This is a pathetic spectacle. It's strange: when we want to spend a little more time talking about certain things, we encounter filibustering and dilatory tactics, but when it comes from the government, it's another matter all together. We have seen this over and over again, whether it be with respect to the listeriosis issue or any other one, for that matter.
I believe members of Parliament have every right to express themselves, even when people don't like what they have to say. On occasion, I, too, have not been very happy when the Conservatives have monopolized the discussion. These are clearly dilatory motions. What Mr. Lemieux has just moved is a dilatory motion. That is a shame. People have been called here to testify. They made the effort to come and are now witnessing this unfortunate spectacle. They have a copy of the Notice of Meeting and they can see that, according to the agenda, Committee business was scheduled between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. They were patient enough to wait. They knew that at 4:30 p.m., they would be appearing. They only have one hour to tell us what they think about existing programs. That is not a lot of time. Meanwhile, they are witnessing all of this.
Personally, I am not particularly bothered by this, but Mr. Lemieux will have to live with his decision—a decision that means these people will not have an opportunity to appear. We obviously do not intend to wait until there are more Conservatives here so that they can push through a motion every time they decide to. We are not going to play that game. The people who are here today will be able to tell everyone exactly what transpired. From what I can see, the Conservatives have decided to hold up the process. We are already 10 minutes behind. We should actually have started to hear their testimony at 4:30 p.m.