Madam Chair, my only intervention on this is that the motion calls on the committee to make a conclusion and prescribe an action. It's not asking us to study or weigh any of the empirical evidence as to whether this aim has been achieved in some fashion or another.
My only difficulty is I'm hearing some statistics being presented now. I'm not sure what the entire coast-to-coast situation looks like. I know there have been $10 million increases both in the economic action plan and now the decision is that the base budget reflect that on an ongoing basis. I don't know for sure that it hasn't been accomplished, so how do I support a motion like this one that comes to a conclusion? I'd be more amenable to actually hearing evidence and then coming to a conclusion, rather than being asked to support a conclusion.
Madam Chair, I'll confess I'm newer to this committee than most of the members. Maybe that was hashed out before I got to this committee and everybody else understands it really well, but I don't. The reason I'm opposing this is that I don't really know what the picture is. I'm not sure I can make that conclusion. I'd much rather hear the evidence and weigh it and evaluate whether what the government has done actually meets the intent of where they'd like this motion to go. I will be opposing it on those grounds.