Thank you for the explanation, Chair.
I think it somewhat unfortunate that the question being put today has become one, obviously, of a personal nature for you and one of a question of integrity. As you said, Canadians are less interested in procedure than in the issues being dealt with. I was comfortable with the story up to the point of the decision to switch, because in this case it's not an order versus an issue; the order is the issue, with Parliament winding down and with a decision that was ten to zero taken by this committee.
All members said we would conduct ourselves on Thursday in this way. I understand the conundrum you faced with what you saw as the key witness not being available but other witnesses being available. I think having been given the choice, following a ten to zero decision to deal with this issue prior to the threat of Parliament recessing, which is the point, we would have taken anything we could have gotten to dive into the government's climate change plan and what happened at the G-8.
That is the part of the story I regret, because if given a chance for input into that decision, after such a unanimous call by the committee to deal with the issue, and with the likelihood of our capacity to actually deal with the issue at all on Tuesday under some threat as we see this House winding down, I think the order is critical. I think that's why there are such sensitivities.
I understand your reason for emotion or for feeling that this motion is a direct attack on your integrity. I'm not sure that you'd use those particular words. I think in general you've been a fair chair and have tried to do what you do. I take you on your word in terms of the pressure, unless there's other evidence that Mr. McGuinty would like to offer. It's unfortunate that we get to this point on this issue at this time. I still believe, with Tuesday being under a cloud of uncertainty as to whether we'll meet at all, that we needed to deal today, as best we could, with the government's actions at the G-8 and the connection to the government's plans. So I'll leave it at that.