—so let me rephrase that.
Without knowing everything, I would never go into somebody's business, or go into somebody's household or home or team, and say, “This is the way it should be done. The more I watch you, the more I think you're doing it wrong.” We can always armchair-quarterback things. I'm the best at telling you how my Seattle Seahawks are going to win. And don't bring up the Super Bowl, because the wounds are still too raw from that failed attempt. That was a couple of years ago. I can armchair-quarterback like the best of them.
To Ms. Duncan, the point is this. I don't think that we, as newbies, should be coming in and arbitrarily ramming down thoughts.... I think it's something that, truthfully, to spur a discussion...but this wasn't to spur a discussion. When you're mediating, or actually going through the media with this....
They were hoping that this was going to get a favourable response from all, and that the fear from the opposition was, “Oh, they have the media onside. We can't do anything about it.” But little did they know that we can do stuff about it, and we will continue to do it for as long as it takes, so that we can find that common ground I was talking about.
Mr. Chair, we talked a little bit about leading up to the election and then getting elected. A couple of weeks after being elected, I actually managed to set foot here. I was chomping at the bit. I was ready to go. I think we put 65,000 kilometres on my truck during the campaign. I can't remember how many doors we knocked on, I think 30,000 or 70,000, and the phone calls we made were close to the same amount. But I was ready to go. I was not tired. I was ready to go on October 20. I couldn't get here fast enough.
I arrived in Ottawa with two pieces of paper: a SWOT analysis of Cariboo—Prince George, the opportunities and challenges, where I thought we could make an impact; and background on Bill C-211, on which I worked with the legislative committee to try to get it to where we are today. As I've said before, I came at it with pure intentions to work collaboratively across the floor.
I have to bring it back to where I think we've kind of gone wrong. I can only speak for myself, but I bring it back to that week of May 17, when motion six was tabled and there was elbowgate or whatever you want to call it. There was the kerfuffle around that, the apology, and the questions about intent and what have you.
I think it's really important to go back to one of the things Ms. Sahota mentioned. I highlighted it, Mr. Chair, when she mentioned it. I bring this up with all due respect. She said that if you're really going to truthfully set forth with pure intentions, you don't politicize something.
Are you kidding me? Who politicized this? If this really was a discussion paper, if you and I were going to have a discussion, if we were going to talk truthfully and have a good discussion as a group or a committee or House leaders, would I go to the media first and say, hey, by the way, here's what we're going to discuss?
How would that make you feel?
