moved that Bill C-13, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act, be read the second time and, by unanimous consent, referred to a committee of the whole.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to briefly address Bill C-13, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act.
The discussions with the opposition parties have now resulted in an agreement for the membership of the Board of Internal Economy and to allow appropriate representation of all parties in a way that is responsive to the present composition of the House of Commons.
You will recall, Mr. Speaker, that since the opening of Parliament, the House leaders of the various political parties have taken steps to ensure that processes—for instance, the size and the number of standing committees—be adjusted to ensure that the work of parliamentarians is supported by a fair and reasonable system.
We have also taken measures, in co-operation with the Speaker, to ensure that a system is in place to have a question period that was functional, given the five political parties presently in the House of Commons.
We have adjusted budgets for research offices and support services for members of Parliament, reflecting the same kind of change.
This leads me to believe that those who predicted that this would be a form of pizza Parliament, with members of Parliament unable to co-operate with each other, were wrong.
We have different points of views in the House of Commons. We will disagree with one another on various issues of substance, but we were all sent here to represent our constituents. The members of the five parties were sent here by Canadians not to make this Parliament dysfunctional. We were all sent here to make Parliament work.
I want to congratulate the House leaders of all parties for their work in that respect thus far. I also congratulate the Speaker for his excellent work and for his guidance from time to time.
The proposed changes to the Board of Internal Economy will essentially do the following. They will create a situation whereby five members of the government will sit on the Board of Internal Economy: two ministers and three members. The Leader of the Opposition, or his delegate, will be represented on the board. In addition, a member of the official opposition caucus will be on the board and also a member from all other parties, duly recognized, in the House of Commons.
There is also a formula in the new bill by which such amendments will not be necessary in the future, were there to be more changes in the numbers of of parties sitting in the House of Commons, either after the next election or in the event that a party ceases to be a political party within this Parliament.
These changes have been made with the support of all the parties involved. I want to reiterate my appreciation for the support and co-operation of everyone.
Negotiations of this type are never easy. Still, it is important to note that all political parties, regardless of their ideology, agree that we must work together to ensure the proper operation of this Parliament and to provide the best possible government to Canadians, who sent us here to represent them during this 36th Parliament.