First off, Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate you on your election. I will not even bother to joke that you are not familiar with the chair's duties. You did not find yourself in this position because you lack expertise.
Senior officials in the previous government wanted to do away with this committee. Let us hope that this will not come to pass. This will not stop the opposition from suggesting topics that the committee could discuss. The issues that we will raise in committee will need to be, and will be, debated. The Chair will need to be impartial, because it is the duty of the Chair to be non-partisan.
I appreciate you're saying that this committee is one of the most important committees in terms of how Parliament operates. The other committees concern themselves more with how the government and ministers operate and they debate matters raised by political parties. This committee deals with the operation of Parliament . I am saddened by recent events in Parliament and I hope that we can work together.
In a democratic system, we have a government party and an opposition. It is the duty of the opposition to draw the attention of citizens or the government to matters with which it disagrees. The Chair has a responsibility to ensure that these matters are debated. It is not the Chair's responsibility to silence a committee, as we saw last time around. I'm optimistic and I believe that we can engage in debate. Otherwise, we will have to live with the consequences.
I promise you that I will work hard to make this committee work, all the while with an eye to preserving democracy. The opposition must have the right to speak and to participate in the debates of this committee.
Once again, congratulations on your election.