Okay, but in fairness, we've been looking for this guy for well over a year now. I don't know what other avenue you can propose in order to reach him other than something that would be very strong and public, because apparently he's not following anything that's going on in this country.
The Liberals are saying we should write him a letter. But if you can't find him, how can you write him a letter? If he's trying not to be found, then maybe he won't open any letters we send him. Mr. Holland finds that idea very amusing, but as a technique for avoiding testimony, that seems to be the one that Mr. Bard is employing.
What other instrument are we left with? The approach the Liberals are proposing is just to let him off the hook: if you don't want to be found, we won't find you. But the only way to find someone who doesn't want to be found is to use the coercive authority that Parliament has to bring people of this sort before this committee.
And let's be fair, this is part of a scandal where $4.6 million was wasted--or worse--according to the Auditor General. We're not just calling him here to ask him his opinion on parliamentary procedure. We're asking him to come here and explain conduct that he probably doesn't want to explain. That's why I'm asking that we use the authority we have at the times when it's appropriate to do so.