I'm asking all these questions because ultimately the spirit of the law is just as important, if not more important, than what is written down. If the main purpose were to control...
We've always said that in Canada we have a policy that strikes a balance between openness and vigilance. We don't build walls but we do control the doors. And if we control the doors, but we completely change the principle by using a label that states that a country is safe, then what will be the initial reaction of a civil servant or board member when faced with a claimant coming from that country? They'll ask them what they're doing here. They won't believe that refugees can come from Japan, for example. That's something that the minister said at the time, among other things, when we asked him questions.
I would like to know what's hiding behind this policy. This could have been done through regulations, and you have the ability to propose that. That was already proposed to me, when I was minister.
The minister said he didn't have that option, yet it is an option. Didn't you propose it?