Some members opposite are referring to recall. I would just like to remind them that the hon. member for Beaver River in early November introduced the recall bill into this House. Had the members opposite voted for that recall bill instead of against it, people in my constituency would have had the right to invoke a recall petition. Therefore, I encourage them to bring this bill up on their own to show that they really do believe in direct democracy. I would be more than happy to honour that recall legislation.
I have outlined what this bill attempts to achieve. I have discussed my three main areas of concern with this bill and I have outlined what I consider to be the most positive aspects of this bill.
I have one final comment on this bill. Achieving the best balance between which details should actually be included in legislation and which should be left up to ministerial discretion is often difficult. By adding more detail, which is often covered by regulation rather than in the legislation itself, a bill can limit the flexibility of implementation. This can be positive or negative. The more detail added to the legislation the less discretion the minister has in implementing the legislation. Less discretion means less power.
I believe this legislation needs more details. If it sounds like I do not trust government and bureaucracy, that is true. It has been well demonstrated in the past that it is wise to view government with a certain level of distrust. Governments have earned this reputation. This was very apparent to me this last weekend as I canvassed for the Reform candidates in Ottawa-Vanier and Saint-Henri-Westmount. Many people I talked to expressed a high level of distrust of both present and past governments.
Because I am leery of giving the government too much flexibility in implementing legislation, I will be looking for more detail to be added in third reading. I look forward to getting the answers to the questions that I have presented to the minister today and I look forward to discussing Bill C-61 in committee and in further debate in this House.