Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I rise to take part, as member for Lévis, in this debate on Bill C-18 to suspend for 24 months the operation of electoral boundaries readjustments across Canada.
You know it is not always easy to speak in a debate so late in the day without repeating what our hon. colleagues from both sides of the House have already said. I will speak anyway, because I think it is important to talk about democracy and its operation. We can never talk too much about democracy and truly democratic rules in this House. So, this bill gives me an opportunity to raise this extremely important issue.
Like my fellow members of the Official Opposition, I support this bill. I will not go over all their arguments, although I agree with the points like the savings to be made by deferring this readjustment for one thing. Members opposite also mentioned it would give more time to do a more thorough job and to better target readjustments to the democratic reality. I will simply insist on one point.
As you know, provincial elections are to be held this year and, normally, within 12 or 14 months of the elections, we should have a referendum in Quebec. So, if all goes well-and I honestly think, along with my colleagues, that it will-we are going to find ourselves in a totally new political context. Under the circumstances, what is the use of redesigning the electoral map when it may not be used by Quebec in future elections? It is therefore wise and perfectly advisable to wait and to defer the readjustment-