Or the abilities. I have not heard anyone say that.
The leader of the opposition party clearly said that she was competent. The leader of the NDP clearly said that she was competent. The critics also said that she was competent. And we were going to evaluate her ability and her skills!
Our work was done. Ms. Meilleur came to meet with us. She was questioned. Our responsibility is to ensure that she has the skills we want. Everyone is in agreement. Our work is done. I think we have to move on to the next step. We make our recommendation that she is competent and we move on. We are not here to do assessments, nor do we have the ability to do so. We will not ask Peter to do something that Paul cannot do. That is not how it works. We can bring all sorts of strategies to the table, but our role is simple and clear.
I'm in favour of a process that allows all Canadians to apply to become an officer of Parliament. The process includes an analysis of the candidates carried out by an independent group. You cannot ask for better. The process was followed. For these reasons, I cannot support the motion. We do not have the ability to conduct those assessments.
Thank you.