Mr. Chairman, I think all of the political parties have expressed some concerns about the instructions issued by the Chief Electoral Officer. I feel that it will be rather easy to get a consensus on the federal Chief Electoral Officer's interpretation of the Act. We all feel that it is important for us to clarify this issue for the benefit of the Chief Electoral Officer, if he in fact wants the committee to clarify the situation.
However, as someone who signed the letter asking for the committee to meet today, I think the motion as worded, which focused n the Conservative Party and the 2006 election campaign, should be at the top of our agenda.
This should be the first item up for discussion, Mr. Chairman. As I see it, we can dispense with the matter fairly quickly and, as my Bloc colleague noted, we could then move on to the second item and clarify to the Chief Electoral Officer what we would like to see in place for the September 17 by-elections.