Actually, that can apply to the subamendment as well as the amendment.
With regard to the premiers attending, are we going to go around the 10 premiers of Quebec and the Canadian provinces and the three responsible for the territories? It’s important to listen to them, I repeat, and I’m convinced that listening to them helps find consensus and get people thinking about potential solutions. That said, is this committee the right place? We study budgets, yes, but the premiers have their own tables at which to discuss matters directly with the government. If the Committee decides to hear from each of the country’s premiers and that decision is made by a majority of its members, so be it, but I wonder if the Committee is really the right place.
With regard to firefighters, I would indeed be very curious to hear the rationale. I’m wondering if the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates isn’t becoming a catch-all for holding meetings with people who should perhaps be turning to the Finance or Environment committees instead, which would be more in keeping with the committees’ objectives. That said, while I may understand, I look forward to hearing the rationale and expansion.
