My colleagues, I wish to comment on the matter brought to the attention of the House by the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands on December 7 and 8, 1994.
The hon. member explained that a serious omission had been found in a publication entitled "The Prime Ministers of Canada, 1867 to 1994", a document prepared jointly by the House of Commons and the National Archives. Subsequently, other errors and inconsistencies were discovered and communicated to me.
The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands was justifiably upset by the omission of references to Kingston and the entry for Sir John A. Macdonald and was absolutely correct when he pointed out that all Canadians associate our first Prime Minister with the limestone city, and in case some of you did not know that is Kingston.
All members and their constituents recognize the importance a member's riding and its history play in a member's political identification. Some of the errors and omissions in this publication concerning members' constituencies may be the result of editorial decisions designed to simplify the rather complex evolution of our political and electoral systems.
For example, at times in our history, certain constituencies have returned two members of Parliament in an election, or a member appointed to the ministry would have to resign his seat and seek re-election as a minister. Members were permitted to be candidates in, and be elected in more than one riding at a time, although these members ultimately would have to choose which riding to represent.
Regrettably, other difficulties with this publication seem to have been the result of an apparent misunderstanding between the House and the National Archives when the publication was edited.
An erratum has been prepared for the first edition and will be attached to all remaining copies of the book. A revised second edition is currently under production by the National Archives and members will receive their copies when it is available.
I believe that these measures will rectify the situation and I thank the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands for bringing this matter to the attention of the House.