I see, okay. I wouldn't want to take a place ahead of Mr. MacKenzie, that's for sure, Mr. Chair.
I think we need to set this in the context of where we are at with this list of witnesses. We are faced with the inevitable, that on June 11 this bill has to be back in the House of Commons. So we have a very short period of time to deal with it.
I started off with I think up to 125 groups and individuals who approached me and wanted to testify. I would say that without exception I think they were all opposed to this private member's bill.
I had to say to a good number of them that it is not possible to testify, that we are faced with a limited period of time. It was a decision made by the whole of government, the way I will attribute it, to do this as a private member's bill rather than a government bill, which is the way they should have done it. If they had, then we would have had unlimited time to deal with this in a democratic fashion to allow an unlimited number of witnesses. We never have an unlimited number of witnesses, but we always put a limit on them when we can get a clear view of the pros and cons of the various aspects of legislation before whatever committee it is. We don't have that luxury here, Mr. Chair, at this time, because of a decision made by that side of the table, by the government, to allow this to go ahead as a private member's bill rather than a government bill.
As I said, I had to tell some 50-plus people, I think, or groups that I am not going to put their names forward, because I know we are not going to get through them. I did submit a list of 70 to 75 names to the clerk a week or two ago.
Moreover, I saw some of the lists from the other parties, including the one circulated by the clerk. I've done an analysis of the names on this list, and this is the way they break down.
There are 33 individuals or groups on this list. I have been involved in this issue for as long as I've been elected, and even before I was elected, so I know what I am saying about these groups. There are currently nine individuals or groups who are in favour of this legislation. There are 19 who, to my knowledge, are opposed to it. There are five who I know are neutral, and I'll use the Auditor General as an example. She, or somebody from her office, is being asked to come to provide information about the cost of the registry, but she will be coming as a resource, if I can put it that way, not an advocate either pro or con. By my identification, there are four other individuals or groups like that.
I look at the names I have seen submitted so far, including my own, and I look at the valid opinion polls showing that roughly two-thirds of Canadians support the registry, with changes. Those are the valid opinion polls, and I know, Mr. Chair, you and I have argued about this a number of times and disagree vehemently on the opinion polls, but that aside—