Mr. Chair, this is a matter of privilege for me.
I was contacted on Friday by the minister's office. I could not change my schedule for this week. There is no reluctance to pair with him. I'm surprised the minister referred to it in his statement. I chose not to use up my time discussing it publicly. I'm happy to have a private conversation with the minister on it.
There's no reluctance on our part to pair with the minister in going to Haiti or anywhere else. It's a matter of whether one person can do it or another. As far as I'm concerned, this is not an appropriate issue to be dealt with in committee.