Thank you, Mr. Spengemann.
Although this is not easy, I did spend quite a bit of time on it. We've talked about this in committee, both on and off the record, and we all care about this, but the reality is that it's outside the scope of this committee.
There are a number of ways...and I'll give you a chance to speak to this, James.
We could always rest on the fact that committees are masters of their own domain and they can do whatever they want. However, we're still bound by the book that I saw on your desk for the first year, which you kept referring to. That's House of Commons Procedure and Practice. Very clearly, on page 771, it addresses this. It is inappropriate for the committee to amend parent documents outside the scope. I could read you the ruling, but it's there. I think we all know what it says.
There are other ways we can deal with something that we all care about, but this is not the way, so I'm going to sustain that ruling. Amendment NDP-1 is out of order.
Mr. Bezan, and then Mr. Garrison.