Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest and I am sorry that the member did not have an opportunity to speak very much with regard to the motion. He may have spent a little more time on the partisan aspects of political life.
The member started off in his debate referring to the situation in the Ontario provincial legislature. He chastises the opposition members for taking charge of a situation and in fact exercising their right to let their views be known in that elected body.
The member then went on to describe a situation which occurred last June in the aboriginal affairs committee. He said that a piece of legislation had been rammed through the committee. The hon. member will well know that the meeting continued all through the night until six o'clock the next morning. I was at the meeting from about midnight until 6.00 a.m. filling in for some of my colleagues.
Members of the Reform Party were conducting a filibuster. The filibuster was basically to ask nuisance and nonsense questions on virtually every word in the bill. They kept the entire staff associated with that committee and members of Parliament, about 40 people, tied up in a stuffy room while they asked nuisance questions. It is precisely the same situation. The Reform Party was exercising its democratic right. I do not for one moment believe there was anything wrong with what the Reform members did. They were doing it because it is part of the democratic process.
The hon. member also referred to his frustration. I am sorry the member is frustrated with life in a House which has a majority government. However, we must respect the democratic process. The fact that the government has a majority is a reflection of the operation of the democratic process.
The hon. member well knows that when a government is elected it has a platform which reflects the commitments the party has made to the people of Canada. "If you elect us, these are the things we will do". When the party platform is put into legislation, it is incumbent on the members elected to the governing party to follow the promises they have made.
Does the hon. member not believe that supporting legislation which reflects the platform of a party during an election is respecting the democratic process?