Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I hadn't intended to be as active as I have been in this meeting today. Certainly, being remote and not having been at the last meeting, I think it is important for me to say that, up to this point, we've been working fairly well in terms of planning meetings with the executive and the subcommittee on the work we're supposed to be doing. I think you've done a commendable job in being non-partisan in your application of the work.
I do need to voice with you, on the record, my disappointment in what transpired last week as it related to what I would consider only a chair's prerogative to direct the schedule of this committee.
Committees, as you know, decide and direct the body of their work. You'll recall, in the last session, the concerns I raised around the haphazard manner in which we had two and three and four studies happening at the same time. This is a very serious committee, and one that I think deserves the kind of consistency and integrity around how we go about our work.
I do believe that Mr. Barrett presents really important motions that, I think, deserve study and deserve scrutiny by this committee. What I'm not on for is being at the whim of the Conservative caucus in terms of the application of the schedule. You'll note that Mr. Villemure and I, being third and fourth parties respectively, also have, within the subcommittee, valuable and important input on what the priorities of this committee should be.
I would say to you, sir, that what transpired last week, with the livestreaming and the circus and the fundraising that happened in that committee, is a problem. I'm going to say on the record, not in camera but in a very public way, that if that is going to be the tenor and the approach of this committee, you can expect a very different type of participation from me as a New Democrat.
I would hope that we could continue to unpack the critical issues being presented in a way that is thoughtful and that creates a basic amount of professional courtesy. I would also caution you, sir, not to use your chair's prerogative to supersede the will of this committee when decisions haven't been made for this committee. I would caution you against that.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, John, but I think it's important to state that, because I wasn't here and it certainly put my replacement in a bit of a predicament. It's now becoming a bit of a pattern over these couple of weeks. We're getting table-dropped this stuff where your urgent and important.... It's not you as the chair, but the Conservative caucus's motions become urgent and important, and we're seeing this in other committees too.
I'm not going to go on and on about this, but I think it's important that I publicly state, not having been here last week and seeing where this one is going, that Mr. Barrett knows this is something I absolutely support in its spirit. However, if there is a continued failure to consult, whether in a subcommittee capacity or what have you, on the schedule and the priorities of this committee, then you're not going to find a lot of co-operation from me.
That's the caution that I give. If it's the will of the mover to push it ahead anyway and to go out and say, “Look at this and let me raise money”, then, fine, by all means, do that. However, if the mover of the motion is serious and wants to get to work on this, then let's talk. Let's find a schedule where this works.
I'm saying this, Mr. Chair, as somebody who—as all the members will recall, except for the new ones—supported the Conservative opposition in continuing the work that we needed to continue when it was my opinion that the Liberals were using TikTok to pivot away from other important issues of the committee. I'm certainly trying to be consistent with the integrity I have around keeping focus, and I would ask him to do the same.
Thank you.