Mr. Speaker, the subject of what shall be an appropriate number of members of Parliament has been referred to frequently in this debate.
At this point I would simply raise for consideration the possibility that perhaps this House would operate more efficiently and effectively if there were dramatically fewer members of Parliament than at present and that there be a fixed number. Those fewer members would have more extensive
staffs and research facilities but I believe the long term savings could be significant. Such a proposal would certainly merit consideration by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.