Thank you, Chair, and thank you to our guests in B.C., Sweden, and right here in Ottawa.
Most of you agree that this is a good bill and that it is the right direction in which to go.
Mr. Milner, your writings and the presentations you made to the Law Commission of Canada--which we all value and sadly see the demise of, but that's another story—were on the issue of democratic reform, and flexible fixed election dates are a piece of the puzzle. As I've said in committee before, from my perspective and that of my party, this is not the panacea for democratic reform; it's a piece of the puzzle.
Now to the point and questions around your presentations, I'd like to start with you, Mr. Milner, because I share your concerns about clarity in the bill. I am not a constitutional lawyer; I'm a humble servant of the people, and I'm glad you're emphasizing that this is something for the people. It is not for us; it's not the inside baseball that usually occurs. It is to make it explicit to the people of Canada that this is when an election will take place, and if it is not to be on this date there should be some darn good reasons why.
You've had some time to reflect on what possible changes could be made. I'm not a constitutional lawyer, but I like the idea that we have some criteria in the bill that are overt and clear about the intent of this bill.
Do you have any thoughts around that?