Mr. Chairman, several members of this Committee found themselves forced to make a choice, following question period, as to whether we would remain in the Chamber for tributes to the 25th Governor General of Canada, or whether we would come to the Committee meeting.
Personally, I am proud of having chosen to be present for the tributes and I can defend that choice. However, I would not want members of Parliament who made the same choice, and who may not have been as quick to make the trip from the Chamber to the Committee room once the tributes were over, to be prevented from taking part in the Committee's work. So, for all those reasons, I think we should wait for them. We are not responsible for the Speaker of the House having been late with the question period, a delay that subsequently affected tributes to the Right Hon. Roméo LeBlanc, who is someone we all admire, whatever our political opinions. I would there ask that we wait for the other members to arrive. I see that Ms. Jennings has just arrived. I don't know who will be replacing Mr. Dominic LeBlanc, but as you know, he is the son of the 25th Governor General of Canada. I think it would be indecent to begin in his absence.