unfettered access from the national security adviser to the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's team. If anybody kept minutes or logs or attendance or whatever, it would have been the national security adviser.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I'll try my best to reconstruct a chronology using Google. I may get some of the order wrong or whatever. Yes, I was deputy clerk in 2015. I was appointed deputy clerk by Prime Minister Harper and stayed for the transition and the early days of Mr. Trudeau's mandate. He appointed me clerk in January of 2016, and I took on that role for the next three years.