I understand what our colleagues want to do. That's not the problem; it's more a matter of respect.
We are coming to the end of the study. We met with people from the west, in Whitehorse and Yellowknife in particular. We met them in person. They are waiting for a report. They have not yet received it. It is to be hoped that we will resolve this one day.
In addition, we would have to tell them they are not even invited to Ottawa. We are living in a country where someone who is fortunate enough to live near Ottawa will always have the opportunity to be welcomed here, whereas there are people who live far away whom we are telling to stay home. That would be tantamount to a lack of respect for those people.
That is why I think we should leave it to the chair and clerk to send out the invitations. Out of respect for our communities, we should give them a chance to come if they want to come. If we must proceed by teleconference and there is no other way to do it, we will do it. We have always worked that way.
I have nothing against teleconferences. I just have one problem: I am afraid of what people in the communities will think. It's as though we were telling the people from Newfoundland and Labrador that they aren't invited to Ottawa because they live on an island. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador would not like that.
So it's a matter of respect for our communities. We have invited everyone from everywhere. There are still a few witnesses to come from the communities, and I would like to see them here.