Mr. Speaker, I first want to recognize and appreciate the gesture from my friend, the hon. member for Malpeque. It is with considerable enthusiasm that I speak in support of Bill C-216 in the name of the member for Sarnia-Lambton.
It is one of those rare moments that we have in the House of Commons from time to time where members of all parties are asked to decide whose side they are on. Are we on the side of the cable companies and the vested interests associated therewith, or are we on the side of our constituents?
As the member for Kamloops I suspect I am no different from anyone else in having received literally hundreds of letters, as well as petitions and delegations saying we have to rein in these cable companies and make them more sensitive to the consuming public. Thanks to the hon. member for Sarnia-Lambton we have been given the opportunity this morning to say whose side we are on as members of Parliament.
I suspect that the lobbyists and the mouthpieces for the cable companies have made their views known. Their case is weak. We here are elected to represent our constituents' best interests when it comes to this matter so that we enable them to make a decision on the kind of programming that is made available in their homes.
I speak with enthusiasm in support of Bill C-216. I look forward to support from private members.
We acknowledge there has been some pressure on members of Parliament. Let us also remember that this is private members' hour. We are voting today as individuals, not as members of political parties, not as members of some vested interest group. We are being asked to stand up in our place as independent members of Parliament, private members. Let us not be swayed by phone calls we have received from certain pressure groups and let us vote in the best interests of our constituents.