It's very kind of you, Mr. Chair, to recognize that I have been patient. I enjoy hearing what my fellow members have to say.
After all these years, I know this can go on indefinitely, and I am very much aware of the challenge before us. We are going to debate until… I won't say it, but whatever will be will be.
There is a tendency to paint everyone with the same brush. I've listened to everything that's been said about those who are preoccupied with power. If anyone on this committee is not in pursuit of power, it's certainly me. I therefore encourage my fellow members to stop and think about that when they bring up partisanship, power and all the rest. I would hope that, because of my political party and who I am, those comments aren't directed at me. It bothers me when people say those things. Everything I say is truthful and sincere and comes from a place of good faith, especially where the ethics committee is concerned.
It's clear to me that we are at a dead end, and my conscience is telling me I must attend to something else. I must inform you that I have to leave the meeting for several reasons. I had said that I would stay up all night, but I have a family and people who need me out there, on the ground, tomorrow morning. I feel I must do my duty.
I will leave you with this, however. We talked about philosophy and ethics. I can be a philosopher when the mood strikes me. Something I always bear in mind is Socrates and the triple filter test, which you are no doubt familiar with. Think about it.
Socrates' triple filter test is a list of three questions you must ask yourself before passing on information.
The first question to ask yourself is whether the information is true. If the answer is yes, with facts and proof to back it up, that's good. If not, you have to validate the information. You know this one, don't you?
The second question to ask yourself is whether the information is useful and achieves a benefit. You've all said it in different ways: is the information useful and what will it achieve?
The third and final question to ask yourself is whether the information is good, seriously, even though the information may be useful and true.
That test can help us, as parliamentarians, do the honourable thing. We set the example, as does the government. I heard people say that they are allowed to make mistakes. Of course, it's perfectly all right to self-correct and recuse oneself. There's another dimension to all this, however. I'm talking about the significance and magnitude of the issue. It's important to know where things stand and what position to take.
A government that leads coast to coast to coast is a government that leads a large federation, a government that must honour its duty and stay on the right track. In life, I learn from my mistakes, as I hope you do. Unfortunately, because of the two mistakes of the past, we cannot still have confidence, and with good reason, that this was a genuine and final mistake.
It's entirely legitimate, then, for us, as parliamentarians, to get to the bottom of this, within limits, I admit.
I'm perfectly comfortable taking action within reason. Let's not forget, though, the obligations we have to fulfill for simple little requests. We've been hearing about people who are vulnerable. As entrepreneurs and business people, you know as I do that, when conditions have to be met, we aren't immune to that.
How is it that we have a government that struggles with not only its reputation, but also the handling of public money, our money? How is it that some people are so vulnerable that every single penny counts? Someone mentioned the United Way, support agencies and businesses. I know exactly what they're going through, because I, too, am going through it, to some extent.
We are being told that we won't be getting to the bottom of the matter. Some have been asking whether we're not simply wasting our time. Time is what you make of it. If everything that has happened helps us work together more effectively, it will have been constructive and worthwhile.
I can see from my screen that some people are coming back and others are joining for the first time. Those people have heard everything we've experienced. Like you, some never really stopped working over the summer. We did our job, but not fully. That's why we have no other choice but to see this through.
I can't accept that, when everything comes to a sudden halt, like when the power goes out, you stop whatever you're doing, even when the power comes back on.
On that note, I sincerely apologize for having to leave in order to attend to my personal responsibilities. I didn't plan on doing this. I have no doubt that you will be carrying on for hours and will eventually come to an agreement. Unfortunately, I won't be there when it happens.
Mr. Chair, how does it work when you have to leave the meeting. Do I just let you know that I have to go and don't have a substitute?