Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I understand that the members of the opposition are upset, but I think that they are overreacting.
And to listen to them, you would think we had accomplished no work at all this past year, and yet look what we have accomplished. For the first time in 26 years, we travelled as a committee. We put together a report under your leadership, an excellent report that's been tabled in the House, and we've received compliments. I myself have received compliments on that report from people in my constituency, from more than one source.
I've lost count of the number of meetings we've had, the number of witnesses we've had appear before us.
There have been many. The committee wanted to meet the minister, and she appeared before the committee. We were even able to meet with two ministers at the same time, they were both here. We have heard from the Commissioner of Official Languages and witnesses from all around the country. We have done, and we continue to do, a lot of good work. We are here working to support the well-being of official language communities in minority settings.
The Court Challenges Program is a complex issue. We heard testimony on it during our pan-Canadian fact-finding mission. However, last week's meeting was scheduled to take place before the Commissioner of Official Languages tabled his preliminary report. Furthermore, the Court Challenges Program is before the courts. The situation is complex.
Mr. Chair, you acted within your mandate. You had to use your judgment. It's not a question of overstepping your bounds; you acted within your mandate. I understand that the opposition is upset; that's fine, but he acted within his mandate.
Monsieur Godin is the whip of his party. I wonder if he's ever had to make a leadership decision that his fellow MPs were not happy with. I wonder if they ranted and raved and asked him to resign because they didn't agree with his decision. Even though he may have acted within the bounds of his responsibilities, did they go on and on?
You have my confidence. Under your leadership we've accomplished a lot of work. What I hear today is a lot of exaggeration. One thing I want to make clear is that by voting against you, Mr. Chair, the committee will not exist. It will cease to exist, so the opposition members, in saying that they want to serve our official language communities, are in fact dissolving the committee. Ask me—