Mr. Speaker, that party is in such a pathetic state that it cannot even use progressive political terminology such as reform without getting nervous.
The reality is that I am proud of my colleagues for having led the fight on this issue over the past two parliaments, for having forced the moderation of these benefits, something that party on the fringe has never advocated, has never stood for and is fighting against here tonight.
I look forward to the moment when we will see under an alliance government a commission report back that we should have an actuarially sound, fully funded pension plan. As the Blais commission recommended, we ought to eliminate the hide and seek game of the tax free expense allowances. We ought to put ourselves on the same standard as the rest of Canadians and remove the conflict of interest which we are now in. I look forward to that moment. Unfortunately the only bitterness for me is that members at the other end will not be in this place to enjoy our retroactive reduction of their pension benefits.