Mr. Speaker, prior to question period while the member was speaking, I contemplated rising on a point of order because of a statement she had made a number of times in her speech. She said that the government deliberately misled. As we know in this place, to suggest there is
deliberate misleading or not telling the truth is contrary to parliamentary actions.
As a result, I would simply comment to the hon. member that I understand in debate it is important to make the points. Perhaps the hon. member might preface her remarks that it is in her own opinion or in her own assessment the government is misleading and not make judgments in such a stark way.
Another point I wanted to make had to do with the whole aspect of the provision of statistical data, analyses and actuarial numbers with regard to the proposals under this bill.
The member will well know that the bill had been introduced by the then Minister of Human Resources Development in a particular form and had been published and circulated for discussion purposes. It had not, at the time of prorogation of the House, moved at any particular point. As a result of the motions passed by this House, it has been reintroduced in exactly the same format.
The member will also know that the bill, now to be referred to committee, is at a very important point in the legislative process. This is particularly so considering the vast amount of changes the member well knows can be made in committee with regard to proposed legislation, whether it be with regard to items such as the gun control bill or Bill C-7 on controlled drugs and substances which was before the committee I chaired and to which 70 amendments were made.
The member will well know that the possibility of providing extensive actuarial and precise data certainly is possible. However it is certainly more relevant once the specifics and the principles of the bill have been exhaustively reviewed by the committee. Information particularly with regard to the consensus items would then be provided by the research staff and the resources available to the House.
I simply suggest to the member that maybe this request for an answer to all the questions at the beginning of the process is unreasonable and unrealistic on her behalf.