I will resist the temptation to make a joke, Mr. Petit.
Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on the work that you have done as a member of Parliament over the years since you were elected. I know that you have the courage of your convictions and that you have fought hard on this issue. I also believe that this has to be recognized as a considerable improvement on the status quo.
Our party supports the abolition of the Senate. We fully concur with your view that the Senate essentially ran roughshod over democracy when it failed to consider legislation that had been adopted by the House of Commons. The reality, however, is that the bill before us better addresses offences and constitutes an improvement on the status quo. Nevertheless, I accept that it does not go far enough. Were we to carry out a comparative analysis between this bill and your bill in the House tomorrow, there is no doubt that your bill would come out on top.
However, unless I am mistaken, you are 146th on the list. You know full well that your bill will not be considered by the House in the near, or not-so-near, future. You also know that you will not be granted consent to leapfrog over other colleagues who are higher up the list—to do so would render the system meaningless.
We are tabling amendments similar to those put forward by our colleagues from the NDP. The Bloc and the NDP will be proposing amendments to this bill. We will see how the committee chooses to proceed. We hope that the bill will be amended. It would be a shame for it to not be sent back to the House for report stage and third reading, as it does contain some of your plus points. If, however, that is the will of the committee, we will respect it. If your bill can be considered in the near future, you will have the support of the Bloc Québécois. Of that there is no doubt. We cannot agree with the arguments advanced by certain activists to the effect that if this bill is adopted with amendments, the Senate will not consider your bill. We cannot base our decision on speculation.
Once again, I would like to sincerely congratulate you on the work that you have done. It is said that you are a rising star in the Liberal Party. I am sure you will agree with me that it is not always easy to understand the Liberal Party, but you have worked with conviction, which is admirable. The Bloc will be introducing amendments and hopes that the bill will be adopted with amendments.