Let me put it another way: I cannot give the government a veto right. All it would take is for all of the government members to walk out and we would be left with only two or three people. We would not be able to hear from witnesses and we would have to stop the meeting. I clearly recall the incident mentioned by Ms. Black. I was the one chairing the meeting. As soon as quorum was lost, someone moved the we adjourn and that was that. If the government's record was intact and we had not lived through this experience, then maybe we'd be inclined to go along with this proposal. However, I for one cannot, because it would be tantamount to giving the members of the government party veto power. In the absence of a quorum, they could very well say that they don't like the type of presentation or the witness and walk out. If that were to happen, we would be at an impasse. I prefer to stick with the motion as it is now worded.
On February 4th, 2009. See this statement in context.