Thank you, Madam Chair.
I do have to push back a little on doing 10 hours' worth of meetings next week.
Our role as Parliamentarians is multi-faceted. We have commitments here in Ottawa, we have commitments legislatively and we have commitments in our ridings. I have a real trouble with devoting two days'—five hours—worth of meetings during the busiest times of the day, when we have other commitments. I'm not saying I'm opposed to any meetings next week. I think we can be reasonable.
My own schedule is to meet with stakeholders, visit school groups and do that role as a representative of our constituents. I'm also dealing with the case work that has been piling up for the four weeks we've been here and the four weeks upcoming. I don't think it's practical for us to do that.
I'm open to compromise on that. I don't want to see us not move forward. We have witnesses. All of us around this table want to hear from them, but I would much rather see the bulk of this discussion take place during our regular sitting weeks when we have time here blocked out.
We've been planning for this constituency week for many weeks. Like Mr. Waugh said, we have medical appointments, family arrangements and family commitments. I have three young kids who need people to get them on and off the bus when my wife is working as a nurse. There are obligations there. If we're willing to have half-hour breaks while I run down to the bus stop and half-hour breaks while I prepare the youngest some “cheesy noodles”, as she calls them, we can make something work.
I just can't commit, on behalf of not only the three members here, but the members who aren't on this committee who are going to have to give up their own engagements, to five and a half hours straight with a half-hour break for interpretation changes.
I don't want us to have to leave this committee without having made a decision. I want to be able to move forward. I don't want to be here talking about this for the next two hours.
I see some staff looking surprised by two hours. I said that metaphorically. If we can come to a compromise, I'd be willing to entertain that. For the sake of our members, families and work commitments in the ridings....
Perhaps, Madam Chair, if you would be entertaining an opportunity to suspend for five or ten minutes, we could have some discussions off line here among different parties. There might be a compromise we could come to, if it's worthwhile. If it's not worthwhile then we can discuss it further.