With all due respect to the witnesses, I'm sure they're very capable and very knowledgeable, but at the end of the day, this is the minister's bill. It is the minister who has spoken on this bill in the House on a number of occasions. It is the minister who has defended the time frames and the invoking of closure.
It's imperative that we hear the minister before the committee speaks to this legislation. I would support Mr. Schmale's motion on having the minister appear before we begin clause-by-clause consideration.