Mr. Speaker, I apologize. This is an emotional issue. It is one we feel very strongly about. It is certainly one about which my constituents feel very strongly. If there is one issue that has been raised more times than any other in the four years I have been involved, it has to be the one of MPs' pensions.
I get emotional about it. It has been four or five years that I have been talking about it. It is not something new. It is not a matter of just jumping on the bandwagon and saying we oppose it, as two former members said we were doing. If they checked the record they would find that most of us feel strongly about the issue. Mr. Speaker, your constituents feel strongly about it as well.
We have to put the facts on the table. I respect what the hon. member just said about salaries. That is how it should have been presented. If it had been done that way it could have possibly received all-party agreement. If it had been simply presented as a trade-off and package, bounced off the people to find out if they agreed, there was a good chance they would have accepted it. However I am certain they will not accept this type of pension plan.