Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thank my honourable colleague, Mr. Giguère, for pointing out the standing order that we're actually debating here.
Mr. Chairman, I want to follow up on Mr. Giguère's argument and the clarification provided through Standing Order 97.1.(1) The standing order says that when a motion is requesting an extension of the 30 sitting days, it requires a reasoning, and Mr. Giguère argued that this reasoning is not provided and so the motion is out of order.
My request to you, Mr. Chair, is that it's either one of the two. You will rule that the motion is in order or that it's not in order because of the argument that Mr. Giguère made. So you can agree with his reasoning or you can go and say that the motion is in order because reasoning was given. If that's the way you proceed, Mr. Chair, then the reasoning must be the “therefore” clause, because it's a conditional statement that's being presented to us. In that sense, the intent of the committee to expand the scope is actually the reasoning for requesting the 30 days' extension. If that is the reason for the request to extend the length of study of this bill, then that is very much part of the substance of the motion and should be part of the debate that follows here on the main motion itself.
That's what I respectfully submit to you, Mr. Chair.