—motive in mind, and the motive clearly is this. He wants a motion to pass that says that if no government members happen to show up, then the opposition can carry on with the meeting; however, if no opposition member shows up, then the meeting can't go ahead. I see the subtlety of his argument—it's very coy—but the fact is that this creates an unequal situation, and in a committee that maybe has a basic desire to get along, we should start off this session with a sense of fairness.
That would be, to make it fair for both sides—notwithstanding Mr. Julian's wishes—that if none of the three members of the government shows up, the meeting can't proceed, and if a member of the opposition isn't present, then the meeting can't go ahead. The way it is written now—reducing that number to three, as Mr. Cannan suggested—would have created that fairness and the equity in this motion.
That's the point. Let's get started on a good footing, rather than start the fireworks early. That's your choice, but fairness is always a good starting point, Mr. Julian.