Mr. Speaker, the government House leader wants to change the elections act to encourage more women to run for politics.
If the minister is truly serious about encouraging women to run for politics, I suggest he should start by eliminating the chauvinistic attitudes of some of his cabinet colleagues.
Perhaps he should tell his colleagues that it is demeaning to women when they rise in the House to be told that they are being silly. Why is it that when a male member asks a question of the minister of Indian affairs he receives the courtesy of a response, but when a female member asks the same question, she is told by him that she is being silly.
This is the problem with the Liberal government. It preaches one thing but practises the opposite. It is another example of the impotence of the Liberal government. It brings a backbencher into cabinet to rise to the occasion, only to reveal his shortcomings.