I understand, Mr. Chair, but the meeting with the minister will only last one hour. The question I'm asking my Liberal, Conservative and NDP colleagues is the following: As parliamentarians, do you think that it is responsible of us to receive the minister for only one hour and that no time has been set aside to put questions to department officials on the department's budget?
I'd also like to know if the minister will be appearing alone or accompanied. If he is accompanied, I believe that we will able to ask him more specific questions, because his assistants will be able to answer. Mr. Chair, since I am a newly elected MP, I believe that it is important for me to do my job as a parliamentarian and take the time to study a budget which, after all, deals with large amounts. I would like you to tell me if at our next meeting, we can set aside an additional 30 or 45 minutes to ask officials questions, if we have some, after having heard from the minister on Wednesday.