Mr. Chair, I have to confess that I don't completely understand what Mr. Julian has proposed, but I think it's basically that if we still have to submit a report on December 11 and we're not going to meet after that, then we should get the submissions, have the research team start putting together some thoughts on that, and then have meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister, departmental officials, and various other people. Nothing in my motion actually precludes that from happening. The last thing it basically says is that the report will be tabled no later than the week of February 1.
Also, I just sent an updated version in both official languages to include that paragraph, which basically says, “the evidence and documentation received by the committee during the first session of the 43rd Parliament on COVID-19 consultations be taken into consideration by this committee in the current session”. That text is with the clerk right now, and it's the only thing that's been added.
I would propose that we vote on this today, because we have to get going. Let's schedule next Thursday, and if we have the governor next Thursday, then maybe we can have him for maybe the first hour and a half, and then maybe government officials in the second half, and then the Deputy Prime Minister the following week. Maybe we can start with the Deputy Prime Minister for an hour and continue with her the following Tuesday, but I would say, let's get going.
Then there's also the release of the documents. We need to start reading these things, so it would be really good for us to have a sense about what's been submitted and then start thinking about our witness list and if we have only have, say three sessions, who we like to have before us and if there are going to be more sessions, who would be in those additional sessions.
This motion allows us to get going on that work, whether it's with the option that I've proposed, which our chair has suggested might work, or whether it's the alternative that Mr. Julian has proposed. I don't think that precludes it at all.