Information & Ethics committee  It was customs officers. You can find that out.

Information & Ethics committee  There were several of them who came to see what was offered. Then teams from Montreal and Ottawa came to check whether it was suitable for rental purposes.

Information & Ethics committee  No. They transferred the file to another department, Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Information & Ethics committee  No. It started slowly. They started by renting small pieces of land for very short periods. There was a lease for the land. We negotiated by telephone with someone from PSPC and established a price based on the market.

Information & Ethics committee  I checked the value of the land with my accountant. We have made a lot of investments. Don't forget that we are located in a commercial zone, not an agricultural zone. All of the land in southern Quebec has been zoned agricultural. You can't build where you want. We have invested a lot in our land.

Information & Ethics committee  Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the time you're allowing me to speak today. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. Thank you for inviting me today to this meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. As a citizen and member of our community, I consider it my responsibility to appear before you today, to cooperate fully with the committee, and to answer its questions, to the best of my ability, in connection with its study of the use of public funds in relation to crossing by asylum seekers at Roxham Road.