I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
The reality is that the committee is the master of its own domain and it can study whatever it chooses. As the committee's mandate on its website says, “The Standing Committee on Health may also study matters the Committee itself chooses to examine.” If the committee decides that it's going to study this hospital or any hospital, it becomes in order.
I'd normally not bring a matter related to a particular hospital to a federal Commons committee. This is not a normal circumstance. We now have multiple federal ministers involved in the matter. We have a federal agency, the National Capital Commission, which is exclusively the mandate of the federal government, involved in identifying possible locations for this site. One of the locations proposed is Tunney's Pasture, which is, as you know, a hub for federal public servants. It's entirely federally owned land.
In other words, all of these matters are in the federal sphere. I wish they weren't, quite frankly. I think a lot of times local Ottawa residents wish that the federal government weren't so involved in localized decisions of this nature, and if that were the case, then I wouldn't be here today.
Mr. Chair, I can assure you, you being a very assertive representative for your area, if the federal government were involved in locating a hospital in your community, you would be at this table pounding your fist very aggressively and you would insist that it was in order. Fortunately, for most communities, the federal government is not involved in selecting a site location for a hospital. In my case, unfortunately, it is involved and, I would argue, far too involved. Because of that, it is appropriate that we, as a committee, study that question.
Why the health committee? Very simply, the facility in question is a hospital which is by definition a health care issue. I ask that we have a vote on the matter and if members agree with you that this hospital should not be studied in the health committee, then they can cast their vote accordingly, and if they agree with me that we ought to consider it, then we can work with your clerk to schedule times for hearings.
I'm not here to waste time. I'm not going to run out the clock; I know you have witnesses. All I'm asking for is a vote on my motion.
Thank you.