Thank you, and thank you all for appearing here. I apologize, I will be asking you my questions in English
since I do not speak French.
One of the things that I think is important for all of you to know—I hope you know that now—is that this committee cannot change any final recommendations made by your boundaries commission in Quebec. They have the final authority to set the boundaries after hearing testimony from interested individuals, communities, members of Parliament, and the like.
What we are to do here is to draft a report based on the accurate assessment of testimony we hear from witnesses like yourself. So with the help of primarily Monsieur Dion, we have established a series of questions that we will ask all members of Parliament who appear before the committee to try to get an accurate reflection if your recommendations are supported by others.
Monsieur Blaney, I notice with great interest the support from your riding that you brought with you to Ottawa today. I must applaud you. That's the first time we've had this before our committee, where a member has brought in a number of their own constituents to support their point of view, so I must congratulate you for doing that.
The question I would have, and it's indicated in Monsieur Bernier's presentation, but just so that I am clear, are you all stating that this is the first time the commission would have heard your objections because after the first draft of the map, you didn't realize they were planning to make the change that you saw in the second draft? In other words, is this the first and perhaps only opportunity that you all, as members of Parliament and members from your individual ridings, have had to communicate your displeasure or objections to the commission? Is that correct?
I'll start with you, Monsieur Bernier.