Okay.
Let me respond.
I appreciate your point of view. There are a lot of what I would interpret as inaccuracies in it, so I want to clarify them.
I never said we weren't going to have John speak to his bill. The witnesses have been heard. This private member's bill has come out of the discussion and the study we had on heritage. If you look at our report, this is a recommendation that came out of it. In essence, we've already studied this issue. We have made this recommendation to the government as a committee. John has taken that recommendation and brought it forward in a private member's bill.
We have had witnesses. We've responded to the recommendation from witnesses. In essence, it's been studied by the committee through the heritage study that we did.
I never, ever suggested that John wouldn't come and present his bill. I'm not quite sure where that's come from, but I just want to make it really clear to everybody around the table that I never said we wouldn't have John come and present his bill to the committee.
While the Q and A may not be listed, he's here to answer questions. I think there have been some assumptions that are not what was ever intended by the chair. I want to make that clear. Absolutely we've given time for Q and A. Although it wasn't necessarily spelled out, that's the way we do things. We have the witnesses make their deposition, then we have Q and A.
I just want to make it clear, Q and A is there; John's here. There was never an intention not to have the sponsor of the bill come and explain the bill to us. We have studied this bill, not as a bill, but we have made this recommendation in committee through our previous study. We've had witnesses on it. That's where it's come from.
I hope that clarifies why we are where we are and why it's gone this way.
Okay?
Is there any further discussion on that?
I'm going to proceed with it. I think I've explained that this is why we are where we are, and why it's appropriate that it's been the way it is.
Okay.
I'm going to call clause 1, which opens the discussion of the bill.
John, the floor is yours.