Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Colleagues, we've heard that as a parliamentary committee, we have the right to call witnesses. I would argue that we have an obligation to call these witnesses. Last meeting, we had a father pour out his heart about what he expected and what he worked hard for as the legacy of his son. Frankly, I think all of us were outraged but also even more committed to getting to the bottom of this. He said he didn't know who the bad guys are, and I committed to him that I would do my best to get to the bottom of it. When a witness comes before us, having dealt with such high levels and charities, and says that they feel they have been defrauded, I think it's up to all of us to pass this motion.
I'll let my colleague Mr. Angus know that I'm in favour of his amendment, because this is about the integrity and transparency of not only our government but also our entire charity system.
When I asked WE's government relations person, last meeting, if she was aware that former minister Morneau had not repaid $42,000 for his trip to Kenya, she said she had no idea. Well, Mr. Chair, I think somebody knows, and we need to get to the bottom of it. What kind of trip do you get for $42,000? I know people in Oshawa.... I have many constituents who, for heaven's sake, don't make that in a year, and frankly, this is not WE's money. This is the money of 14-year-olds who do bottle drives to give from their hearts to this charity to make a difference in other children's lives. This is about 12-year-olds who collect for months and years from bake sales.
Canadians and international donors deserve to have a system of integrity and transparency, a system that is free from scandal and above reproach, without ever thinking about the possibility of bribery, influence peddling or fraud. They deserve to know, and when we try to answer the question “Who are the bad guys here?”, the Kielburgers' behaviour kind of narrows that in my mind.
I think, Mr. Chair, as I said, this is not just a right; this is an obligation. We need to move forward with this motion as soon as possible.
Thank you.