You have to realize what's going on. It is unfortunate for everyone and it is unfortunate for you, because you are caught up in this process and we are attacking you.
However, this is affecting all the members of the committee. All members have to go through that at some point. We are getting appointments shoved down our throats, because we are not in favour of them. If at least people say the same thing in the same places and to the same people, that's fine, but she appeared before both Houses and she said two completely different things. The minister told us in the House that Ms. Meilleur had never spoken to Mr. Butts and Ms. Telford. Yesterday, she said verbatim to the Senate that she had called them and they told her about the process. I want to be nice and stop asking questions, but the further we go, the more reasons you give us to ask them.
The members of the committee must work well together. What are we going to do when the commissioner eventually appears and we ask her questions? We are the opposition and she will surely be on your side. We will say so from the outset. She will speak and we will say that the Liberal Party has supported her. That's definitely what we will say because that is what it looks like. In politics, perception is very important. Today even more than ever.
You rejected all the motions that Mr. Choquette has tabled, and yet they were rather tame. You rejected them all. How can we work together and not bear in mind that you have been partisan? We'll no longer ever be able to trust this woman who is going to come to see us because she will not be speaking on behalf of the organizations. She does not even know the organizations in Quebec, she does not even know who they are.
Canada has two official languages, and we keep talking about them here. They are French and English. We talk a lot about the francophone community outside Quebec, but there are also anglophones in Quebec. She does not know who they are and she does not know their reality. Members who have lived in Ontario could say a lot more about Ms. Meilleur. You keep telling us that she is competent. She is competent, but in relation to whom? Do we know who the others were? Do you know their names? There is, of course, Mr. Doucet, who wrote a beautiful letter that appeared today in the Acadie Nouvelle, and who is absolutely right. Did you wonder who the others were? Did they have the required skills?
Don't tell me that this man is stupid, I would not believe you. There were others. Actually, Ms. Joly gave me another name. I'm sure he's competent. I will not provide the name because that information is not public and I have too much respect for the process to disclose it.
You have been playing this game because the government started it, but you are holding us hostage. The Standing Committee on Official Languages could get to the bottom of this, but we will have to work with her. You have just slipped one by us, because we can never have confidence in this committee again.