In the 41st Parliament, of which I was a part, we actually had a miscellaneous tax amendment bill. It encompassed all of the tax changes that had happened under, I believe, the Chrétien government, into the Martin government and into some of the minority times with the Harper government, and wrapped it up. It was around 800 pages. Do you know what? The NDP, as the official opposition, wanted to study the bill because they knew there was a process whereby they wanted to see it all done. They knew already that these particular tax measures were already being treated as bona fide and that they were already in place.
For anyone to say that somehow, by demanding that this parliamentary committee complete its functions, complete its duties.... Again, this was reiterated to me in the House by the Minister of National Revenue. She didn't care which witnesses we have—committees are independent. I should say, Mr. Chair, that maybe she meant committees are independent when it comes to Conservative motions to have the CRA commissioner.... They're not independent when it comes to getting what they want on their omnibus legislation, as we see in this subamendment.
Now, on the issue of the subamendment and the timing, it is I think very interesting that the Senate, through its banking committee and through other various committees, adopted on May 4 a motion allowing for a pre-committee study, and spreading it all around. They're giving senators until May 10—