Yes, it is on the amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
During our recess, I had the opportunity to talk to MP Simard to try to get an understanding of how we can work together, the real reason a motion like this has been put forward, and why we are not following our standard procedure to able to get to the report. MP Simard said that he wants to be able to debate this in the House.
Well, I want to debate this in the House as well. One way we could debate this in the House would be through an opposition day motion. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, we have been stuck in a matter of privilege for the last two months. As I understand it, there's no opposition day allocation left for the Bloc. In his view, this is a way in which he would be able to get concurrence and be able to debate it in the House.
Okay, that's fair enough. Now that we understand the underlying reason MP Simard wants this, we can take steps to see how we can work together. I think what PS Dabrusin has recommended is a fine, delicate balance. I like the way she qualified by saying that we should finish the report and we should put this as a recommendation in the report, and hence the elimination of “expresses concern about the financial uncertainty regarding” and the replacement, “recommends”.
This will be a recommendation in the report. If it isn't, I'll be the one putting it in as a recommendation in the report, because that was the conclusion of everybody. I think all the members across the table have said that we don't want to show loss. We've heard from the minister that we will not lose money. We've heard from the CEO of TMX that they'll be the smart seller. We've also heard from the PBO that if you look at other elements, other benefits of it, the Government of Canada, and as such Canadians, will not lose the money. Therefore, I see this as a recommendation that we would put in the report.
Then we come to “should do everything in its” power. Again, that's something that would have gone as a recommendation in the report. When you look at the amendment, it removes “expresses concern about the financial uncertainty regarding” and replaces it with “recommends the government should do everything in its ability”. Basically, now we are taking a recommendation that will be in the report—our side is supporting that—and giving MP Simard the vehicle he was looking for to be able to run concurrence and debate it in the House. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it falls into the hands of the opposition to be able to keep this filibuster going.
I believe the amendment is one that is acceptable. It is a recommendation. It gives you the vehicle you're looking for. If we agree and we have that concurrence debate, I'll be in the House and I'll be participating in that debate.
I would strongly suggest that we support this amendment and look at it as a recommendation that we still do in the report, and that we give MP Simard the vehicle he's looking for to be able to run the debate that he wants to run in the House. I personally commit that I will participate in it.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.