Mr. Speaker, today we are talking about accountability. Today we are talking about people who have been victims of deception, the citizens and the taxpayers of this country and particularly those people in the province of Newfoundland who are going to the polls on February 9.
A previous premier of that province, Clyde Wells, recognized that a Senate election would allow for people to stand and represent the interests of Newfoundland and Labrador in the Senate and not be beholden to the Prime Minister and not be appointed by the Prime Minister.
A strong voice for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador is needed in the Senate. They need somebody who is going to point out the problems with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans not giving them the straight goods. They need somebody who is going to say that the federal mismanagement of the fisheries has been a travesty and has resulted in the elimination and the wipeout of the cod stocks and the groundfish in Newfoundland and Labrador. They need somebody who is going to say that provincial rights should be paramount with regard to the fishery and that the province should have a say.
They do not need more bellyaching from a premier who has not been able to demonstrate much or come through with much, despite the fact that he sat in the federal cabinet, despite the fact that he is a good buddy and chum of the Prime Minister. They need somebody who is going to be accountable to the people of Newfoundland and not the Prime Minister of Canada.
That is what we are talking about regarding victims of deception with regard to the Senate, with regard to Bill C-20, with regard to whistleblowing. They need somebody who is going to be an effective whistleblower for the people of Newfoundland, not just a bellyacher.
Today we have also heard people talk about advertising and pricing. Recently we have heard the Senate go on about how the senators want to have cameras in their committees because people are not seeing them do their work. No surprise as they only sit 68 days of the year. It is pretty tough to see them when they are only there 68 days. And some of them only sit for two days of the year. It is pretty tough to notice somebody if they are only there two out of 365 days a year. It is pretty tough to notice.
It would be a good idea to bring cameras into the Senate committees and advertise their proceedings so people can see what goes on in that chamber. In terms of pricing it is going to cost a few million dollars. The Senate would love it for those committees that operate. They would love to get their mugs on TV and try to justify their $64,000 a year salaries. That is what I say to advertising and pricing.
We have also heard people talk today about competition. I am a big fan of competition as are a lot of people in the country. They want to see public choice. That is why they want to get rid of the system of appointments.
People want to move toward elections because with elections there is competition. Candidate X, candidate Y and candidate Z can say what they want to do for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, what type of things they want to institute, what policies they want to change, what status quos they want to overthrow. That is the type of thing we want to see from a Senate election.
That is the type of thing we had in Alberta in 1998 when we held the second and third Senate elections in Canadian history. We did it once before when Stan Waters was elected to the Senate. There will be others, mark my words, because it has come time for change in the Senate.
We heard people talk about contempt today. Indeed there is great contempt in the land for politicians in general, but no more contempt is there than that for the Senate. That is why we have politicians in this place—