Thank you.
I appreciate your previous work on both of those issues, the new technology and the grocery store stuff.
Yes, I submitted it before. I don't know if all members saw it. It was well put across, and it was also out in the media. At any rate, I'm open to making this a constructive process forward, and I don't like the fact that....
You know, we have this time available for us. We have a week in between, and I'd like to do something with it. This is what was presented to me as another alternative. The committee didn't take up mine, which is fine. That's okay. There are lots of things happening. I understand that it wasn't seen as a priority. This initiative was presented to me. I'd rather meet next week. If it means six meetings, then time.... We can actually have another planning meeting, or we organize other studies, and then we get witnesses. We have some blank space.
I know you mentioned before about having Mr. Scott here at this committee, and others, but we're not there yet, where we have that plan. I think if we do something, or we even follow through with this—it could be something value-added, to Mr. Fillmore's suggestion, later on—we won't have wasted time or energy. Some of the witnesses could cross over. I just see it as better than not meeting, in many respects. I think it's worthy on its own to take a look at.
To conclude, it's a better position for this committee and for work that might actually extend into something later on that I'm open to. I'm not closing doors to any of that, but I'd certainly like to get going. This is an issue that's taken flight, not just in Canada but in the United States and across the world, with regard to the use of lithium and the resources around it. On top of that, there's the auto sector, where I come from.
Again, lastly, at least we will get some good testimony. We will hear some discussion points that might be of interest to the public. It might open up some more conversations. The issue could actually unravel some other things that are necessary. I see that as much more valuable than just waiting around another week for Parliament to open up and trying to figure out our business at that time.
We have an idea. We have a plan in front of us. To me, I'll support that.