Thank you so much, Madam Chair.
Through you, I want to thank all my colleagues and the witnesses who have presented and are contributing to this important discussion.
We know that the work we do as parliamentarians has a real impact on the daily lives of Canadians. I think that's why it's so critical that these discussions centre around efficacy and also efficiency so that any resulting recommendations from the study aren't serving us but are better serving in the best interest of the Canadians we serve. I think that's very important and should be top of mind.
In discussing the hybrid Parliament, we know there are obvious discussions around work-life balance and the impact it has on the abilities of MPs to perform to their fullest in their job. I am a mother of four young children. I had my most recent child five months ago, and I would propose, even, that hybrid Parliament has its own challenges that we've all endeavoured.... There's an expectation that members of Parliament are fully engaged in parliamentary work, which I absolutely agree we need to be in order to be successful for our constituents. When you're home in the riding, there are other priorities and responsibilities that are competing for your time. Each and every one of us knows that. Whether that's family obligations, local events or local engagements, there seems to be an expectation that because you are physically present, you can do all of these, and do them to your fullest. But I would say that in reality, that's actually to the detriment of our executing our parliamentary responsibilities.
We've come across limited resources with committees when we've done hybrid. I know that all of us have experienced committees that couldn't be extended due to a lack of resources. Sound checks have gotten better than they were in the early days, but through you, Madam Chair, I'm wondering if the witnesses would agree that the committee work that is done is critical to the parliamentary process and that this work should not be limited by resources.