I thank my colleague Mr. Fortin for his contribution and the questions he raises. This gives me an opportunity to reiterate that all through this process, the government carried out consultations in order to allow all Canadians to express themselves and their fears and recommendations, so that we may adopt the best possible act, while remaining as open as possible. That is what we are currently doing and will continue to do until the act is implemented.
However, we have a very clear goal: the act has to be passed by July 2018. If we accept your amendment, the process will be delayed by several months in order to allow parliamentarians to prepare regulations.
We want the public service to make certain decisions in connection with the act once the law has been passed. The essence of this act will be determined by the members of Parliament and by Parliament, but public servants may always assist us regarding the more technical aspects.
For that reason, I cannot accept the amendment as it stands.