Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I was under the impression that we were going to withdraw the motion in its entirety. If it's your opinion that we are starting from scratch, it seems a little sneaky. Nonetheless, I guess that's your opinion.
I'll begin my comments with the first motion. I won't bother reading it into the record, but for the committee's reference, the motions we're looking at are with regard to the wearing of masks and the advice that Dr. Theresa Tam had received.
This is our 33rd committee meeting, as the chair referenced in the opening remarks. We were one of the first committees to start, and we're still going. We've heard a lot of testimony that I think really lays out the groundwork that this particular government was not prepared, lacked a sense of urgency, and even, quite honestly, was boasting about how prepared they were.
These four motions are important, because they highlight the fact that we need to make sure, as a committee—and remember, Mr. Chair, we're separate from the government—that we get as much information as possible so that we're able to put forward a full and comprehensive report, with advice for any other future governments on any other potential pandemics in the future. That being the case, we want to make sure that we have all the information available before us. I hope that members of this committee will recognize this in these four motions, because it's imperative, I think, for the protection of Canadians, that we're as transparent as possible.
You may be friends with the Minister of Health. You may be friends with certain members of the government. However, at the end of the day, we as a committee have been tasked with finding as much information as possible in preparation for any other potential pandemics, for the safety of all Canadians. I implore the committee to consider this in our consideration of these motions as we move forward so that we're as transparent and accountable as possible.