No, it's a great question and I appreciate it, but I have to say, when you live in a rural riding that's very far away, being in the riding longer is better. I can't get to Denman Island or Hornby Island very easily. I have a 12 and a half hour trip to get to Nanaimo. I have to drive to Buckley Bay, take a ferry to Denman Island, drive across Denman Island, take a ferry to Hornby Island, and maybe 16 or 17 hours later, I'm there.
If we sit maybe three more weeks, how many times am I going to get all the way to Hornby Island, where it's going to be accessible? Right now, the way it's set up, we have more time in the riding.
I'm actually not afraid of having the conversation. I'm not discouraging it. I think the conversation is important and I really appreciate it. We should be having the conversation, but it shouldn't be a conversation where government is going to be ramming through the decisions. It should be consensus-based, and that's going to inspire a real conversation, a healthy conversation, where we're going to be able to share those concerns and ideas.
Mr. Sikand, I really appreciate your bringing these ideas forward about whether the minister should also be in her riding on Fridays, or whether the minister can do it on a Saturday, or whether we should allot more weeks in the riding. I'm for the conversation. What I'm not for is government just making the decision without consensus.
It is about our serving all of Canada, and it is a very important conversation. I really believe it's more important than anything we've talked about so far, in terms of making decisions around rules in the House. It is very important that this be consensus-based moving forward. It has been in the past. Why would we change it right here in this Parliament? That's what I have to say.