That's fair enough.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I was speaking earlier this week regarding my proposed subamendment, which I will read out once again for anybody watching and for committee members who now have it in front of them. It's an addition to the end of clause (b) on the proposed motion. It states:
but none shall commence until the committee has heard from Minister Boissonnault in relation to the study of the factors leading to the recent fires in Jasper National Park.
Mr. Chair, I think all of us have been around this committee table for the numerous meetings we've had on what I think is a very important issue to the people of Jasper, to the people of Alberta and really to all Canadians, particularly those who live near other national parks and are somewhat concerned about the potential impact of the pine beetle and, more broadly speaking, wildfires, on their livelihoods, their way of life, their families and their communities.
The fact of the matter is that these fires were catastrophic. We are still seeing those effects that I mentioned on families and businesses. The community of Jasper has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of destruction. A third of the town burned, with nearly $1 billion in damage and 2,000 people left homeless. The process of recovery has really just begun. Obviously, it will take quite a while.
In terms of our work in investigating the factors that led up to that, I think we need to get this right. I think time is really of the essence here. I think we need to ask ourselves a critical question: Is there a reason that Minister Boissonnault can't find the time in his schedule to come to our committee for one hour prior to December 4?
I believe that was the proposed date.