Thank you, Chair. I want to thank you also for the recognition that we want to hear from our witnesses today. We want to do it in a respectful manner. Given all the balls that are in the air in the House, to give them the time is really important.
As for this issue of committee business, we have been attempting to finalize the WE study in Parliament for seven months. Mr. Victor Li is the key financial officer of the Kielburger organization with their multiple lists of companies. This was a group that came to the Canadian government and was going to receive between $500 million and $900 million based on its ability to deliver the programs in a fast and efficient manner, and questions have been raised.
We need to know its financial structure. How does this group work? How is the money flowing? I would find it very shocking if a financial officer of a major charity simply refused to testify to Parliament and that its government relations officer refused to testify to Parliament. If we were dealing with an international organization like Oxfam or Red Cross and there were questions, you could bet that within five minutes its financial representatives would be more than willing to appear at our committee, yet seven months in, we have had obstruction, refusals and denials to participate.
I think we need to get this committee study finished. We had consensus before on issuing summons if necessary. I don't think doing that would create much controversy for us, because it is also about respect for the work of Parliament. If we need it, I have a motion that I could present, which would say, “That the committee summon Mr. Victor Li and Ms. Sophie Marquez and that they be required to appear and give evidence before the committee on matters relating to the study on questions of conflict of interest in lobbying in relation to the pandemic spending at the date or time of the chair's discretion”.
I think if we could get that agreed before the vote, then we would know that we could continue to move on so that we could finish this important study on WE and the Canada student summer job grant dispute.