That's your point. I just wanted to see how long you were going to go.
Respectfully, colleagues, it is not helpful to the committee to raise points of order on one matter and to go back to arguing the initial decision of the chair that the Information Commissioner's communication does not supersede the authority and the work of this committee. As approved by this committee, the calling of this witness was made by the committee, the committee's decision.
As to the argument that somehow a minister must respond on behalf of his or her staff, Mr. Poilievre, I submit to you that, as you know, ministers cannot be ordered to come before committees. In fact, just recently, Minister Raitt and Minister Paradis refused to go to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. Ministers cannot respond if they refuse to appear.
The committee did not ask for the minister, and if the member would like to guarantee that the relevant minister will appear before this committee to answer these questions, that would be very helpful. I hope the member will make that inquiry.
That said—