Mr. Speaker, I realize that I will probably only have three or four minutes before question period after which I will resume my debate.
Before the taking of the votes I said that we had a responsibility to look at the work of Senator Kirby who took part in the debate on the proposed amendment to term 17 in the other House. We on this side of the House should show some respect for the remarks that he made in the other House on term 17.
As I mentioned earlier our Liberal government put almost total trust in him when we were developing the campaign to repatriate the Constitution. It would be abnormal for us to dismiss his remarks just because subsequent to his career as a public servant advising the government we put him in the Senate. To think that just because a person has been appointed to the Senate he loses his ability to judge and be fair does not make sense in my view.
As I mentioned earlier, the Senate with unanimous consent gave Senator Kirby extended time to develop his argument. I am sure many members after they read his speech and go through his remarks will realize that his motivation for proposing this amendment to term 17 is not for partisan reasons. There is no mischief here. He has had great loyalty to the Liberal Party and the government for over 20 years.
Some of the other senators who supported the amendment are highly respected constitutional lawyers.