This is not a scenario that we are envisaging, because we do not want to authorize a process which, in our opinion, would eventually transform the Senate's mandate by progressively transforming the institution into an elected chamber, without applying any formal constitutional amendment procedures. Therefore, this is not a scenario that we are considering.
If we want to find out what the true pith and substance of Bill C-20 is and what its basic principles are, we are faced with heaps of measures, including the participation of the Chief Electoral Officer, along with rules for counting ballots, electoral expenditures etc. We are obviously dealing with an electoral bill.
Even if we are told that this is meant for consulting the people, it does not, in my opinion, change the basic nature of the bill in any way. Pursuant to Bill C-20, we could tell someone to stand for election in a province, to tour the province while defending his points of view and opinions, and to try to catch the interest of the population—