Mr. Chairman, I don't know if people are trying to punish me because I had called for the removal of the former chair, who was a member of the Conservative Party. My reasoning is as follows. There are four political parties. The Standing Committee on Official Languages — Mr. Bélanger knows this because he has been a past chair — is a committee which allows members from each political party to speak. We have operated this way for years. In the past, when a member from another party wanted to ask a question but feared that he would not be able to do so, I gave him my time. I did this while we were on the road: wherever we were, I gave every party the opportunity to ask questions. But I think it won't work. Each political party asks a question on each round. I recommend that the motion remains as it is worded.
On November 13th, 2007. See this statement in context.