I want to put one extremely important thing into perspective, in my opinion.
I won't deny it, everyone knows that I voted against this bill for personal reasons. It is a free vote and I want it to be clear. It's not a government bill, it is a private member's bill. In my mind, this makes all the difference.
I spoke with lawyers about the bill before the meeting. I was told that since it is a private member's bill, the bill's sponsor chose to submit it to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. That is why it is not in order here. Mr. Epp chose to submit the bill to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Once the bill has been presented to that committee, it cannot be brought back to our committee. That is all I wanted to say.