Mr. Chair, I appreciate the fact that the clerk is doing his utmost to get the spots filled, but I think if members of this committee had been consulted about who we should bring in today, there would have been some suggestions that might have been wide-ranging in terms of the different folks. As you know, we have limited opportunities to hear from people. We obviously don't want to have witnesses who are redundant and whom other committees have already heard from. But we do want to concentrate on the issue at hand.
There are a whole lot of people I would like to have heard in this hour, had we known it was available. We didn't know, Mr. Chair, that this hour was available. We didn't have an opportunity to give suggestions as to who we would fill this hour with. We gave suggestions—apparently there were a number of suggestions or thoughts—as to who we would hear from in this hour, but the group that is presenting today wasn't included in that list. This wasn't even a suggestion.
I believe the subcommittee has a responsibility to look at and make determinations based on what is in the interest of this committee. I think it's important that all committee members have an opportunity—that every party, at least, has an opportunity—to weigh in as to who will be at these meetings and who will give testimony to this committee. It's an issue of decency and courtesy to members who are part of this committee that we be consulted when it comes to witnesses who will be heard from at this committee.