Thank you.
First of all, I want to thank my colleagues in the Conservative Party for their initiative in calling this meeting, pursuant to Standing Order 106.
It appears that violent agreement is breaking out, so I will keep my remarks uncharacteristically brief.
The only thing I would like to mention is that the health committee hasn't had an opportunity to meet since early last July. It's been a little over six months since we've had an opportunity to meet. I'm hearing a bit of damning with faint praise, and I'm hearing a bit of very positive commitments to collegiality and working together, with a little tinge of politics. That's exactly as it should be.
What I would say is this. I've had the privilege of being on the health committee since 2015, with my colleague Sonia Sidhu. I think we're the grizzled veterans of the crowd. I want to say that HESA is one of the very few places in our country where we have an opportunity to really question issues, to call whomever we want to our committee to receive the best evidence we can and to hold officials and the government to account. That's a really important role we play. Each one of my colleagues on this committee takes that role very seriously. I'm really looking forward, as the New Democrat critic for health, not only to working together, but to being that crucible of accountability and open questioning that is important in a free and democratic society.
I hope all of my colleagues feel free to bring the witnesses and evidence forward they think are important. Sometimes it is to give voice to the voiceless; to critique orthodoxy and challenge established narratives; and to do what I think Canadians want us to do, which is to make sure that they have access to the very best health policy at the federal level that we can possibly deliver to them.
Mr. Chair, I congratulate you again for your election. I look forward to working under your wise stewardship and to working with everybody else as we meet next week to begin our work.