Thank you very much.
Thank you for that very impassioned presentation. I support you in that the Conservatives do seem to think they're above the rules. They've shut down everything that we've tried to do. They've not answered questions in the House of Commons. They have not been open and transparent in what they've been doing. Practically every step of the way we've had to really squeeze them to give us the information that we require.
I, like you, think our rights and privileges have been really put to the test here under this. We've asked a number of ministers to come before us in previous times and they haven't shown up. We were sitting there with empty chairs. And now they decide they are going to grace us with their presence.
Having said that, we've been asking question after question in the House. We've been asking for answers to the many very serious questions that we have. It's the height of hypocrisy, I think, that in previous times Conservatives demanded staff to come before committee, who always obliged. And now, when they are in the hot seat, they will not allow it to happen--yet they hold their staff accountable for the many things that they do when there are problems.
I think, personally, we have the “Jaffer three” before us today, and I think it is important that we have answers to some of the questions that we have. I do ask, though, that we reserve the right, if we don't get the answers we require from the Jaffer three--the shadow cabinet of Mr. Jaffer--to actually call the staff to show before us at another time.
But I do think that while we have the ministers here today, we should press forward, we should ask the questions. They have been disrespectful to this committee, they have been disrespectful to the people of Canada. And I would like to make sure that we reserve that right to call the staff when and if required.