Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her question and also for all the work she has done in this area. What her party has done to bring this issue forward is very important.
With respect to having this legislation die on the Order Paper, certainly the hon. member knows that that is up to the opposition as well. We need to work together on this. We are at second reading. We will go to committee and take a look at what can still be done to improve this bill. It will be brought back in the House and voted on. Let us work on it as soon as possible. Let us make it a priority from all parties. If we can cooperate and work together quickly and effectively on this bill, get our witnesses in front of the committee, bring it back, and have third reading, we can have this bill passed and have it go to the Senate. It is a matter of cooperation. What I have been hearing in the debate this afternoon is a general consensus that this is a good bill.
However, I did want to comment on one other thing. The hon. member brought back the issue, which I did raise in my discourse today, that it has been 60 years since it was first brought up by the courts that Parliament really needed to act here and that it was the role of Parliament to decide how to make corporations culpable and liable. The important thing is that many countries have been struggling with this concept of how to pass legislation which is proper criminal law, which includes mens rea and criminal intent, how to get something that is enforceable, and how to get something that is workable.
There is no model, as the hon. member knows, anywhere in the world that is appropriate or that we could bring in and look at. Australia just recently has struggled with legislation of this type. It too tried to implement something but found it was not workable.
We are trying to find the best way not just to make legislation for the sake of making legislation, but to make legislation that will be effective for all.