Mr. Speaker, I feel honoured that I was able to make the list to speak on this bill.
We are at a crossroads in our country because of the process on which we have embarked and the results which will undoubtedly follow from this bill.
I am very concerned about the procedure that has been followed. It seems that respect for the law and respect for government are a direct result of members of Parliament representing their constituents, of being careful to listen to what the people of Canada are saying.
There is a growing disrespect for certain governments that, without the consent of the people, have imposed different rules, regulations and laws on Canadian citizens without their consent. The best example of that is the GST which has seized our attention in Parliament and across the country. During the election campaign of 1993 I heard over and over again the complaint that my predecessor did not represent his constituents on that issue.
When we embark upon a change in law, an important bill such as this one, it is important that individual members of Parliament be given time to return to their constituencies to debate the precise wording of the bill and discuss its implications with the people.
That process has been and is being denied to us. It is almost as if we had a question of privilege in terms of how we are hampered in effectiveness in doing our work.
I feel frustrated that the government, through a motivation which I think is straight political expediency, introduced the bill at this time. It was not in the long term plans. It was not mentioned in the throne speech. Suddenly at the end of January it was very important to prorogue Parliament to get a new start. Then there was a new throne speech with a list of all items the government considered to be priorities. The bill was not mentioned in the throne speech. The minister expressed approximately a month ago that it was not his intention or plan to introduce the legislation at this time.
Why was it introduced? I confess to a growing amount of cynicism in the political process. I believe it was introduced as a simple tactic to divert the attention of the press and other media away from the extreme attacks the Liberal government was receiving on accountability, keeping promises made during the election campaign, the GST and other issues. It was brought forward as a strategy to divert criticism.
That is unconscionable. I do not think the lives and well-being of Canadians and their families should somehow be put on the list of items which are disposable for political reasons.
My second complaint is even greater, that is the necessity to invoke closure. It does not make any sense. When we want to rebuild trust in government, in the House of Commons and in Parliament why would we ram through a bill because we suspect if the people ever got to debate it there would be opposition and a great political fallout from it? It is unconscionable.
Closure should be used for matters of dire emergency. It should be used when our country or our security is a stake and we need to bring an item to conclusion because there would be great consequences if it were not done right away.
It is unconscionable of the government to close off debate in the House and in committee. Many Canadians sincerely want to have input. How much time were they given to prepare? I suppose they got a weekend and should not complain. Should they drop everything to make sure they get to Ottawa to appear before the committee to present their briefs? People were asked to respond in a very short period of time.
The vote will be finished before a lot of people even know it is taking place, simply because it takes time to communicate to people. What would be wrong with giving us an opportunity to put the question fairly and squarely to the people we represent?
If the argument in favour of the legislation is strong surely it will have the support of the people. If it does not have the support of the people, let us be honest and admit that we are giving but a token acknowledgement to democracy. We are clearly abandoning the principle that the majority rules in a democracy. We are abandon-
ing the principle that the voters even count. I do not know why we should bother with this process if there is such a limitation.
I should like to make a few comments about the bill. A lot of people who support the legislation have tried over and over again to assure us that this is the end of it and that all we are talking about is discrimination.
I will speak loudly and clearly in favour of principles that do not discriminate against individuals because of personal characteristics. However there are two real flaws in the Canadian Human Rights Act when it starts making lists. One flaw is the difficulty of not including all possible groups and individuals. The second flaw is just as important, that is somehow implying that anyone not on the list is fair game for discrimination.
I reject that hypothesis. One of my main reasons for opposing the bill is that I am not on the list, which means it is correct and acceptable to discriminate against me.
Members must be wondering what I am talking about. I am one of those people who some describe as being robust. Sometimes the word rotund is used and I am discriminated against because of my weight. It goes beyond being squeezed into economy seats in aeroplanes. It goes much beyond that. I was discriminated against in the House because of my weight.
This is what happened. I used to work at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. As a staff member I was permitted to participate in its insurance plan. When I came here I thought I could replace it. I was refused participation in the House of Commons life insurance plan because of my weight. They did not take into account the fact that my dad is 85 and just as heavy as I am. They did not take any of these things into account. I am not on the list.
In closing, the list is not complete until every Canadian is on it. That is the situation. Discrimination is not acceptable. All we are doing is adding to the list, which means by implication that everyone who has not yet made the list is fair game. I reject that hypothesis and I urge Liberal members, who have it in their power to do something about it, to vote against the bill because it is so wrong.