Thank you, Mr. Chair. I too would like to congratulate you, since I did not have the opportunity to do so at our last meeting. I am delighted that you were elected and to know that we will continue to work together. Now that this committee has been struck, I also want to greet all of my colleagues around the table. I look forward to working with you.
I believe parliamentary work really takes place in committee. The House is important, of course, but committees are essential to analyze legislation and hear witnesses. A parliamentary committee is also a privileged space that allows us to have contact with the public. It is one of the rare opportunities we have to consult people from the outside, whether they be experts, stakeholders or ordinary citizens from all sorts of communities in Canada. For instance, the Kitigan Zibi chief, Mr. Whiteduck, has often been asked to appear before committees. The people of my riding know that committees are a link between Parliament and the Canadian population.
When my constituents chose to vote for a member of the NDP, they clearly voted for change. I don't know if my colleagues know this, but the riding of Pontiac is one of the oldest ridings in the country. It was there from the inception of Confederation and has not changed all that much. Since Confederation, my fellow citizens voted for Liberal candidates or Conservative ones. In 2011, they chose to do something historic by voting for the NDP. One of the reasons why they chose our party was that our platform talked about transparency and a new, real democracy in Canada.
Dear colleagues, you know as well as I do that in our country there is incredible cynicism with regard to politics. According to polls that are taken every year, politicians are at the bottom of the list, after used cars salespeople. That opinion on politics is shared by several people in my riding,
present company excluded and excused.