Mr. Chair, I'm a little disturbed by the member's comments. I had mentioned the other day that in my military time I commanded troops, and now I have 113,000 or so constituents that I answer to each and every day. If we are in the media, that is the media's prerogative to write about us. Often things are good and often things are bad, and we've just got to deal with that. As public figures and politicians, and leaders in our community, we are subject to and open to critique, and that is the right of the electorate. That is the right of the media to publicly look in on us and see what we are doing.
That side can't talk about transparency and not practise it. If they don't like what somebody's saying about them, they can't try to shield it because their feelings are hurt or because this particular journalist has written something that casts them in a negative light. Well, he's been here for the same length of time I've been here, and I think I've become quite accustomed to that at this point. I would recommend to my honourable friend that he should too because the media, constituents, the public all have a right to know what we are doing in this committee, and this committee is public. The only ones holding us up here with circular arguments are on the other side, Mr. Chair. It's not this side. In fact, if you look at the statistics of the amount of speaking time on this committee, it is far outweighed by those on the other side, the NDP members and a Liberal member.
We are seeking reasonable accommodation, reasonable compromise. My friend, Mr. Shory, is having his ability to put his private member's bill through compromised. What else is being compromised is the safety of the Canadian public. This bill defends, first of all, my former comrades in the Canadian Forces, and anybody who perpetrates an act of violence against them in any way could have their citizenship stripped. Any terrorist who perpetrates an act against Canada, against its citizens, against our sovereignty, against our freedom, against our way of life, against the way we choose to conduct ourselves and our democracy, could have their citizenship stripped if they happen to be a Canadian citizen or a dual citizen, and in full accordance with the UN charter on making sure that people do not end up stateless.
Canada abides by those rules. Additionally, it allows those permanent residents who are in the Canadian Forces serving there, or those who will serve in the Canadian Forces because they have particular skills that the Canadian Forces need, to achieve citizenship one year faster. I think that is a very reasonable accommodation for those willing to put themselves in harm's way on behalf of Canada and their fellow Canadians.
Mr. Chair, I'm offended that the member opposite is worried that he's not going to look good in the media because of the fact that they continue to filibuster, block important legislation, block an important private member's bill, and block a member from being able to have his voice and the voice of his constituents heard in this place.