Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the invitation to appear today. I will be brief because the facts are brief.
I did find it necessary and important to rise on the issue in the House, not only because it was about a vote, but also because it was budget day, and there was uncertainty as to whether or not I would be able to get to the House in a timely fashion.
I appreciate the committee taking this to consideration. I appreciate the Speaker's ruling as well.
The main reason is that I truly believe that if you don't measure something, then you can't manage it. What I see from the testimony this morning is that that's exactly what you are all doing. As a member of Parliament, I really appreciate what you're doing here.
I do know there is a balance that needs to be struck in terms of safety and security, and the ability for members of Parliament to move freely within the precinct. In this case, I do think it was imbalanced, and that's why I rose on a question of privilege. I hope that, having learned the lessons we may be learning now, we'll have a better outcome next time.
In short, I arrived at the foot of the Hill and waited in the bus shelter for a couple of minutes. I spoke to a member of House of Commons staff. My colleague from Beauce, Monsieur Bernier, came over, and we chatted a little bit more. We noticed that the buses were piling up at the checkpoint. They were not being released. Max said we should figure out what to do. He went over and inquired as to the reason why. A reason was given. He came back and said that they were not going to be moving the buses, and we ended up taking our leave and proceeding up to the Hill.
When we arrived, I was able to see the presentation of the budget, and after that I rose on the point of personal privilege. That's where it ended for me, except for what happened in terms of procedure in the House, and I'm grateful to be here today.