Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
That's a good point. Everyone recognizes that the Liberal Party of Canada is going to have its leadership convention in Montreal on those dates. It is possible, but we'll have to see how it goes on November 29 and 30, if we're all here or whether there will be substitutes. I think the committee was made aware of that--and you were made aware of that, Chair--but still it's showing up in the schedule of meetings here. That was not approved, in my recollection, at the last meeting.
But we can come back to the schedule. I want to go back to Monsieur Laframboise's concern about Monsieur Duchesneau.
I had my staff call the clerk of the Senate standing committee on national defence today. We were informed by the clerk that Monsieur Duchesneau's request to attend that committee, and his date given, was a maximum of thirty days, and that the reason he was not available sooner than thirty days was because he was travelling internationally.
I read his transcript yesterday, word for word. I'm now of the belief that, with regard to the former president and CEO of a crown corporation, there's a deliberate delay here. I cannot understand why the man cannot appear here, in front of this committee, in a two-hour drive from Montreal, when he's available to come to the Senate within thirty days. Clearly the message is not getting through to Monsieur Duchesneau that this is of such import and of such urgency that he should show.
Now, I don't know why there's a continuing delay, why we would wait sixty days or....
When did we ask him to come, Monsieur Laframboise? Was it October 3?