When we're looking at that aspect of things, the reality is that we're not signing a piece of paper to say I'm paying for something until I know there are assurances that it's going to be done. That's just a simple little aspect of Canadians. Every Canadian is looking at that, and they need to be responsible in understanding that aspect of it.
When we have a contract with Medicago that eventually gets terminated because of “mutual consent”, which releases them from their obligations, how does that answer to the Canadian public?
That's what this motion is about. This motion is there to try to move forward so that we're accountable for where this is. We turned around, we looked and we saw, when we first put this motion forward under Standing Order 106(4), that we had support for that at that time. We had the required number of people to agree to this.
In the news, the NDP turned around and said that, yes, they wanted to know where this $150 million was spent and what it was spent on...and being accountable for that money. The member here at this table stood in front of the press and told them that, yes, we need to bring this up. These are issues that need to be brought forward. These are things we need to do. This committee needs to turn around and say, “This is something urgent that needs to be brought to the fore, and we need to do it as soon as possible.”
I ask colleagues to look at this and support this motion so that we can get on this as quickly as possible.
With that, Mr. Chair, I will cede the floor and potentially come back later.