Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I've received the input from our colleague, and I have a motion that I've tabled with the clerk. The motion surrounds an issue that has to be put or resolved by the House by October 19, 2009. That's the date that's been established by the government to receive consultation from the House on the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, otherwise known as the revised NAFO convention.
That deadline is rapidly approaching. We've made a few attempts in the House itself, among the House leadership, to get this on the floor of the House; notwithstanding that that was not successful, we're dealing with the committee right now. The House breaks next week and then resumes the following week. In other words, this issue has to be resolved. In order for it to actually enter the House and for the House to actually use the report of the committee, as I recommend in my motion, to either concur or not concur in the report of the committee, we are facing some very serious time constraints.
I would like to ask if there is a procedural way, perhaps through another motion at this committee, whereby we can at least guarantee that my motion will be voted upon prior to the conclusion of Thursday's meeting. What Mr. Blais is suggesting is to use this meeting to hear witnesses and Thursday afternoon to hear witnesses for the first hour. Then, of course, we could indeed go to discussion of my motion, but there would be absolutely no guarantee that the actual motion will be put at the Thursday meeting, because of course we could talk this out for a long time.
So let's test the good faith.
Is there a procedural way—I'll ask the clerk, through you, Mr. Chair—that we can establish that the question has to be put on my motion prior to the conclusion of Thursday's meeting?