Yes, they still want to dictate to us. That is why Reform is here. That is why it is important that we do not abolish the Senate. That is why it is important that we have an effective Senate, an elected Senate. It is one way of assuring the regions of Canada, including the north of Canada, that there will be an opportunity for balancing the very strong representation by population that we have in the House of Commons. This is the fallacy in the thinking of my friend who raised the issue a few minutes ago.
On the surface it is immediately attractive but in the long run it will not serve the regions of Canada. As a matter of fact it closes the door forever for them to have an opportunity of equal and effective representation based on a regional model rather than representation by population.
If we abandon the idea of a triple E Senate we forever resign ourselves to having central Canada dictate to the rest of Canada and the regions how we will live our lives. That lets down our constituents, particularly those of us who come from rural parts of Canada.
I see many parallels in the thinking that has gone into Nunavut, the institutions that are being created including the justice system, and the thinking that has gone into and is currently going into the treaty process in British Columbia.
For example, in the Nisga'a agreement in British Columbia, the first land claim agreement to be resolved or supposedly to be resolved—it is not resolved yet—the government intends to create a separate justice system, exactly as it is attempting to do with the legislation on Nunavut. This somehow leaves the impression that these people do not have access to justice at the present time, are being left out or being hard done by. I simply argue that this is not the case.
I do not understand the justification for telling a group of people, whether it is on an ethnic basis as in the case of Nisga'a or on a geographical basis as in the case of Nunavut, that they are entitled to a separate justice system which will cost an extraordinary amount of money for the number of people it is designed to serve.
Members on this side of the House have a great deal of difficulty with the lack of responsiveness in the justice system at the present time and the feeling that it is not achieving what it ought to achieve. However it is still there for all Canadians. I do not see how members opposite can make a legitimate argument that somehow people are slipping through the cracks and need their own justice system to be better off. I just do not understand that thinking at all.
The intellectual justification for the $300 million cost of Nunavut does not stand up to the light of day. The legislation is in furtherance to that whole bad idea. This is meant as no disrespect whatsoever to the people who live in the high Arctic but is simply a recognition of fact.
Therefore I cannot support what is being proposed. As much as I would like to recognize the contribution of people who live in the high Arctic, I will have to vote against the legislation when it comes before the House.