Thank you, Madam Chair.
I understand what's before us, and I understand that I now can make my own decision as to whether I support this amendment or not, but when Mr. Virani speaks to things being confirmed by testimony.... We heard some testimony on gender expression. We heard conflicting testimony on gender expression, but because it wasn't before us in this clause, we didn't know that we would be considering it within this clause.
I find it difficult to understand that an amendment is dropped on us on the floor for which we had to suspend the committee for several minutes. It was dropped without translation, clearly known to Mr. Garrison ahead of time, clearly known to Mr. Virani ahead of time, because Mr. Garrison, with all due respect, stepped back and said he would give the floor to his friend Mr. Virani, his colleague, so that he could put this forward.
Why are we dealing with it in committee, trying to get translations, being told to suspend—which was the appropriate thing for you to do, Madam Chair, in the circumstances—when clearly they had conversations either in the last few days or last night, this morning, I don't know when, yet we only get it here dropped on us at the last minute, changing a definition, expanding the definition?
Yes, I agree with Mr. Virani. It is an expansion of the definition. It's a large expansion of the definition. They can belittle Mr. Fortin's example by saying it's trivial. He was just throwing something out there, in my view, as an example—yes, a trivial one—not actually meaning that specific issue necessarily. He's just trying to understand it, because we don't understand it when it is dropped on us in this way.
For us to be put in a position of having to assume definitions now on an expanded definition makes it very difficult to deal with. It is not the way we normally should proceed, and not the way the government should proceed on a piece of government legislation that is so important. This is a very important bill. There are a lot of Canadians wanting to see how this turns out.
We, on the Conservative side of the House, in our attempts to get some clarity and some comfort for those who are concerned about these expanded definitions, or any definitions, are being shut down, while at the same time we're having expanded versions dropped on us at the last minute, putting us in a very difficult position.