Mr. Speaker, I just heard the member's speech. I wish I could compliment him on it but I cannot. I do not agree with much of what he said. I do not at all share the views I have just heard or a lot of what I have heard over the last couple of days.
The hon. member said one thing with which I agree, though. He said that we were living in a bleak part of Canadian history. In a way we are, but I think the bleakness in what we are hearing now comes from across the floor.
On the Yukon bills, one party in the House voted against them. On the Nunavut territory and on the Manitoba land claims, one party in the House voted against virtually all of the bills. All of these bills were for aboriginal people, and one party and only one party has the bleak distinction of having voted against all of them. That is the bleakness in which we are living.
Yes of course hon. members across the way will want to raise other topics to try and erase that bleakness, but I am afraid it is in indelible ink. It will stay for a long time. It will be bleak, but I do not believe ultimately that that bleakness will reflect on this parliament nor this institution. Rather, it will reflect on those who have perpetrated this on the people of Canada as a whole, on the House and I would say, on the people affected adversely by what we hear today in the claims of some hon. members.
In any case, there is the possibility for us to listen to the speeches of the hon. members. I am not saying that I will like them. As a matter of fact, I suspect I will disagree with most of them because they will probably be similar to what I have heard over the last couple of days and they have not been good.
The exercise probably will be bleak. Members want to be permitted to speak on this issue and they think that a hopelessly long time is required not to debate the bill, not to debate an amendment which said that we should not debate the bill, but to debate an amendment to the amendment as to whether or not we should debate the bill. They are trying to tell us this is serious debate on legislation to make the life of aboriginal Canadians better. I do not believe it.
However, I am willing at least to take a chance to see what they have to say. We will listen to the speeches of the hon. members if they want to make them. We will listen to those speeches later this evening if they are willing to extend the debate.