Mr. Speaker, I can assure my colleague that the respect is mutual.
He is absolutely right. When proceedings are blocked, when there is a filibuster and when meetings are not held, we cannot work. We were elected to work, and sometimes the committee chair does not know what our intentions are. The chair can decide not to call a meeting even though I have prepared a motion and have talked to my counterparts, the other two vice-chairs, to get their input on what I plan to present. In such situations, we are prepared to move forward on a new issue, but we learn that the committee will not be meeting, that it will meet in a week, two weeks or a month. This week's meeting of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration has been postponed until January. However, the motion said it would be this week. It is deceiving.
This certainly undermines the value of our work.