Yes, Mr. Chair.
I certainly support the motion from Madam Gagnon. I think this issue has dragged on far too long, and this is something the government fully intends to take action on. We need to report to this committee and let members of this committee know where things stand. While I support that, I would say that I agree with the parliamentary secretary, in that it could be a relatively short answer, and that the matter may be dealt with in five or ten minutes as to exactly where things stand.
You may be satisfied with the answer from the minister, and then it would be nice to have the amendment as proposed by Ms. Brown. I would say adding “as well as other topics”. “Other matters” may confuse the issue and the minister may read that as other matters related to hepatitis C, for example, so “other topics”. Certainly the idea of having the minister for two meetings, while I can't speak for the minister, I think would be a good idea. We can get all these issues out. It would be good to include the “as well as other topics”; we'll start with hepatitis C, but it may be a short, succinct, ten-minute session, and then we can get on to some other business.
Regarding the minister's schedule and how quickly he is able to appear before committee, it's my understanding from talking to him that he is travelling extensively this month as Minister of Health, and that is literally the first day he is able to come, June 6 or June 8. That's all the insight I can provide on that.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.