Mr. Speaker, I thank hon. members for participating in the debate. The answer to the question the hon. member asked is, I would assume, based on the fact that the Speaker did not provide a ruling, that excrement is indeed a word that is applicable and usable in the House. However, I would simply ask that hon. members present who are participating in this debate not use bathroom humour, however playful or however humourous it may seem at the time. This is a very serious piece of legislation and I would like to elevate the debate to make sure that we continue to focus on the issues at hand. Hon. members, I am sure, would like to engage in a bit of playful conversation during the course of the debate, but I think that our responsibility and what we are charged to do here is to stick to the issues at hand, the specifics of this legislation and the needs of our respective constituents.
Hon. members opposite have raised the issue that certain pensions should be based not on the contributions or the formula that the pension plan was based on, but that consideration should be given for lower income pensioners or lower pension levels and that those levels should indeed be topped up. I understand the merit and general detail of that particular proposal. I think it is a very kindhearted idea. In my own personal view it has some merit.
Basically, those who contribute to the pension plan are all public servants. They really want and need the pension plan to be devised and to be implemented on a formula based approach which is accountable and fair so they will know exactly where their money is going as they contribute. That is the way the policyholders themselves would like the pension plan to be administered. I ask hon. members opposite to bear that in mind.
One final point is that there was some reference made by a member of the Reform Party, who I understand is also chairman of the public accounts committee, who attended the committee hearings on natural resources and government operations which reviewed this particular legislation at second reading. A point has to be made. When the committee was considering this particular piece of legislation what it was faced and charged with, in part, was to look at specific amendments; in other words, specific ideas that the opposition had as to how it would change the legislation.
There were very few amendments put forward by the opposition. As a procedural matter the amendments were grouped in various sections. We debated the amendments in those sections, which proved to be a very efficient and effective way of dealing with the legislation.
The point that has to be made is that debate in committee has to be based on specific ideas that have been brought forward by any member of the committee. We as government House members and government committee members did indeed put forward specific proposals for change to the legislation. We debated those and in some measure we got them through in committee. Very few amendments were put forward by the opposition to this particular legislation. Therefore, that in itself was a limitation on debate. The issue at that point in time became whether the legislation as it was currently drafted by the government would indeed be passed at the committee stage.
That is a point in which I think members of the House would be interested. Many of the people who spoke here this morning were not in attendance at committee where much of the work of the House is conducted from the point of view of reviewing legislation, reviewing different amendments and talking about the general issues surrounding the legislation.
I am pleased that members opposite have now joined the debate at this stage. It would have been very helpful if they had joined the debate at the committee stage, but that is their choice. Now we have a chance to renew the debate. We have to maintain a focus on very specific issues. I say to members opposite that we should try to not get involved in too much bathroom humour. It is too serious a piece of legislation to do that and I think that members of the pension plan and members of the general public expect a bit more dignity and decorum in the House.
I would like to thank the House for its indulgence and I would like to proceed with this very useful debate.