I was reluctant to come before PROC because I don't know everything that's in this.
I said earlier on that there are brighter people than I am, people who are more learned than I am, but I think if we go back to the fundamental rules and reason why we are here, and just bring it back to the privilege, the privilege isn't ours. The privilege of freedom of speech isn't so that we have the freedom to say whatever we want. The privilege is that we have the freedom to be the voice of those who elected us. I think we forget at times that the House doesn't belong to us. It belongs to the people.
I'm getting animated. I'm thinking back to my colleague Mr. Christopherson, who I sat here and listened to for hours. It was awesome, sitting watching Mr. Christopherson be so animated, and then watching our translators be just as animated. I loved it. I wish I could have taken a picture of it.
Mr. Chair, I know it's probably been said. I haven't read the blues. I'm being completely honest with you. I wanted to come here—whether it's today or last week—and get something off my chest that had been bothering me for some time, clearly. Thank you for tabling this discussion paper, which will allow me the opportunity to say at length, if I wanted to, which I do, that this House doesn't belong to us. It belongs to Canadians. Whether or not it's been said before by other members, we forget that. I think sometimes our Prime Minister, or the PMO, forgets that.
The contempt for the House is shocking. I don't know what was done previously. I know that the blame game goes on a lot. I can only tell you what I know and what I've witnessed. When I'm sitting there listening and watching QP, whether I'm participating or not, I can feel the contempt. Whether it's real or perceived, I think there are things we can do differently. It starts with the top. It starts with the guy who was elected to be our Prime Minister, or was nominated by his party to be the leader, and then subsequently his party was elected, and all of a sudden now he's the Prime Minister. It starts with that.
We talked about this last May, about parliamentary and unparliamentary behaviours, and how the actions in the week of May 17, after motion six was tabled, were very unparliamentary. I'm shocked at times. I think there are things on each side that go on, and we get very heated at times. I think all sides do. I love QP. The people from Cariboo elected a fighter. I love the art of the jab and the heckling. I'm one who likes that, respectfully. I always tell people that what they see on TV and what really happens are two different things. Usually we work very collegially and very collaboratively across all sides. That's the way it's supposed to be. Our QP is the opportunity—