Mr. Chairman, let me first remind you that this committee was not consulted, even though we're talking about significant cuts that directly affect our work.
I'd like to propose an amendment to change some aspects of Mr. Martin's motion. The proposed changes are in line with Mr. Lake's comments, namely that the committee should hear from those affected by these cuts, and that is shouldn't necessarily wait until after the cuts have been made.
I'm not sure if the English version gives another impression, but the motion in French reads as follows:
Que, considérant les compressions du gouvernement at DRHDC annoncées le 25 septembre 2005, que le Comité convoque immédiatement devant le Comité : - la Ministre, pour expliquer les motifs derrière ces compressions [...]
I would propose the following instead: “-la Ministre, pour qu'elle explique les motifs derrière ces compressions[...]”.
It's a question of meaning. Basically, the essence of the motion remains the same.
Point two of motion continues thusly:
- le personnel du ministère, pour expliquer l'impact de ces compressions [...]
Here, I would suggest the following wording: “-le personnel du ministère, pour qu'il explique l'impact de ces compressions[...]”
The motion concludes with the following:
- et des individus et des organisations touchés par ces compressions.
I propose that the following be substituted: “- et des individus et des organismes touchés par ces compressions, pour qu'ils expriment leur opinion face à ces compressions.”