Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. friend should have been listening more carefully. The reference to the rubber ruler was made in the first place by his colleague the former school teacher.
I did not threaten to use the rubber ruler on my hon. friend. I said simply that the Canadian public in the next election was going to do it in a figurative and symbolic way. If this offends my hon. friend, I would be happy to withdraw the reference, but I cannot speak for what the Canadian people will ultimately do.