Thanks very much, Chair.
I have just a couple of things. With respect to the agenda or the proposed calendar we have in front of us—and it is that, a “proposed” calendar—my opening remarks were not intended to be adversarial. What I was looking to do was to find a way to incorporate the priorities put forward by all parties.
With respect to Mr. Davies' looking to advance an NDP priority, if that's how we're drawing lines out here, my intention with having the children's health issues potentially studied during COVID meetings was to free up meeting time so that a private member's bill put forward by an NDP member would have white space in our calendar.
I think children's health is a non-partisan issue. I think the opioid crisis is a non-partisan issue. We should be able to find time in our calendar to do those. I moved no motion, because I'm not looking to put forward a Conservative proposal. I'm looking forward to finding a way for the committee to advance our shared interests for the health of all Canadians.
So I would just reiterate that in my initial statement and now, I'm not moving a motion. My intent is that we find a way to free up what is very limited committee time. That was my intention with respect to comments on children's health.
Yes, the committee did agree to it. It may have been unanimous. The committee can also change its mind. But I think it's also prudent, when we do have limited resources, and we have issues like the opioid crisis, which are extremely pressing and are emergencies that affect every community in every riding across this country, that we find a way to fit it into our schedule. I think that's important.
I think there are ways that we can always improve on items that are in front of us, especially after we have time to reflect. We have the study on medical devices, specifically breast implants. That also opens up the possibility, particularly when we have a cancer awareness month, that we talk about the full picture on breast health. Again, that was an issue that was raised by colleagues in multiple parties before I was at this table.
I would offer all of those genuinely in the spirit of collaboration. I am open to hearing motions from all members, and would turn my undivided attention to them, but my intention is to find a way that we can collaboratively address all of our priorities. They are all very important. They don't necessarily need to be competing priorities. They can be shared priorities. If that's the way want to frame them, I think that might be a productive way to move forward.