At this point I'll take a bit of leeway, if you will indulge me, to talk about the procedural aspects of the amendment that's before us so that we fully understand before we continue debate on the amendment.
Looking at the Parliament of Canada Act, which we've been discussing, it seems that this amendment is procedurally okay at this committee, because it's within the scope of what we are talking about. But if this committee were to pass this amendment and it ended up on the floor of the House, it would essentially have no effect, because the Parliament of Canada Act makes it mandatory. It says that all vice-chairs “shall” be paid. We would not essentially be able to change that through a motion of this committee without an amendment to the actual act. It would essentially have no impact.
I just wanted to let the mover know that. We can proceed here at this committee. We can vote it down or we can pass it, but essentially it won't have the impact you're looking for.