Mr. Speaker, I think the issue on proroguing the House is a red herring. It is irrelevant to the very important issue at hand. We had a lot of things to consider. There were a number of requirements that had to be met. We were preparing for a throne speech and the installation of a new governor general. Those are not excuses; those are reasons. However, that does not take away from the importance of what was occurring, which was demonstrated in the action that the minister took.
In the House of Commons on October 13th, 1999. See this statement in context.