As I was saying, this government has the audacity tonight to ram through a bill which will take away the debating privileges of this House on legislation that will be in the interests of all Canadians. It will not be debated in this House because this government has brought in closure on the further debate on Bill C-33.
I consider it only appropriate for the good of all Canadians, for the good of Canada, and for the good of the reputation of this House, that our amendment to clause 5 be adopted.
We are officials elected to represent the views of our constituents indeed, the views of all Canadians. This government would think otherwise. Government members would self-serve their private agendas, but this part of the House and this party speaks for the Canadian people, not for the special interest groups that supply support for the party.
The constituents, the taxpayers of this country, pay our salaries. They expect us to look after the best interests of Canada and Canadians, especially when it comes to the appropriation of land under public domain. They have paid for federal territorial and aboriginal negotiators who have drafted these land claim settlements. With clause 5 this government is telling the taxpayers that future settlements will not even come before this House
for scrutiny by their elected representatives. Shame on this government.
With clause 5 the negotiators are no longer accountable. They are no longer accountable to the taxpayers since their settlements will simply be rubber stamped in cabinet. No debate, just a rubber stamp. That is something government members are very familiar with as they sat on this side of the House and accused the previous government of rubber stamping legislation. They learned very well from the Tories as they were sitting over here. Their apprenticeship is now complete and they are doing exactly the same thing they railed upon in this House in the last Parliament.