I guess I'm trying to understand. I see there are different points of view as to what members should have on them on these special occasions that happen.
Underneath this is watching, when certain dignitaries come, it almost subsume our own Canadian security, because they are special. The American security officials say if they are coming to visit, then we are essentially going to use their security system and that's how it's going to be, otherwise they aren't coming. They use their own protocols and their own people and that's what the President expects. So there's a bit of that in me as a Canadian that says it's interesting, I guess that's the real politics of our world, with those particular high-level, under-threat leaders.
On the piece around what we should carry and what we shouldn't, I guess here's the concern I have. One can understand that on a high-profile visit from Israel or from the United States, these are special conditions. We've all talked about these special moments. Should MPs not just adapt to those special moments? The concern I have is that there's some encroachment. There are other things that are designated as special moments too, and further and further. The tradition of our accessibility, particularly to Centre Block and to the chamber, is not a casual thing. This is not something that was just invented for no reason. It's very particular.
I'm not impugning the motive on this particular government, but some future government could decide that other things are special moments and that we're going to have everybody running back and forth to their offices. The rules are such as they are and they're based on tradition, and those traditions are there for a reason. I guess this is less a question, perhaps, for our witnesses but more of a wanting to just name what the concern actually is. From my point of view, at least, my concern is that we start to make this more of a pattern and lose that important tradition. Some folks say, well, it's just a tradition and it means nothing. That's not the case. It does mean something and it is important. I think all of us have had different experiences with it, but when I go in through the Senate doors we have a conversation every time, every single time—with the pin on or not sometimes. For me, I'll keep having the conversation so that they understand they can't stop me. There's a reason they can't stop me and it is because I might be on my way to an important vote, and in some Parliaments one vote makes a difference.
I just want committee members to understand, and for my own understanding, that longer historical perspective and what this means, because it's important. And we shouldn't just casually say, well, we're going to start to name more and more special circumstances where you are no longer able to just access a place that you need to access as an elected person in this country.