Mr. Cardin was speaking, and he did present his case. Maybe he presented it very mildly when he said, if I may quote, “If, for one reason or another”. I think what he really meant, Mr. Chairman, for all of us to understand, was that if one member is not here from the government, the meeting just cannot proceed, period.
The best way to address this is.... There are two ways, if I may suggest them, based on the original wording. One is to go back to the number of three members that was suggested, and I don't think people are having problems with it; two is to eliminate the words “one member from the government and one member from the opposition”. Just leave it as “and one member from the opposition”, so that you or whoever is here can begin the committee proceedings. I think that would solve it.
Mr. Julian, I think you will agree—I'm trying to influence some people here now—that we just go back to the number of members, which would be three, and take out the wording “one member from the government”. This “one member of the opposition”, period, will allow us to start off the committee.
That's my suggestion, sir.