Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Lac-Saint-Louis for his speech. However, I would have liked him to elaborate further.
It is true that we now have a bill that is a step in the right direction, a bill that respects public servants and their desire to improve the public service. At last, people who make disclosures will be able to deal with an independent commissioner, as opposed to the President of the Public Service Commission, as was the case before. The hon. member told us that he himself was a public servant before becoming an MP, or that he was connected with the public service, if I am not mistaken.
Surely, he is aware of the pressure that we felt during the election campaign. Indeed, let us not forget that Bill C-11 was Bill C-25 in the previous Parliament. During the election campaign, his government made a pledge regarding this legislation. There was also pressure from all the public servants, who told us they did not want to come under the President of the Public Service Commission, who is himself a public servant, and who is accountable to the government. Everyone wanted an independent commissioner and this is what we have.
Based on his speech, I understand that the hon. member rather agrees with the criticism from the public service. Therefore, I am asking him if he thinks that it would be in order to thank opposition parties, namely the Conservative Party, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, who astutely pressured the minority government. The Liberal Party is in a minority position at the committee. This is one of the realities of a minority government. The pressure from the opposition resulted in a bill that is now acceptable to the whole public service and that will bring changes to this government, this Parliament and to the whole public service.
So, I am asking the hon. member if he thinks that it would be in order to congratulate opposition parties for their good work in committee.