I would have to agree with my colleagues.
We have spent several meetings talking about this, and the time has really come to do something. We have to make a decision. I think the solution put forward by my colleague Mr. Aubin addresses everyone's criteria fully.
Of course, it may not tick every single one of our boxes, but we have to be willing to show some flexibility, as Mr. Galipeau did earlier by wanting to respect the tradition of giving the official opposition the first opportunity to speak.
I think we may be forgetting something my colleagues have already mentioned. Our voting system is flawed, and the visible outcome of that system in the House—the number of seats allocated to the various parties—is often far from representative of the public's desires.
We all have a duty, for the duration of our mandate, to make a conscious effort to try to correct those flaws in the system. We have been mandated to represent constituents, to express opinions, and I think we should at least make an effort to give everyone an opportunity to speak.
With that in mind, I have no problem giving Mr. Bélanger the floor twice. He, too, will have valid points to make, and they need to be taken into account.
In the May 2nd election, Canadians gave us a steady and clear mandate to work towards changing how we interact with one another. And that applies to what goes on in the House, as well as in committees. We must take a much more collegial approach than in the past.
I am part of the new generation of fresh faces on the Hill, a generation that may have a slightly different vision, a generation that has grown a bit weary of the old way of doing things. I think Mr. Aubin's solution is a step in the right direction, a step towards a better approach, an improved attitude and tangible progress.
We should make a conscious decision to accept this amendment, which seeks to make up for all those little shortcomings that were evident before.
As Mr. Julian mentioned, we are prepared to move over and take a back seat for 20 or so minutes to ensure that every Canadian receives some representation, proportionately speaking. And that still gives the government side a certain advantage, don't forget.
For all those reasons, I think we are really looking at the perfect amendment here and should not spend too much longer debating the matter.
Thank you very much.