Thank you, Chair.
Quickly, I just want to lend my support to Monsieur Proulx, and Karen, and Jay, and everyone who says...that I think that the current situation as it stands now is sufficient. What we have to do--and I totally agree with Mr. Proulx--is to ensure that the Speaker uses the levers at his disposal. I think that's where some of the problems are. If he were able to discipline members more effectively...or perhaps “effectively” in not the right word, but more frequently, then I think a lot of these situations might disappear.
With all due respect to Monsieur Godin, the problems I see in his recommendations are threefold. And the Speaker when he appeared before us illuminated some of these potential problems. First, and we all know this, in all our parties we have what I would suggest are chronic offenders who are the...without naming names. But the problem is that if we put in a procedure in which the Speaker could expel someone, I think it would almost increase the problems, because some people would want to be expelled so they could get the media attention. So the chronic offenders would see this as an opportunity rather than as a penalty, and I don't think that's a good thing.
Secondly, the problem is that, again, if they're expelled from the parliamentary precinct, what happens in times of votes? I know that Monsieur Godin and others here have been desperately trying to say we have to increase everyone's ability to be represented. What would happen if somebody were to be expelled from the parliamentary precinct? Would you put a special exemption in so that they could come back for a vote? I think that's a bit of a problem.