I certainly understand the comments that Mr. McGuinty, Mr. Wilfert and Mr. Warawa are making, but that is not what the motion before us is saying. It is saying that when the clerk receives documents, they have to be distributed in both official languages. Of course, you are right, the documents must be distributed before the committee meets, so that we can go over them. What we have to avoid is documents that have not been translated being distributed to committee members.
It would be totally unacceptable if a witness from Quebec were to send the clerk a report in French and it was distributed to committee members in French only. I feel sure that there would be a reaction to that around the table. We would say that it is unacceptable, that it contravenes the Official Languages Act, that the document must be translated into English, and we would be right.
Under the Official Languages Act, I am also entitled to receive a version of documents sent to the clerk in my native language. That is how things are.
That is what this motion is about. It is not about the importance of distributing documents to committee members before meetings so that we can go over them.