Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am listening to my colleagues' arguments, and all of it makes sense. These are positions that we need to debate. I must reiterate that we all agreed that this was important. The motion includes the word “immediately”, which implies some urgency. Both cases have a relationship to time. We need to realize that a tender process is under way. So we have a time component in the equation. I do not want to be obstructive, but certainly the sooner we can examine things, the better. We consider this issue to be important, which means it is somewhat urgent that we take action. While we are debating this issue, the request for proposals continues on, suppliers are being contacted and people are working on it. We don't want them to waste their time either.
First, Mr. Fergus, I always like the arguments you put forward. However, in terms of inviting the former health minister to appear, I ask that you acknowledge the difference between accountability and responsibility. You will forgive me for this etymology lesson, it's a favourite hobby of mine. The word “responsibility” comes from the verb “respondere”, which is made up of the prefix “res” that refers to a “thing”, and “spondere”, which means “to promise”. The person responsible is the one who promises the thing. Obviously, we promise something before doing it, while doing it and after doing it, but we must then be held accountable for it.
Of course, Mr. Duclos can be held to account for the decisions of his predecessor. However, when the person who made the decision and chose the reasons behind it can explain it to us outright. Accountability can and does get passed on, but responsibility remains. In this case, I would rather respect Canadians than respect tradition.