Getting back to the point that I was making, at the end of the day, we have a constitutional requirement to have a functioning upper chamber so that laws of this land can ultimately be passed. That is what we're going through right now, to get a process in place that ultimately attempts to create greater confidence in Canadians with respect to a chamber of sober second thought, meanwhile respecting both the constitutional practices and the conventions that associate themselves with respect to the appointment of senators, so that we don't get into the situation Mr. Reid had previously noted, that we are somehow violating or engaging in a process that is ultimately ultra vires.
With all due respect, at the end of the day we're obviously trying to work within the confines and the framework of the rules that are presented here with respect to the Standing Orders. I would also note, too, that we've been open in terms of allowing witnesses to appear before this committee, including the three federal appointees. By the way, it's something that the previous government never allowed. They shut down every single motion to call witnesses before committees for review, because they didn't want their witnesses to be subject to that kind of scrutiny. Ultimately, we are dealing with the terms that are set out under Standing Orders 110 and 111. That's the situation we're faced with.
Again, as I said earlier, as we go through the process, this committee will ultimately have the opportunity to review the Standing Orders. If you don't like the way they're written right now, we can make and propose those changes through that appropriate process.
Let's not rewrite the rules now simply because you find them inconvenient because you have a different political point to make.
Also, to answer your question with respect to what is competence, I think if you actually listened carefully to the witness we had today, Dean Jutras, he made it very clear: “Look at my historical practice. Look at the kinds of circumstances and situations in which I dealt with these particular types of issues.”
