Madam Speaker, I must say that it gives me a great deal of pleasure to take part in the debate this afternoon.
Madam Speaker, when you and I were both elected in 1988, among all of us who came into Parliament that year there were probably a number of things we wanted to do here as parliamentarians. A number of issues were of tremendous interest to us: the question of the future of our wonderful country, the unity of Canada, the continued thriving of one united Canada, and issues relating to matters very close to my heart such as making sure that violence against women is eradicated soon.
It is a safe bet to say that the majority of members of Parliament whenever they were elected do not necessarily become passionate over tissues like Bill C-84, the Regulations Act. Yet these matters are very important.
The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands will take part in the debate a little later. I think this is something the hon. member understands full well. From his years as a high school student when he wrote a paper about the pipeline debate in the House the hon. member has been very interested in and perhaps one of the most knowledgeable members of the House on questions of process.
When we talk about regulations and the Regulations Act we are really talking about process, if I might wax somewhat hyperbolic, read in tooth and claw, as I am sure the hon. member from Kingston and the Islands would agree.
It is not the stuff of which romantic novels or poems are written. It is not the stuff of overweening rhetoric, but it is the stuff of the day to day operation of government. Most particularly it is the stuff of the day to day operation of good government.
What are the objectives of the bill? There are a number of objectives. It will simplify and streamline the regulation making process because it will clarify existing legal uncertainties in the regulatory field. That sentence probably does not strike huge chords of interest in the populous in general. It probably does not strike huge chords of interest in my colleagues on the opposite side in any of the opposition parties. I would hazard a guess that, fond as I know my colleagues on this side of the House are of me, it probably is not striking huge chords of interest in the member from Miramichi, for example. I do not think it is striking huge chords of interest in my friend from Saskatchewan.