What I find interesting is that the Bloc initiated the study we have now and brought forward the committee much earlier than we were going to be meeting because of the serious situation of gun violence in Montreal. Now we have an unprecedented situation where the government has invoked emergency powers that have never been used before. It's a very serious matter and the Liberal government has argued they need these emergency powers because all existing laws and authority were not enough for them.
The purpose of Mr. MacGregor's NDP motion for this meeting was to get some answers as to why the existing powers and authorities of this country so failed that we needed to invoke emergency powers. At least, that's the argument that we're hearing from the Liberal government for invoking these unprecedented powers.
I cannot impress on committee members enough the critical and historic importance of getting these answers. Right now, we are debating this emergency power in the House of Commons and it will go around the clock, essentially, until Monday. That's how critical and important this is.
The amendment to the amendment, which Ms. Damoff just proposed seems to provide something along the line of what they said on Tuesday. My interpretation is that it's to provide an out so that these witnesses don't have to come and answer to the public at the public safety committee of Canada. I think it is critical that those witnesses come next week and answer as we continue to debate this historic and unprecedented power move by the Liberal government.
It is critical that we hear from these witnesses as soon as possible. I would like to hear from them today, in fact. I think all Canadians would like to hear answers for why the authorities in this country and the existing laws in this country were, as the Liberals have argued, not enough for them and they needed to invoke unprecedented emergency powers.
I'll be voting against this amendment.