Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague knows that this is important to the minister. I also know that the minister has a great deal of respect for members of the House and would want to be here to respond to their questions as he did today in question period. He would want to be here to respond to those members who represent the people in the area, and he has been dealing with those people continuously. That is not an issue. The minister has demonstrated quite clearly that he is capable, committed and has the confidence to do the job.
In the House of Commons on October 13th, 1999. See this statement in context.