Mr. Speaker, the most compelling reason for making changes in the Chamber have been provided by the Quebec referendum debate itself.
Here we have a debate on the future of federalism and the country itself, but where has it occurred? Not directly, not forcefully, not thoroughly on the floor of the Chamber, but everywhere else. While the number one priority of the agenda of the people has been the future of their country, formal debate in the Chamber has focused on manganese as an additive to gasoline and the national horse act. That is why the House must change if the federal government is ever to lead change in the country.
Is the government open to changes in this institution so that the agenda of the people and the country becomes the agenda of the House?