Thank you very much, Chair, for giving me an opportunity to speak just a little bit to why I brought forward this amendment.
Yes, as my colleague mentioned, these measures were passed at our summer session. I was very pleased and heartened to see, although I don't think it was unanimous—someone can correct me if I am wrong—that generally there was agreement that these were important measures to be taken. I remind fellow committee members that we were in the same pandemic situation, with travel restrictions and so on, but we were all meeting in person, in Ottawa, for the committee meetings as they were being called. I think we certainly all understood how it was important to do so. We made ourselves available.
We now have a little bit more flexibility, but indeed, as my colleague mentioned, we are each travelling to Ottawa to fulfill our duties. I think in terms of safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of documents in the way that it has been done—certainly in the time that I've been here, and from the research I've done—those are accepted and well-articulated measures that our staff have been well able to organize, just as they have on so many other fronts, as we continue to operate during this pandemic.
I welcome the remarks of colleagues. I am hoping that we will, again, pass these measures as an amendment to the motion on the floor.
Thank you, Chair.