Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I will try to be brief. I will vote for this motion. I have every reason to be favourable to it. First, I was initially among the members who asked that those documents be provided. Second, Bloc Québécois members were excluded from the talks between the NDP and the Liberal Party to strike that ad hoc committee, which is exempt from parliamentary rules.
That being said, I find the way our colleagues went about proposing this motion today extremely disgraceful. We were not informed of it. We did not know what would happen today. When it comes to cooperation among parliamentarians, at the very least, we should have been given a brief overview of what was going on.
I understand there is a relevant element that can explain wanting to proceed quickly. However, I must say that I found Mr. Genuis' virtue signalling a bit exaggerated, with him getting all worked up. He brought up the fact that it was unacceptable that this motion, which was moved in December, had never been adopted. I'm sorry to say so, but we had an opportunity to come up with a work plan. To my major surprise, the Conservatives did not come back with the motion on the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. I asked my colleagues whether there was a mistake or a reason why they were not coming back to that motion concerning the Winnipeg laboratory. Apparently, there were internal considerations that meant it was not the right moment to come back to that motion.
However, aside from the secret negotiations between the Liberals and the New Democrats, nothing justified this necessarily happening today and the cavalier way witnesses were released. They had prepared to come share their points of view with us and shed light on the important issue of vaccine equity.
I am extremely embarrassed. Although I am entirely supportive of what our colleagues from the Conservative Party have brought forward today, I am extremely embarrassed by the way they have done it and by the very cavalier and impolite way we have consequently behaved with witnesses. A few moments ago, we talked about the possibility of asking them to come back at a later date. Quite honestly, if I was one of those witnesses, I would say:
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
Those witnesses took the time to prepare. They were ready. Some witnesses were even calling us from abroad. I know what they are going through, because I was online for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe this morning. So I am in the exact same time zone as our European friends. I think it is unacceptable for us to have behaved as real cads toward them. If we want to claim that we can defend and properly represent our fellow Canadians, we are required, first and foremost, to show a minimum of consideration to them when we make the effort to invite them and they make the effort to prepare to enlighten us on a very important issue.
That is what I had to say, Mr. Chair.