Thank you very much.
It is my pleasure to speak on this motion again about an extension of 30 sitting days. If I am right, if everything plays out according to the rules of the House and we don't adjourn till June 21, it will actually give us an extension to November 1.
This means—and these are new points, Mr. Chair—that it will stop this committee from dealing with any other business and that we will devote our time to private members' business well into next year. I'm not talking about a couple of meetings, but about coming back in September and working through October, right into and including November 1.
I have to vehemently speak against an extension of 30 days. I believe that the committee has had more than ample time. But who is to judge “ample”? That's a subjective word. But the committee has had a chance to use the 60 days, and they're working days, if I remember correctly, sitting days. They've had an opportunity to use those 60 days.
If we grant this extension, or if we pass this extension and it goes to the House and the House grants us the extension, that will interfere with the ongoing, imperative work of this committee. I'm not talking about work that we have already done. I'm not even talking about old studies. I'm taking about imperative work that constituents and interest groups out in the larger community want to see addressed. I hear about citizenship wait lists that could be dealt with during that time. That's why I would argue that it is appropriate for me to speak to this at this time.
Immigration has gone through transformational changes in the last little while. This is related to why I believe this extension would interfere with the work of this committee, which is to address some of the impacts that those transformational changes are having on our “not so nation-building” immigration policies.
I have to say that I am trying to be very careful to introduce new points and I am looking at—