Thank you.
During my initial remarks, I heard from various members, particularly from the government, that they wanted to get back to hearing from the witnesses. I heard that from at least two members. I see that Crystal is nodding her head in the affirmative, and that's what we all believed.
Let's limit the discussion. Let's get back to a vote, and let's get to hearing the witnesses. How deeply disappointed I am to hear that that was never their agenda all along.
To my point, they will take every opportunity to shut down committees when it's deeply embarrassing to them. It's yet another scandal that's of their making. They've turned a blind eye to this practice for years. Despite various organizations and many indigenous leaders from across this country warning the government about the abuses, we finally got a committee to study this abuse, and what do they want to do? They want to talk about the structure by which we hold meetings during break weeks, because that's more of a priority to them, the actual process, than examining their own failed, corrupt practices.
We now learn that the NDP, who we thought, according to Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the NDP party, had torn up the supply and confidence agreement was just playing; it was a play on Canadians. The timing was to reinforce his efforts in the by-elections in Winnipeg and the by-elections in Quebec. Clearly, we see now at this committee and we've been seeing in the House that this NDP government really holds no core identity anymore as to what it truly believes in. Its members will criticize the government and then vote blindly in favour of it.
We now have an NDP member who I thought wanted to hear from witnesses, who wanted to engage in this particular debate and who wanted to get to recommendations so that we can improve economic reconciliation across this great nation with indigenous nations and indigenous neighbours, and it's all a ploy. It's a ploy to keep this government in power to shut down these important debates. How hypocritical to hear from this NDP member. The coalition is still alive.
Again, I offer my apologies. We will get to a point where we'll continue this conversation. I don't have any hope that it's going to happen today, but I look forward to seeing you again.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.