Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I just want to clarify what's going on here.
All the parties are having a very interesting discussion in an attempt to find a way to proceed that will help us get answers to the questions asked, not by the members of the official opposition or other opposition parties, but rather by Canadians, regarding foreign interference, particularly as a result of this article that Global News published on November 7.
While the people watching us may not have seen it, the parties are nevertheless having a major discussion in an attempt to come up with a compromise. The official opposition wasn't at all reluctant to introduce its motion, and we're prepared to work with it to get to the bottom of this matter and advance the analysis.
The Liberals have moved an amendment that has led us to change our position. We don't agree on everything they propose, and that's precisely why they'd like to force a vote on an amendment that doesn't work for us at the very moment we're trying to discuss it.
The official opposition and other opposition parties have shown that they're sincerely and genuinely amenable to the idea of advancing and shedding light on the serious events that occurred during that 2019 election. I would recall that a foreign regime knowingly organized and funded activities designed to directly influence the results of elections here in Canada. According to the Global News article, 11 candidates were directly targeted.
It's in the interest of all Canadians that we determine exactly what the Prime Minister, the ministers named in the motion and their offices knew. To do that, we must have access to the documents we've requested and set a deadline for their production. Unfortunately, if we proceed too quickly to a vote, we may lose our chance and cause discontent in the committee.
I think we should continue talking and trying to convince the party in power, the Liberals, of our goodwill. We're prepared not to demand that this study take priority over the other two, which is a major concession. We're also prepared to withdraw half of the names from the list of witnesses we wanted to call first, which is another major concession. However, there can be no compromise on one point, and I believe people will understand this: we want to know what the ministers and their offices knew about this situation. That's what we're seeking in our motion.
So we're showing considerable openness. People may try to portray us as blinkered individuals who refuse to change, but that isn't true. We want answers for Canadians. We want to reassure voters and to be able to tell them that no foreign country, not even the Chinese communist regime in this instance, can step on their toes or undermine their legitimate right to express themselves and choose their representatives. We owe it to the Chinese Canadian community. People must be able to exercise their right to vote without undue influence or intimidation from any regime in the world whatsoever. However, we won't be able to give them that assurance unless we have all the necessary information and can disseminate it.
It's also important to bear in mind that, when it comes to elections, it's solely up to Canadians to determine what's right for them to know. We're talking about their fundamental right.
I believe my colleague wants the floor, Madam Chair. I promise to yield to her shortly.
I will close by saying this: if there's one thing in which transparency must be widespread and automatic, it is elections. Elections are the basis of our system, of our democracy. However, if we begin to conceal from Canadians what we consider irrelevant information about how foreign countries interfere in our elections, it will unfortunately undermine their trust in that democratic process.
For that reason, I ask that the committee take into consideration all the concessions that have been made. We are prepared to move forward, and we want to move forward, but we must ensure that Canadians have access to all the information.