Mr. Speaker, what has been happening here these past few days is utterly deplorable. I said these past few days, but I could have said these past few months or these past few years, because the opposition has been subjected to closure more than 50 times. We are no longer in a parliament where we can speak freely. We cannot even express ourselves through silence, because of an earlier ruling by the Chair.
When we want to talk, we are denied the right to do so. We are not allowed not to talk, and we are denied the right to talk long enough to make a thorough examination of the bills before us. What has been happening here these past few months and these past few years—in fact, since the Liberals took office—is absolutely appalling.
When the Liberal Party was in opposition, it said exactly the same thing we are saying today. Does this mean that, once in office, a party tends to forget everything it said previously? There is no chance the Bloc Quebecois will ever be in office in Ottawa. That is why we can debate issues very openly and we can say there is a limit to how far one can go in showing so little respect for democracy.
I also want to mention the tyranny that exists in committees where, once again, government members form the majority. We are constantly being told that there will be a time limit, that the committee will take only so much time to do such and such a thing. The minister will appear, but will not be able to testify for very long. This is what I call the tyranny of the majority. It is sad that there are not more government members here today, because I would like them to hear what I have to say.
I also thought the government House leader was extremely arrogant this morning, when he moved time allocation. He was smiling and laughing because he had just gagged the opposition so that we would not have all the time required to speak out on a bill of such fundamental importance as this one.
There are not two kinds of MPs. There ought to be just one kind. We have all been elected by our constituents, but some assume additional rights over the others. I am referring again to what I call the tyranny of the majority.
I would like to pause a moment now, if I may. I do not want to use unparliamentary language, and what has taken place here is too irritating. If I may, I will put my papers into order a bit and start up again in a minute. I find what has taken place here deplorable and I would not like to get carried away. If I may, I will take a minute to calm down.