Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest and astonishment to the comments of the Reform Party member for Calgary Southeast. Of course, it is interesting to see the born again Reform Party suddenly expressing concern about the MAI.
The member for Calgary Southeast quite rightly points out that the Liberal Party during the last federal election campaign was silent on the MAI. That silence was just as deafening from the Reform Party. I recall on many instances the leader of my party, the member for Halifax, colleagues from Winnipeg and elsewhere, alerting Canadians to the profound dangers of the MAI.
We were the only party that even touched this issue in the last federal election campaign. In fact as recently as a couple of weeks ago, Reform Party members of Parliament were vigorously defending the MAI. My colleague from Vancouver East debated the member for North Vancouver and the member for North Vancouver was extolling the virtues of the MAI.
Reform Party members of Parliament signed on to the agreement of the foreign affairs committee on the MAI. New Democrats of course have from the outset strongly opposed this agreement, this 20-year lock-in that would constitute a massive assault on Canadian social programs, environmental programs and culture.
My question for the member for Calgary Southeast is a very straightforward one. Could the member explain why the leader of the Reform Party was totally silent, not one word, not a peep, not a whisper, about the MAI during the last federal election campaign?
Why the hypocrisy today? They realize that Canadians are deeply concerned about the MAI. They suddenly woke up and said “my God, maybe we better do something about this”. They were silent and had supported the MAI from the very beginning.