Thank you so much, Chair, and I will do my best to go through you as we are meant to do.
Yes, I am the NDP whip. I have quite a collection and enjoy power, obviously. I do find it really frustrating how people perceive whips. I'd love to talk with you any time about what the job really looks like.
One of the things that I note living and working in this place is that there is a by-the-party perspective and assumption of rightness, and there is not always a consideration of curiosity.
I would really love to have a meaningful discussion here about what works in terms of virtual parliament. I really appreciate what you said about the design, because there are key things that would make the whole of Parliament better, and this is one way that we could make it accessible for some people.
Earlier this week we heard testimony from MPs and former MPs who talked about the challenges they faced and how much having a format like this would have allowed them to take that time and moment in their lives to address that issue.
I think it's important that as we talk about this, we talk not only about the humanity of MPs but also about the humanity of our communities. There have been a few times when I've been here and I've really wanted to be at home because there was a crisis in one of my communities. If I had been able to stand with those people, it would have made them feel comfort from a role that is so important to them, so I really hope that we get to a place where we could have consensus, where we talk about what works and what systems might allow us to move forward.
I will come to Dr. Thomas and Dr. Rayment. I'll leave it to the two of you to decide. One of the things that you talked about is having the ability to use the hybrid model if you needed it for one reason or another. As the whip, I can tell you that I often know things about my caucus' personal life that I wouldn't share broadly, not because of any dastardly sort of power grab but because I really respect them as human beings. I want you to know that I perceive the whip's role as facilitating humanity in a job that often forgets it.
In terms of design, how do you see our being able to have hybridity as an option? How would members use that option, and how would they be accountable to their caucus and to Parliament that it is being used in a useful way?