Yes, I do, Mr. Chair.
I see that this meeting has been called and deemed as an emergency meeting. My understanding is that it is not only your committee that is studying ArriveCAN; three other committees, including the government operations committee, are also studying ArriveCAN. We had two emergency meetings last week. Today an emergency meeting has been called at the same time as three political parties are having their strategic caucus sessions.
This committee has asked for the Auditor General to appear to discuss the report on ArriveCAN. This is ahead of the scheduled report being tabled to Parliament—in mid-February, to my understanding. For a couple of reasons, I don't think this is the right way to go. It's interrupting an investigation by the Auditor General that's taking place right now, something that actually the NDP called for. I put forward a motion at our committee that the Auditor General study not just ArriveCAN but all government purchasing policies and practices, seeing if they're being adhered to in terms of the Treasury Board policies that we have to adhere to in Parliament and that government needs to apply. This calling on the deputy auditor general ahead of what will be a tabled report is interference, I believe, in a study that's being applied and an investigation that's happening right now.
As well, I believe an emergency meeting needs to be called when it's an emergency. We all want to get to the bottom of the ArriveCAN scandal, but to have four committees study it and to demand emergency meetings repeatedly.... I want to talk about what an emergency looks like. Right now I'm in Edmonton, where there are homeless people all over the streets. I tabled a motion at the government operations committee to look at government lands and how we would use those lands to ensure that we have adequate housing for people. We know that the Conservatives have talked about using 15% of government buildings and lands to build housing for Canadians. We know that the government has talked about using government lands as well, but my study was particularly narrowly focused on ensuring that government lands are used for public purposes, for affordable housing, and on ensuring that government lands belong in public hands.
That's an emergency. That's a reason to have four committees studying an issue—when we have homeless people and it's skyrocketing out of control.
Mr. Chair, I just want to make sure that when we call an emergency meeting, it's done in a way that reflects an emergency. We've brought in all this staff from the House of Commons right now to do this meeting ahead of what the Auditor General will already be tabling. I think this is interference in a study that's taking place, and I don't believe this meeting should be taking place for that reason. Secondly, I don't believe this truly justifies an emergency meeting of Parliament.
I wanted to put that on record.