This is with all due respect to Mrs. Vecchio's recent comments.
You're assuming that prorogation is about the WE issue. That's an assumption you're making in order to justify the rest of it. I think it's quite ironic that here we are, talking about what's important to Canadians, and somehow this is the issue that's top of mind, when Ontario recorded today the highest number of new COVID infections reported in a single day since this outbreak started being monitored. Somehow the opposition, at least the official opposition at this point, thinks that this is top of mind for Canadians.
You know, I understand and respect the role of the opposition. I know what they want to do here. I would probably be doing the same thing, if I were in their position, in terms of trying to get answers to what they see as very important questions. However, along the lines of what Mr. Turnbull said, I can't understand how this particular motion falls before this committee. Yes, a number of committees effectively came to a close when the prorogation started. Those committees can re-request that information again very easily. It doesn't have to go through this committee. It certainly doesn't have to come back to this committee.
More importantly, as a matter of procedure, I understand that the motion was distributed to us just as it was being read out by Mrs. Vecchio. I got the email notification at the same time. Well done; it was extremely well planned. The problem here is that you're springing this on a committee.
You were also reading it really fast, Mrs. Vecchio. I mean, I was trying to listen to what you were saying as you were reading it. I recognize the fact that you have provided it to us, but there is such an incredibly huge amount of detail in here that I, for one, cannot vote on this now without at least having had the opportunity to go through it.
I wish I could be spending my time on other things, such as talking about what Canadians really want right now. What they want is security. They want to be alleviated of anxiety. They want to understand and to know that their government and their Parliament are here for them to take care of them right now. In my humble opinion, this is not top of mind for them. Yes, there are questions that the opposition deserves to get answers to, and in due course that can happen.
Madam Chair, I need more time to look at this. I am certainly not in a position to vote on this right now, when we have literally 14 minutes before this meeting is scheduled to come to an end. There is a ton of information here. I was going to ask Mrs. Vecchio if she could read it to us again, but much more slowly so that we could hear it with some clarity.
You can put me on the list to speak again later, if necessary, because I need more time before I can vote on this. Certainly, number one, I would like to read it thoroughly, understand it all thoroughly and caucus with my colleagues properly to discuss it with them to see if we want to have an amendment on one part or another. I know that Mrs. Vecchio has been around Parliament for a while. She understands the rules and has been involved in a lot of committees. Certainly, although this is committee business and she is entirely entitled to do so, you don't spring a motion like this on a committee just on the fly like this and expect everybody to vote on it—unless, of course, you've preplanned this, and it was planned very well with the way the email went out.
In any event, I'll put my hand up again if I feel the need to speak to it more. I'd be curious and interested to hear what other people have to say.
I'll leave it at that for now, Madam Chair.