Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I don't have a problem with this amendment if it means that Mr. Coderre is going to support the motion. The minister has been asked to appear in front of committee on a number of other issues as well. If we can get some consensus on this, modify the motion, support the subamendment, get it passed, and then have some consensus on the motion itself, I'm more than willing to support the subamendment.
I just want to add one thing. Citizens in Ontario, Canadians, are looking for some federal guidance on this issue. This is federal money of close to $1 million a year that the Government of Canada provides to the province. Many of these schools and administrators are secular in nature, like the Kitchener-Waterloo Bilingual School. They are looking to see what our position is on this, and I think it's important that we at least indicate interest in this.
I'm not preordaining the outcome here. I'm not suggesting that the committee today come to some sort of conclusion on this. But I am saying we have an obligation to at least study this for one committee meeting, come up with some idea of what this is all about and what we may want to do regarding recommendations to the minister for a successor agreement to this program.
I think it's important that we take a look at this. Education is a very emotional thing for parents, and there are literally thousands of parents in Ontario today who feel they're being treated like second-class citizens. This is federal money, and we have an obligation to defend their interests and take a look at this subject matter.