National Defence committee  I believe, Madam Chair, the member is now asking what my responsibility in this is. I can tell you that my responsibility, I believed, was to respond to the request coming from the minister. As I said earlier in this committee, while this request was a particularly unusual one

National Defence committee  —or what our point of view is, and—

National Defence committee  —that is the advice that I made sure to get him from the appropriate people in place.

National Defence committee  Madam Chair, the member is referring to emails between people who I believe have spoken before this committee. Those same individuals have said that they didn't have any details or any knowledge of the substance of this complaint.

National Defence committee  Madam Chair, the member refers to them as plural allegations now, too. I just want to remind all of you that at the time we were told about a complaint that we knew nothing about, we acted on immediately. We took it seriously because we didn't know what it was about and we wante

National Defence committee  —and unfortunately we couldn't find out any further information at the time.

National Defence committee  Madam Chair, I think we need to move as quickly as we can. I think that's why it's important that as part of the announcements that were made recently, there were multiple steps taken, and there are multiple tracks being worked on to ensure that as much as possible can be done as

National Defence committee  Madam Chair, that is a fair interpretation. There's only one thing I would add, because often the comparison or contrast is made to what we've been learning and your committee has been learning about what happened with rumours and anonymous emails and things that came forward und

National Defence committee  Absolutely, there is follow-up on mandate letters. Actually, there is a unit within the Privy Council Office that was brought in under this government and under the leadership of the former clerk. It's the results and delivery unit. Part of what they do is keep track of work agai

National Defence committee  First, Madam Chair, I would like to correct the member when he says that I did not do anything. I actually acted immediately upon learning of the existence of a complaint that I knew nothing about. I did not have this complaint in my possession. I didn't know the nature or the de

National Defence committee  Once again, Madam Chair, through you, I would just like to correct the member. I did not make a decision that this was not a safety issue. That was a question that I asked. That was something I wanted assurance about, because it was out of concern; it was that I didn't know anyth

National Defence committee  —that did not include my becoming the investigator in this. That would have been entirely inappropriate for political staff or politicians of this government to have started an investigation—

National Defence committee  It entirely depends on the day.

National Defence committee  It very much depends on the day. I can tell you that during the pandemic, which we are currently still very much in, every day is different.

National Defence committee  I don't know anybody who is more passionate. There are a few of us who tried perhaps to give him a run for this, but no one is more passionate about inclusion. He stands for not only inclusion but bringing his lived experience to the job—