Mr. Speaker, first of all, the member is quite right. Each province must be considered individually. But the same principles must be applied to all.
In the case of the Government of Canada, there are two principles. First, is the proposed amendment good for the province in question? Second, does it have enough support, including by the minorities affected? The Constitution obliges us as parliamentarians—in a sense this is what we are paid and elected by our constituents to do—to make up our own minds and to examine these two issues. That is why there must be a parliamentary committee.
The second reason there must be a parliamentary committee, and the case of Quebec is an illustration, is that even when there is a consensus, and a fairly clear one, there are always some people who are worried. When no one will speak with them, they worry even more. It is better to speak with them, hear what they have to say and see that their point of view is made widely known, as was done by the newspapers in Quebec on the weekend, so that provincial legislators can see how they can finetune their policy so that things will go well in the province, because consensus is not the same thing as unanimity.