I'd like to thank all honourable colleagues for their interventions on this.
I'm in a very difficult situation here. When I first saw the witness list being submitted, I looked at the fact that the witness who is currently testifying before this committee is a sitting member. I like to extend to members privileges in this place. It is a bit of an oddity and a rarity to have a member appear as a witness before a committee, other than during the presentation of their own private member legislation.
So we started off, and I humoured this right from the get-go, because I thought it was important that if there was something valuable to be brought to the table, then it should be heard. However, I am not at liberty to go outside the scope that was handed to us by the finance committee.
Ms. Duncan, you and Mr. McGuinty are experienced parliamentarians here. The mandate that we were given from the finance committee was quite clear in its subject content, that we were only to study part 3. The finance committee, the main committee, is studying parts 1, 2, and 4 of this bill. If Mr. McGuinty wanted to testify as a Liberal witness before the committee in dealing with the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, he should have made that representation before the main committee of finance.
Mr. McGuinty, I don't want to excuse witnesses from the committee. I don't think that's appropriate. However, I would ask that you stick within the purview of part 3 for the remainder of your comments, which would enable your testimony here to continue at this meeting.
Please continue, sir.