Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It was a very unfortunate meeting, since we weren't able to hear from our witnesses. One of those witnesses had to travel. She has to drive five hours every week to get here. It's not a short drive, and the road to get to Ottawa from northern Ontario isn't exactly Highway 30 or Highway 40. It's more like Route 389, which I've driven way too often in my life.
That said, I'll get back to the motion and the Standing Orders. The meeting was called with exactly 24 hours and 39 minutes' notice. The notice of meeting was then amended at 3:22 p.m., less than 24 hours before the start of the meeting. However, it was not requested pursuant to Standing Order 106(4). It wasn't an emergency meeting. The meeting was being held as part of a study that was under way. Furthermore, the meeting was called for a Wednesday, which was not a regular meeting day. Our meetings are normally held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
One could ask who benefits from a filibuster. The answer might lie in the many videos that have already been posted on social media. Everyone is getting all worked up. Now, it would be lovely if we could vote on the motion as quickly as possible, because we have 13 minutes left in our meeting. It would be great to use those 13 minutes to hear from our witnesses.
When it comes to procedure, we can go all over the map. We have the binder. We also have to follow what has been done in the past. Another meeting has been called for tomorrow, again with less than 24 hours' notice. It's not a meeting requested pursuant to Standing Order 106(4), so not an emergency meeting. It is a meeting requested as part of the regular meetings of this committee, which are normally held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
I have no problem meeting during a constituency week, even if it disrupts my entire schedule and prevents me from meeting with businesses, citizens and organizations in my riding in person, face to face. Remote communication and telework are all well and good, but everyone has had enough. It does not come close to the warmth of human contact, being able to look people in the eye and sense their non-verbal language. That comes with meeting in person with the people we care about, the people who we represent and who elected us.
If possible, I call for a vote on the motion.