Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments of the House leader of the NDP. As usual I appreciate his experience in this place and his observations of what has happened over the years. It is well known that members of the Reform Party are willing to look at new ways and different ways of doing business in this place.
There are things that need to be respected. What needs to be respected are the rules that we have agreed on going into the game. As happened yesterday, rules were changed on Private Members' Business by resolution of the House. That is how you change the rules and until such time you live under those rules.
But when constantly day in and day out and week in and week out reports are leaked to the press, ideas and balloons are floated in the press, then imagine the whip's job as he tries to get people into committee and argue with them that it is important work of parliament and we are doing the people's work by doing these studies. People come back to me and other people in the party and say halfway through that it is totally irrelevant because the government leaks it to the media.
The question of was an exact quote attributed verbatim out of a report does not matter in this instance. On talking about the sports report that was leaked earlier, when someone quotes somebody as saying that his committee will recommend Canadian sports franchises playing in North American leagues could be eligible for tax breaks, that may not be a word for word quote out of the report, but what is the difference? The report is out. It is now public debate. The work of committee members who have been slogging it out for months on that report is now irrelevant. We may as well all go down and talk to our favourite reporter and duke it out.
That is not the way to come to consensus. Members of parliament who do not like that can come to this place and try to change the rules. But the rules should be followed.
This party is following the rules. I believe this side of the House is following the rules. That side of the House had better smarten up or, as the House leader of the NDP has already said, we are going to devolve into more disrespect for parliament unless they get their act together.