Thank you, Madam Chair.
I wonder if my colleague has seen the legislative agenda leading up to the end of the session. And by the way, as far as I know, it is not a government priority to fast-track passage of the bill before a possible election or the next session. The chances of that happening are extremely slim.
Personally, I support the bill. However, I am a business man, and I would like to understand some things better. The exchange earlier between Mrs. Gill and Mr. Poilievre showed me that there is a misunderstanding not only of what a plumber is, but also of the relationship between suppliers and large companies. When subcontractors don't get paid, they still have to pay their employees, regardless of the circumstances. So they are not on the same level as the employees, who would keep their pensions.
On the other hand, I regret that Mr. Masse cannot speak in this debate, since he has exactly two decades of experience with similar bills.
I feel we need to study the bill more carefully and hear from witnesses, so that we have a better understanding of the issue and can make sure that the bill is well put together. Mrs. Gill, again, I support your bill. However, similar bills have been met with a lot of opposition in the past. We want to make sure that this time we can get the bill passed. To do that, I still believe we should have witnesses.
We will oppose Mr. Lemire's motion. It's not that we disagree with him and refuse to move the bill forward more quickly. Rather, we think we could easily have two meetings with witnesses and also allow Mr. Masse to speak. In fact, if I have the opportunity today, I will give him my time. Indeed, it is important that all parliamentarians have the opportunity to ask Mrs. Gill questions on this matter.
So, I don't know if my other colleagues agree, but we will be voting against Mr. Lemire's motion. Again, we have nothing against the bill or against Mr. Lemire's motion, but I believe we need to hear from witnesses to make sure that the bill is perfect. There are two sides to every coin. We are inevitably going to run into unpredictables along the way.