Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It's good to see everyone. I do want to thank all members involved for many conversations that have happened over the last number of days.
The motion on the floor with regard to the FES and the amendment is an original motion that was brought out almost two weeks ago. All the Liberal members of course are here at committee and are ready to work. I understand that the Conservatives would like an audience for their current acts of obstruction of the democratic process. I mean, this is the third day...or two days and a partial day of Conservative filibuster on this.
We've had consistent discussions on a path forward. I think my colleagues will recognize that my response time has been generally within minutes, if not seconds, for people reaching out to me during this particular discussion.
We did actually get to a solution and then it was reneged upon. For any objective observer of the discussion, when the government side has moved, I would say, 99% of the way, the Conservatives have not moved at all—not an inch. This mirrors the obstructive behaviour we've seen in the House of Commons.
In fact, we got to a point where we agreed with all of the Conservative priorities all the way through Christmas, including the minister arriving and testifying, the governor of the Bank of Canada, other legislative priorities, private member's bills and the like.
I don't think any objective observer of the discussion.... I don't want to get into more details of that and I hope that members feel that this synopsis is respectful of our discussions, without me getting into too many details.
I do want to assure my colleagues on the other side who may not have been directly involved every step of the way that we continue to be open and reasonable. We do have a need to continue with government business. There is the important legislation, which has been talked about briefly although not thoroughly summarized. There are time-sensitive measures in there like the recovery dividend and interest on student loans. Those will have a tremendous impact if the Conservatives are successful at continuing to obstruct and to hold up study. They will also be the first ones, if we ever get to study the fall economic statement, to talk about how there isn't enough time to study it despite the fact that we've lost at least two full days and a partial day and potentially other time during the constituency week that we could have worked.
I just wanted to take this time to get our defence on the record. I still have all of my communication devices in front of me. I'm still available for any discussions they want to continue, but every notion that I have seen thus far is that there doesn't appear to be a path forward.
I look forward to continuing to hear from my Conservative colleagues.... I don't look forward to.... I do look genuinely look forward to hearing all their thoughts on the fall economic statement, but not under the current pretenses.