Madam Chair, if I may, "the coming weeks" is not acceptable. It's been months since the election. The minister has not appeared before us for things like estimates and his mandate letter, and he is a key member of the COVID-19 response cabinet committee. If we're talking about his coming in weeks, I can't imagine somebody sitting at home in their lockdown right now going, “Well, he can't find time for weeks.” It is completely unacceptable. He needs to be before this committee before April 30.
I am willing to meet whenever he wants to meet. I don't care if it's two in the morning at this point in time. He needs to get before this committee. It is ridiculous that he has not been here. Weeks is not acceptable. Brushing this committee off is not acceptable, especially when what the government said last week was that somehow we were going to be able to do Parliament virtually, and then to have the minister just blow us off.... He needs to be here for two full hours before next Thursday. It's ridiculous. I don't want to hear any excuses from him that he can't make a certain time or that a teleconference isn't going to work. Find the time and get here. That is the nature of this motion.