The facts are that this is not the way it's typically done, and we all know that. There seems to be agreement that that's the case. For members to try to pretend somehow that they don't understand how this is done.... I hope they actually do understand and are just assuming that we're all too stupid and that they can pull the wool over our eyes. I hope that's the case; otherwise they haven't been listening at all to what's being said here and they haven't even read the amendment before speaking to it.
I can tell you that opposition members are not stupid. Canadians are not stupid. They see what's going on here, and they understand what the attempt is here. All of us here are saying that we would be more than happy to actually talk about the substance of this. We've actually gotten into some of those kinds of conversations during this time, and I think they've gone well. I think we could be productive. But that can't happen unless there is some assurance that those conversations are actually going to lead somewhere and won't just leave the government with the ability to unilaterally make these changes on their own if they don't like the way those discussions go. That is where we sit now, and that's why this amendment is so crucial.
I really hope that members understand this and will see fit to allow the amendment to go through. It's the only way we can begin a proper conversation. We hear this every day in question period. We hear it in the media. We hear it particularly from the government House leader—and we're kind of getting it parroted here today by members sitting in on the committee—that somehow there's going to be this conversation or this discussion. Well, you can talk about having a conversation or a discussion, or you can actually have one. If you want to actually have one, you have to give some assurance to the other side of the conversation that they will be listened to. That's how we can have a conversation, and we would all like to have it. Let's get on with it. Agree to the amendment, and we can do that.