Colleagues, we are back. Could I ask everyone to take their seats, please.
I see you, Mr. Cooper. Please give me one second.
Colleagues, I received a letter a few days ago, as did you, from more than four members of two parties requesting an emergency meeting, which means that the committee must, according to the Standing Orders, grant permission for that meeting.
My understanding is there have been productive negotiations between the parties with the intent of addressing the nature of that emergency meeting.
Our collective hope is that we will be able to work through the substance of why that meeting was called in the next few minutes. If we can't, colleagues, rest assured that Standing Order 106(4), which refers to an emergency meeting, will be honoured, and we will come back later this afternoon to continue should we not get there. However, the goal of this exercise right now is to try to save us all from having to come back later this afternoon while still satisfying the nature of the emergency meeting.
With that, Mr. Cooper, I recognize that you would like the floor, so I pass it to you.