Mr. Chair, I always thought that committees were at the pleasure of the House and that we were responsible to the House to make sure that we do the business of the House in a timely fashion.
I ran into this issue when I chaired the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs. I checked to see whether there was a policy. There wasn't a policy, but the bill that was sent to us was definitely something the committee wanted to deal with.
My interpretation is that the committee is at the pleasure of the House, and so we should do the business of the House, as the House sets that priority. If it's forwarded by the House as a bill, I think it's a priority.