Mr. Speaker, today we are talking about broken promises and one of them is on page 92 of the red book which says: "In the House of Commons, a Liberal government will give MPs a greater role in drafting legislation through House of Commons committees". Is it true? Well, let us have a look.
On Bill C-68, the government invoked closure at second reading, limited the number of witnesses and refused to give time for legislative counsel to draft amendments.
On Bill C-64, only four witnesses out of the 50 who gave testimony came from a list submitted by Reform. Reform MPs were not allowed to submit amendments in the language of their choice. They were refused the right to speak to some clauses due to a time allocation of five minutes per clause.
On the MP pension bill, only expert witnesses are allowed to testify. MPs and ordinary Canadians are shut out.
These arrogant actions by the Liberals make a sham of an MP's role in drafting legislation. This is another example of how the red book promises are being broken, one after the other.