Mr. Speaker, we have seen in this last speaker and this last exchange between the opposition parties and the government exactly why this motion is before the House today. It was brought forward by the Reform Party not because we are not in favour of multilateral agreements, not because we are afraid of free trade, not because we do not think Canadians can compete, but because when this deal is done, it should be debated and discussed and voted on by the people Canada through their representatives here in the House of Commons.
When that is not done, is it any wonder that Canadians spend their time now in town hall meetings looking at one another wistfully saying “Has anybody heard anything about the MAI? Has anybody got a clue on the government side what this is all about?”
It is obvious. Three times now, many times during the day but certainly in this last go around here, there has been a point blank question, when this deal is completed, will the government bring it back to the House for debate and a vote. Then the hon. member from the Liberal side stands up and asks how long he has to answer that question. Is it yes or no? It reminds me of the famous quote by Winston Churchill that it is the people who control the government. Not the government, the people. That is what it should be.
Members on that side of the House seem to think it is a good idea for the government to control the people. Is it any wonder that in the upcoming byelection in Port Moody—Coquitlam, Lou Sekora, now the new found Liberal messiah, will come into the Port Moody—Coquitlam riding and says “This is an excellent opportunity for me to represent you in Ottawa”.
What is he actually up against? Maybe he does not know. I do not know Lou Sekora, maybe he just does not know. Maybe he thinks he is going to run it like his mayor's chair. But he is up against the backroom boys. He is up against the smoky backrooms, the cooked up deal presented to the Canadian people as a fait accompli.
We are all told to accept it like good little boys and girls. When the Liberals are finished concocting this thing in whatever format it might have, we are told to just accept it. Although for some reason we are not at the level to understand the deal, we have to accept it because the father Liberals will tell us it is okay. It is the ultimate in Ottawa sending a message to Port Moody—Coquitlam, British Columbia saying “We know what is best for you. Do not ask any questions”.
Lou Sekora is going to find out in spades that is what he is up against within the Liberal caucus. Do not ask a question. Do not ruffle any feathers. Do not rock the boat. Just accept and then sell the completed deal back in our ridings. Do not for heaven's sake debate it here in the House of Commons. That is what he is up against. That is too bad.
It is too bad because this debate should be about the MAI. Even given the Liberals' reluctance to discuss this, we have learned more from the government side today about the MAI, the process and what they are up to than we have learned in the last two and a half years. It is too bad the minister got so partisan. If he had just answered the questions we would have learned quite a bit more about this deal than we have learned so far through the newspapers, through the rumour mill, through the wild imaginings of Maude Barlow and her crowd.
It is too bad because this debate really is about a very important subject for all Canadians. Free trade is important for Canadians if it is done right. Multilateral agreements on investment could be a good thing for Canada if they are done right.
The problem, and the reason this motion is before the House today, is that the government has not done it right. The process has been wrong. The process is flawed. The government has been very secretive. This secret in the government reminds me of an abscessed tooth. It just sits there and bothers you, it grates at you, antagonizes you and sticks the needle into you. It is a secret. A constituent, a voter wants to know what it is about and somebody says “No, no. It is a secret. You can't know”. His jaw starts to ache. “What is it about those guys that is causing this bunion on my gums? What is it that is forcing me to feel so aggravated?”
It is the secrecy. They say, “You guys cannot know because you are only the voters, you are only the business people and you are only the constituents who have to live with the deal. Why should you have to know about it?”
I am kind of partial to knowing what is going on in the country, and not just because I am a member of Parliament. I have to live here too.
No wonder constituents are looking for answers. They are not getting them. That is secret, it is abscessing, it is getting worse and it is causing this government a lot of damage on the MAI because it has not been forthcoming with what should be going on.
What have we said in the Reform Party? Our trade critic has amply and adequately described it throughout the day during his questions and answers. Let me run through the principles that should be guiding this. What should be guiding it?
Openness in all multilateral agreements. Let us be open about it and allow debate. Let us allow votes. Let us allow discussion in a public forum, and this certainly is the most public of forums. Lots of information explaining the costs and the benefits of the deal.
I said before that an MAI could be a good thing for Canada. I think it should be a good thing for Canada. We need foreign investment. In turn we need to invest in other countries and so on. That could be and should be a good deal for Canada.
Another is public consultation. The minister's idea of public consultation with British Columbia at least is to hold a meeting at the Chateau Laurier in the British Columbia room. He thinks that you just throw the doors open in the Chateau Laurier, where of course all the British Columbians are known to wait in the morning to talk to the minister, you crawl down to the British Columbia room, you throw the buffet open and say “They have been consulted. The B.C. room was wide open. All of the British Columbians that could pour into that room on short notice were welcome to attend”.
That is not consultation. That is more of that niggling little pointy part the dentist uses to get right into the filling. That is the part that just says “Gee, you guys in B.C., why not take that. How do you like that?”
The people who could not come to the British Columbia room at the Chateau Laurier are back in my province of British Columbia saying “I don't know what they are doing down there. They will not tell me what they are doing. They will not discuss it. They will not debate it. They will not vote on it when it comes to conclusion. They will not have a discussion in the House of Commons by the representatives we sent there”. Instead, the six Liberal yes men and women they have in British Columbia come here and say “Well, let me just get that needle again and see if I can get it under the tooth and see if I can make you more comfortable”. I think not. It is too bad.