Thank you, Chair.
There are a few issues I'd really like to clarify, because Canadians at home had a chance to hear a few things said from the other side that were inaccurate, and maybe not meant to be inaccurate, but can easily be repeated as being the gospel truth.
The very first thing I'd like to say is that not once did we mention the names of any organizations. Mr. Dewar and a couple of others have indicated that we have said some organizations support the thugs, hooligans, and anarchists. We didn't say that. You've made that connection, not us. We've never mentioned those organizations.
Mr. Kania, who I have a great deal of respect for, mentioned some figures here. He's usually accurate. As he frequently does to witnesses we have who come before the committee, he always asks them to produce that. He indicated some fairly low costs in England for a summit that was held there. I would like to know if he can produce those documents, so that everybody understands. I do not think they're accurate. They may reflect some costs, but they don't reflect all of the costs of the summit. That's one of the things we certainly have been very open to. The Auditor General is going to audit ours. I would respectfully suggest that those people who float numbers out there that are obviously ridiculously low compared to what we are talking about don't have all of the information. We've heard numbers from other countries, including Japan. We've heard numbers from Great Britain that are certainly different from those that Mr. Kania quoted, and I'd really like to see him produce those numbers and the accuracy of them.
Three times since we've taken power we've had screaming matches in the House of Commons about everything that's going to go wrong, and I'll tell you what they are. On the H1N1, the other side were just over the top--that the world was coming to an end and that Canadians were in huge, huge danger. Obviously we took the concerns seriously. We reacted to it, and I think we reacted to it in a proper way. And you know, when the H1N1 didn't develop into what either they thought it would or hoped it would, all of a sudden they went quiet.
If Canadians will recall, prior to the Olympics there was a great deal of hollering and screaming and moaning about the cost of security for the Olympics and the cost of the Olympics in general. Well, you know, Mr. Chair, the Olympics were a great success. Canadians are extremely proud of our Olympians. They're extremely proud of what occurred with the organization. I think we had an opportunity for the world to see a picture of Canada as somewhat more cosmopolitan than what many around the world would have believed of us before that. And guess what? The G-8 and G-20 were the same thing.
It's interesting, because the rest of the world saw two summits, which has never occurred before in a country. And I would say to you, Mr. Chair, we didn't just decide to have the G-8. If you're part of the G-8, you host it on your turn. This was our turn. And I think that Canadians and the rest of the world had an opportunity to see good things. Unfortunately, a few bad apples may have spoiled it for some others.
I have a quote here:
If you step outside of Canada for a moment, these kinds of summits attract violent protests, they have everywhere. By those standards, Toronto's police acquitted themselves very well and I think most people around the world are not going to associate Toronto with these violent acts, they will associate the G-20 with those acts.
That was from David Miller, the mayor of Toronto.
In another quote, more recent:
To suggest, as some do, that police Chief Bill Blair should resign or be fired is as absurd as holding an inquiry, which would serve only those who don't like the police and want to embarrass the city.
That was from Peter Worthington in the Toronto Sun on the ninth of this month.
Mr. Dewar seemed agitated about a witness who was here today. I don't know who called the witness. Certainly it would have been premature to call a witness to come before the committee before decisions were made.
You know, Mr. Chair, I feel bad for the witness who was brought here. Somebody took it upon themselves to contact the witness to be here, which is somewhat the cart before the horse, obviously.
Some of my colleagues talked about Toronto being paralyzed. Toronto wasn't paralyzed. I think my colleague mentioned the hospitality industry, talking about it being their economic stimulus package. They did very well. I would say to my friends that when the gay pride parade is on, or the Caribana parade, or the Toronto Grand Prix, parts of Toronto are shut down and you can't move in them. That's fair. Those are big events, as is this a big event.
Now, my friend Mr. Holland doesn't like any of those things, but that's a fact of life. They all bring money to Toronto. From time to time people are inconvenienced. Toronto is a big city. And I would say that the rest of the world had an opportunity to see Toronto in a very good light, with the exception of a couple of people, or maybe more than a couple, who took it into their own minds to act as thugs and break the law.
Ms. Mourani, you did say a few things that I would certainly agree with. Canadian democracy works: it was nice to hear you say that. We agree.