—plus the pleadings of the Federal Court decision in Schmidt v. the Attorney General of Canada.
Upon reflection in regard to all of that, and I remain very sympathetic to the motion, the reality is that I think it is improper for a legislative committee to undertake this study for a very simple reason. We are a legislative committee, and our response to any problem, perceived or real...and I don't know if this problem is perceived or real, but regardless, our solution is legislation. And the legislation is there.
If the allegation is that the legislation is not being complied with, I'm not sure what Parliament or a parliamentary committee can do about it. That's a matter for the courts, and this matter is before the court; it has been pled specifically in Schmidt v. the Attorney General of Canada. They will adjudicate it; they will hear evidence, and if there's a section not being complied with, they will do what they need to do.
I'm concerned on sub judice, although I do agree that it's only sort of tangential; it's pled, but it's not the centre of the lawsuit. My main opposition to this motion is that I don't believe that a parliamentary committee such as ours could factor a remedy even if we found that there was a problem. I hope that the documents tabled by the parliamentary secretary dispose of the motion, but if they don't, I will be forced to vote against it.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.