Mr. Speaker, time and time again people in this country raise a cry for changes. They raise a cry for changes to the Young Offenders Act and they raise a cry for changes to the Senate. We look at polls across the country for the last several decades there have been cries for a return to capital punishment.
I look at all these issues. Yet even though there have been free votes in the House of Commons on these issues, the will of the people has not been reflected.
There is a profound problem with our democracy when the will of the people, the will of the clear majority in this land, cannot bring forward law and have it enacted. There is a profound sickness and problem with what we have as an institution. That is why we need to see more free votes.
We are talking about real free votes. That means we do not have the government whips and the Prime Minister's office come down on the backs of the backbenchers in the governing party, the Liberal Party of today, and tell them that the government will fall because of having a free vote, because they cast their ballot, they vote nay or yea as their constituents would want them to vote.
That is why it is important that we bring forward a formal vote of non-confidence. That way if a money bill or any other bill falls, the government does not fall. There would have to be a formal vote of non-confidence in order for the government to fall.
That would free up backbenchers not only on the government side but in every party to vote the wishes of their constituents. That little change would help advance democracy.
Another one would be for us to have initiative so that taxpayers, citizens, constituents could go ahead with a petition and sign up their neighbours door to door. With that process they would be able to put on the ballot in the next election, to save taxpayer money because people have brought up the costs of democracy, a question of whether they want to see a return to capital punishment, whether they want to see an elected Senate, whether they want to see substantive changes to the Young Offenders Act or the faint hope clause, section 745. On all these types of things there has been vast public outcry.
With more free votes, with a formal vote of non-confidence, with recall legislation to get rid of a member of parliament who does not represent their will, with initiative all these things can be accomplished. We need also to reform the Senate.