By feeding the cynicism of the Canadian electorate, they lose trust in the public institutions that represent them such as the work that we're doing here at committee. So when we go back to our ridings—if we go back to our ridings, considering that this could go on for quite a long time especially with the time extension—when we go back to our constituents and we talk to them, if more and more of them are telling us, “What you guys are doing is going around in circles, you're cutting off debate”, that does affect your privilege in the long run.
Those people whom you represent, those constituents, no longer will give their confidence to you as your representative if they believe that you're frustrated by the process, that you're snapping at other members, that you're cutting off debate. If they believe those things, such as how Mr. Proussalidis has cast the chair of this committee, then they start to lose confidence in the process, and that does affect your privilege in a serious way.
Therefore, we have the chance through the chair's ruling to show that we don't necessarily agree with the light that we've been cast in through media sources. Mr. Proussalidis has all rights to write whatever he wants. That's the freedom of the press. I support freedom of the press. I would not want him to stop his work.
But as a committee in our work we have the right to protect our privilege and the privilege of all members in this House and to set a precedent by saying that perhaps we respectfully disagree with the way that Mr. Proussalidis is casting us, that it is not an accurate depiction. It doesn't mean we are going to try to remove his articles from a newspaper. It just means we're sending a message that we respectfully disagree with his portrayal of the work of this committee.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.