So we should be prudent is what you’re saying. I’m sorry, but the story of Mr. Jay Hill’s vote is a problem for me. If the person who calls someone else by any name wants to vote, he or she should stand up and apologize. If this person makes the government lose the vote, it’s up to the Prime Minister to reprimand him. He’ll do his work after the fact. That way, we could perhaps do our work. It’s that simple. We can’t start insulting people and being impolite. The whip would have the power to suggest to a member that he or she go back to the House before the vote, call for a question of order and apologize, because his or her vote will be needed that night.
We believe the member should apologize. If he does, he can continue to carry out his duties. But if he says he will not apologize, because he wants to appear on television newscasts, in my opinion, let him. It doesn’t mean that everyone in his riding will agree him and he may have to pay a political price.
If he gets his name on the national news every week because he is unable to conduct himself properly and he insults people, he will pay the political price.
We keep passing the buck by saying we don’t have the power, while the Speaker says it’s the responsibility of the political parties to discipline their members. We are not the speakers of the House of Commons.
I have been president of a union. I had 1,000 people in a room, and if someone did not want to abide by the rules of the meeting, I would ask the sergeant-at-arms to throw him out, because the meeting had to go on. After being expelled once or twice, they did not want to get thrown out, they wanted to participate.
Being too polite is a crutch. It’s reached a point where the people who come here wonder what kind of organization the Parliament is. We are supposed to be the leaders of our country, and people can’t even bring students in to watch us. We’ve reached this point because we’re too polite and we don’t want to take action.
Madam Champagne, I have to say that when that person stood up, it was up to the other political parties to stand up. So you should have continued and put the question to the vote.