Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to say a few words on what my colleague was just talking about, the other important issues. Rights and Democracy should certainly have a thorough airing itself too, but I'm looking at the draft schedule here, and I'm seeing five instances of “Bill C-300 or...”. Those “ors” can really mean no Bill C-300, if you want to interpret it that way.
I want to underscore the importance of reviewing Bill C-300 and having an airing and consultation on it, because I believe one matter was overlooked in the previous hearings. I want to bring out this one short comment here from one company. It underscores the importance of having discussions not only with the mining industry, but also with the other ancillary industries that are contributing to the economy. This company has one paragraph that says:
Canun International is a Canadian-owned Canadian-based company. We are not a mining company per se however the equipment we supply is made in Canada and is sold to the mining companies. There is no doubt that should this bill proceed in its present form it will be used to attack the Canadian mining industry. This will result in the corporate offices, of those mining companies under attack, leaving Canada. Their leaving will, in turn, result in the total loss of our business and the loss of the twenty-nine jobs dependent upon that business.
I want to underscore the importance of continuing with the consultation on Bill C-300 and bringing in some of these ancillary companies for their viewpoint on it, too, to see if this isn't a common thought and a common concern, not only of the mining industry corporations themselves, but of many other Canadian industries.
At this time of concern for the economic well-being of our country, I think we have a duty and responsibility to thoroughly discuss that. So rather than looking at the “ors” on Bill C-300, I would think we could take the time to plug in sufficient time for Bill C-300 and to be sure we allow sufficient time for the rest of this session.