Mr. Speaker, before going any further, I would like, with all due respect, to make some points very similar to what we have just heard from my hon. colleague.
By resolving, in this House, an issue between House leaders, you will be setting a precedent which whoever sits in the chair will have a hard time ignoring.
Let me point out that there was an agreement and, as long as the Chair is not advised that there is a very broad consensus or even unanimity among the leaders to revisit the matter, the agreement stands. It is a matter of mutual respect between the political parties in this House.
I believe that it would be excessive and inappropriate for the Chair to decide, at the request of one House leader no longer happy with the agreements that have been reached, to get involved in a decision, if only to chair a meeting between House leaders, which has nothing to do with the role the Chair should be playing in this House.
Things have been working well in this House for many years now because leaders have played the role of leaders and Chairs have played the role of Chairs. For things to keep going well, everyone has to stick to his or her role.
Since all House leaders, except one, the one who has submitted this request, acknowledge that there was an agreement—and we have the figures and the documents to prove it—and since this agreement has been upheld for the last two years of this Parliament, if the Chair were to interfere because one of the House leaders had expressed some concerns, you would put yourself and your successors in an extremely difficult situation.
I felt I had to make this point out of respect for my colleagues. I do respect the Chair, all my colleagues respect the Chair, and the Chair has always shown respect for the House leaders and will continue to do so, I am sure.