Mr. Speaker, that was an interesting speech, I am sure.
The member talked about respecting minority rights in this House. I remind him of some of the less honourable aspects of how this House respected minority rights. How about the Japanese during the second world war? How about the Chinese once the railroads were built? How about Indians being separated out from Canadian society and being put into the Indian Act? Where does he think those things arose from? Out of the clear blue sky? They came out of this House.
I wonder if the member thinks Canadian people would have supported them at the time or had they been put to a referendum, might they have had more wisdom than parliamentarians. I suggest they have more wisdom on the Nisga'a treaty. They also rejected the Charlottetown accord which separated people in this country one from another.
I am thankful for the grassroots Canadians who oppose the special interest politics this House stands for so often, particularly through the NDP party.