Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'll briefly do what I must do in every situation such as this, which is to remind the committee that I'm here because you passed a motion that requires me to be here, so that I don't have the right to put forward this amendment at report stage, which I would have vastly preferred.
In my brief opportunity to speak to this, let me say that I'm very gratified to see the government move an amendment that strengthens the bill. It obviously would nullify the one that I put forward. I just want to say briefly that it is a significant improvement to ensure that the minister's requirement to consider the risks is now mandatory and not merely discretionary. Assuming that my friend Anita's amendment is passed, it will in fact strengthen this legislation.
I need to put on the record, with your permission, Mr. Chair, the deep regret that we have not fixed the U.S. exemption loophole that remains in Bill C-47, unless someone in the course of this committee's clause-by-clause is able to amend that section of the bill to say that we will track U.S. sales and close what has generally been described by most of the groups before this committee as the loophole you can drive a tank through.
I appreciate the moment to support the amendment the government is putting forward. My amendment is put forward, and I have no power to withdraw it or not. It is deemed, under the terms of the motion this committee passed, to have been moved, and my opportunity is merely to come to speak to it.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.