Mr. Chair, the comparison with the standard quorum is somewhat lame. The proposal to allow a reduced quorum would mean that the presence of one member from each opposition party would be required. It's possible that someone could be late and that the committee could still function. However, if we agree to this motion for a reduced quorum—and this situation could very well arise—and if we have to cancel the meeting because of the requirement that one member from each party must be present, this would result in unnecessary delays for the witnesses who have taken the time to come here. If we agree to this reduced quorum, then we would have to wait until we had a regular quorum in order to start the meeting. This suggestion is impractical.
