Thank you.
I think this is what concerns all of us. Obviously we want to build an environment in which harassment doesn't happen or where sexual harassment doesn't exist, but we have to consider that any rules that might constrain on one level may constrain on another. The major constraint that I'm concerned about is the right to free speech. While things we say can be offensive to one another—that happens on a regular basis—I think that's probably something Canadians are well aware of. We wouldn't want to constrain that because that, of course, is the bedrock of the democracy we purport to defend.
Is there a way to conduct ourselves, to have a policy that would protect in large part from...I should just back up a little. A significant portion of the discussion surrounding harassment can involve what is said to one another, both in formal and informal settings inside and outside the House. This is a place of debate, as a courtroom would be a place of debate. There aren't a whole lot of other workplaces that are quite the same. If you're going to engage in debate, the possibility is that you will offend one another. I think we would like to have a definition that would ensure we would protect people from harassment, but still preserve absolutely without question the right to free speech. In your opinion, is that possible?