Madam Speaker, there you have it. Self-congratulations is the basis for public policy in this country. The other party members all have a well worn spot between their shoulder blades where they have been patting themselves on the back.
The hon. member discounts out of hand the expert advice we received. He is a member of the committee and he sat there and listened to the advice from the likes of Professor Stephen Scott, a professor of the law faculty at McGill University; Mel Smith, former constitutional adviser to no less than three premiers in British Columbia; Gordon Gibson, the former leader of the Liberal Party in British Columbia; Gordon Campbell, the current leader of the official opposition, the Liberal Party of British Columbia; and Professor Tom Flanagan from the University of Alberta. They are recognized experts in their fields who have said that this is indeed a violation of Canada's constitution. It is the subject of two lawsuits in British Columbia brought by the B.C. opposition Liberal Party and by the Fishery Survival Coalition. The member stands up and completely discounts this out of hand.
Along with the remarks that he has made about the Reform Party and the aspersions he has cast on us, is he casting aspersions on these people as well? Does he put them all in the same boat as the Reform Party? Is he suggesting that these constitutional legal experts are deliberately attempting to mislead Canadians by fabricating myths?