Thank you.
I'd like to know why the government does not consider Mr. Dan Ross, the assistant deputy minister for materiel for the Department of National Defence, to be a priority witness appearing before us.
If we look at my original motion, Mr. Chair, it was basically to begin the study as soon as possible and to arrange a preliminary witness list, knowing full well that other MPs would be able to bring forward their own amendments to the motion and add to the witness list. I don't think anyone really wants us to spend a huge amount of time in a planning and priority session. It's April 19 today. This is the planning session, and it was intended to be the planning session; we should be proceeding immediately.
If the government could explain why they don't accept these witnesses, I think we'd all appreciate hearing their reasons. I think we'd also appreciate hearing why they didn't come to this meeting with their own lists of witnesses they could include by amending this motion. That way everyone gets an opportunity to participate in this planning session to approve the study on the F-35 acquisition, the Auditor General's report.
Mr. Chair, since you are providing some procedural advice and guidelines to members, is the process that we're engaged in right now to adopt the motion, and then, subsequent to tabling the motion, to actually debate and vote on the motion after that?