I have great respect for Mr. Oliver, but his reluctance to explain what his own amendment is intended to mean is somewhat surprising to me. They're his words.
Apparently, we don't have anybody here who can advise the committee on what the difference means, but we know that in legislation words matter. Courts could be called upon to interpret this legislation, and every word has a meaning. Before we vote on this, we need to know what the change means. I will make the argument to my colleagues that the words carry a plain meaning.
By the way, this has nothing to do with the intent of Mr. Doherty's bill. This has nothing to do with the issue we just discussed.
The amendment that Mr. Oliver proposes purports to restrict the issues that would be part of the conference convened by the Minister of Health and limit them to the items that are mentioned after the words “in relation to”—the items in paragraphs 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c).
That may be what's intended, but when you change the word.... As it is presently worded—they'll talk about issues “including” the following—it means they could talk about other things. If you change the word “includes” and say “for the purpose of developing a comprehensive federal framework in relation to” the following, then they are directed only to what follows.
I'm not quite sure why Mr. Oliver doesn't want to acknowledge that, because it's his amendment. The committee has to decide whether we are okay with that. My own view would be that what follows is pretty broad, in terms of directing the conference in what they will be talking about.
Right now, I can't think of anything particularly substantive beyond what's mentioned, but I don't want to restrict them either. When they have this conference, with people who, I presume, are much smarter than I, and who have much more experience with PTSD—presumably that's the purpose of convening a conference with “stakeholders”, “representatives responsible for health”, and “representatives of the medical community”—I wouldn't purport to limit them right now to what follows. I would direct them to discuss “the following” inclusively, but if something else comes up that they think is relevant, I don't think it's wise policy for the health committee to predetermine and limit that conference in advance, and restrict their framework to what follows, when I'm not sure that it's comprehensive.