Thank you.
I think the goal from Mr. Casey originally was to make sure that they appear, but in light of the committee's vote, and I guess Ms. Blaney's concern for time allocated toward a meeting, I think it would be imperative that, if we're not satisfied with the letter, we have the ability to call those officials. The officials can come in and give an update.
Some who have a construction background would like to have a fulsome update, and others just want to know that it's being built. I think most veterans probably want to know that it's being built, not that there's a shovel in the ground and a 12-month wait for the steel or some other item or material required to build the monument. In some cases, further studies sometimes come with these kinds of construction projects, including geotechnical or environmental assessments, or in some cases archeological checks to make sure that no pre-existing habitat or artifacts might be there.
I think it's important to have that update. It's important to have the ability to get that information when and if it's necessary. We've all been through many committees before where we make a request of a department, the National Capital Commission or another governmental agency and we don't get a clear answer. We get a diplomatic or bureaucratic answer when our expectation was something else.
To ensure we don't, we like having officials come before us live to answer questions. Just as many opposition members wish to have a minister, departmental officials or past ministers appear before committee, others like to have officials who are responsible for the projects at hand. We should have them before us.
Again, I want to reiterate that more than 12,000 Canadians who were surveyed want this—