There's nothing more important that democratic legitimacy, Mr. Chairman.
Summing up, I'd like to issue a solemn appeal unlike any other I've made in the House, and call upon the parliamentary secretary to support my amendment and upon government members to do likewise. We must heal the rift that Paul Martin unfortunately caused by breaking the existing connection for, I have to say, purely partisan reasons. There is a time for courage, Mr. Chairman, the same kind of courage that parliamentarians have shown in the past.
A colleague of mine, Martin Cauchon, was once a very good Justice Minister in many respects, leaving aside the Young Offenders Act which is one of the minister's less noteworthy accomplishments. Aside from that, he was a pretty good Justice Minister. Martin Cauchon pointed out to me that all governments that proceeded to slash budgets were re-elected, including the government of the amazing Lucien Bouchard that governed under difficult conditions. All of these governments were re-elected, with one exception, namely that of former Nova Scotia Premier Savage. The latter's son is now a member of the Liberal caucus. All of these premiers governed with a certain vision in mind, they cut budgets and still managed to get re-elected, with the exception of the former premier of Nova Scotia.
I'll stop there, Mr. Chairman, unless of course you want me to continue. But I think people have understood the gist of my amendment.