Thank you, Madam Chair.
It might be a bit off topic, but I'm one of the new MPs on this block, and I see Chris agreeing on that one as well.
There is a question here about the constituency offices. Because I came from a small business background, I felt that if it was my own practice and I had to rent an office and get it running, I would be able to do it in a week. Being a member of Parliament, I was lucky enough to have an office from the previous MP. But I've noticed that it took the MP next door to me almost two to three months to move into her office.
I have a question for the Department of Public Works and Government Services here. Is there a way that we can centralize this leasing option, so that the office does not belong to an MP? It should belong to Public Works, so we can carry on.
It's just like the Prime Minister. If one moves out, the other takes charge. If he can move to the parliamentary office in a day, why can't another MP move into a similar situation?
It's going to save the taxpayers a lot of money. It's going to save them a lot of hassles as well, because the telephone number changes. They will know where to find them, so it's more consistent.
Could you elaborate on this one, please?
And there's insurance as well. I was looking at insurance cost, and Hedy Fry, another MP, had the same insurance company as I have, but there were two different rates. We had to go through a lot of hassles on that issue.
As someone with a small businessman's background, I would love to see if we could simplify these things.