Conservatives believe, as Mr. Perkins said, that Mr. Blaikie's amendment was a good start. In fact, I might even say it was a great start, as it would give the Canadian public the ability to hear the Finance minister appear before a finance committee about the $490 billion that she wants to spend; however, our challenge and why we believe that the amendment needs a subamendment is that the Minister of Finance has at least three times refused invitations to this committee, so we as Conservatives and more importantly as Canadians are left without recourse.
Lord Denning, the famous British jurist, once said that where there is no consequence, there is no law.
I'd just like to ask the clerk—if necessary, we'll go through you, Mr. Chair—what recourse this committee has if the Minister of Finance decides.... She's a very busy person, and she has many other commitments. If she decides, for whatever reason, to not attend despite her acceptance of our invitation, what recourse does the committee have if she rescinds that acceptance and decides not to attend the meeting?