Information & Ethics committee  I really appreciate that. Thank you so much.

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you very much.

Information & Ethics committee  I was not there at the time. I cannot answer that question.

Information & Ethics committee  What I noticed was that he was the chair of the board of that association based in China. That association had a relationship with the government. He was the chair of that association, and he was one of the donors. I don't have more information than that.

Information & Ethics committee  There was a very strong proximity. I don't know if I would say “extension”, but it was clearly under the guidance. I think the expression used on their website was “under the guidance” of the government.

Information & Ethics committee  That's correct.

Information & Ethics committee  Possibly. That's why I wanted to have an unrestricted forensic audit. It was to understand what happened before I became president and CEO of the foundation.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes. At the time, when we gave back the money to the donors, I was under the impression that there was not this relationship with the Government of China or that association, nor all of these emails. The cheque we sent back was signed by the two board members—Peter Sahlas and Bruce McNiven.

Information & Ethics committee  I really appreciate what you mentioned right now, because I did not ask to come to testify. I am doing it in good faith, and I believe in transparency and in democracy. I really did make sure that nothing I was saying to you today could be used against me, and this privilege is not just in theory, but in practice, so I don't receive any intimidation or attempts to attack my reputation.

Information & Ethics committee  I don't think she was on the board, but had been invited. We had…

Information & Ethics committee  I know that Mr. Johnson worked for Pierre Elliott Trudeau as his executive assistant. He knew his children, Alexandre, Justin and Michel, and spent a lot of time with them over the years when they were younger. He went on canoe trips with them. He told me all kinds of stories and about the strong ties he developed with them over the years.

Information & Ethics committee  He's someone I very much enjoyed working with. I wasn't there when he was closest to the family, but I do know that he's still close to them.

Information & Ethics committee  I can't give you a clear answer. I know that Mr. Morris Rosenberg's departure at the time had been stormy. Several board members left when Mr. Rosenberg departed. When I got there, someone had been appointed by the board of directors to do some crisis management in the foundation's offices for about nine months.

Information & Ethics committee  She had been a guest at one of our conferences. I may be wrong, but I don't think she was there at the time. In 2018, at the beginning of my term, I had pointed out that I wanted to tour the country and promote diversity. I wanted the board members, the scholars, the fellows and the mentors to reflect Canada's population and also be representative of regional, racial and gender diversity, and gender parity.

Information & Ethics committee  I began on July 9, 2018 in a very specific context when there were virtually no employees left at the foundation. I wanted to point that out. When I arrived, there were no employees, and there was no team. So I myself had to quickly hire people. I had no one in communications, no one in programs, no one in finance, and so I couldn't…