Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this.
I've sat on this committee for over a year now. Two things I've recognized across the aisle are that this committee has a responsibility to do its due diligence. Further, this committee has prided itself on addressing and dealing with some issues that may be messy.
I have to say that I will not be supporting the amendments here, because I think that it would be half a job. I think we would be letting veterans down. As I've said, it might be a bit messy, but we have to find out where the problems lie and where they stem from.
Further, the content of the overall motion that was brought forward has two components to it. There's the freedom of information that the public should be entitled to, but there's also the protection of privacy. I think that the motion that was first presented protects individual rights. We have to recognize that. Protecting names and understanding that as a government is also a responsibility. Quite often, people in the public forget about that. They think it's just the freedom of information.
I think what my colleague Mr. Richards has brought forward is something that is well rounded. It is quite large and encompassing, but it is the responsibility of this committee to protect veterans. Unfortunately, sometimes there are things that are missed. I believe that Mr. Desilets' amendments would be adding missing key components to find out what's going on within this department.
I cannot support it. I appreciate his intervention. I think that we really need to have a full understanding of what is going on from start to finish, so I will not be supporting his amendment.