We have until December 1 to submit our amendments. As we've already said, this is a long and complex bill, probably the longest of the reforms of the Official Languages Act.
The bill is so complex that I've even requested the opinion of a lawyer. He examined the bill and found that it has several vulnerabilities if a gag order is imposed. He told me that a month or two ago. He anticipated the threat of a gag order.
Certain clauses in the bill would retroactively amend previous sections. We could adopt certain amendments concerning, for example, the new act respecting federally regulated private businesses. If we adopt certain amendments at the outset, we might wind up with a new bill that would retroactively amend previous amendments. It's very complicated.
The imposition of a gag order would leave us very vulnerable because we would have to work quickly. We would have very little opportunity to hear from the ministers in order to gather food for thought and propose amendments.
Imposing a gag order on clause-by-clause consideration would merely gain a little time for those not wanting to amend the act. If we don't have time to examine all the amendments properly and adopt certain amendments toward the end, we may well undo what was previously done. It would be very difficult to make the desired changes.
I think we have to take the time to present our amendments well so we can establish matches. That way, when we adopt an amendment, we can advise people that it will change amendment "X" a little further on. It's quite complex work.
It's really unfortunate that we're being rushed and that attempts are being made to limit the time allowed for something this important.