Madam Speaker, I appreciate those comments from the member for Elk Island. I know that what he has said and has put on the record is very true. It is very consistent with other behaviour on the part of the government. The Liberal government has always portrayed itself in a Janus-like way, saying one thing and doing another. We have seen that consistently since the Liberals came to office. We have seen it on a number of issues: the GST, free trade, Pearson airport. Consistently the government has said one thing and done another.
That is what is happening here in a more nefarious way. The government is bringing in a piece of legislation, saying that it feels this is important, that it is in response to what Canadians want. However, when given the opportunity and basically given a free ride, when the opposition says to pass this legislation quickly, the government says no, that is not really its priority at all. Its priority is bringing in a pay hike, putting members on the spot and somehow trying to set them up in such a way that if they do not vote for it, if they do not lay down and give the government its way they will not get it.
This occasion is one on which the opposition is saying “Let us do a good thing before we go home. Let us bring in a piece of legislation that Canadians can respect and be proud of”.
Why would we shy away from that? Why we would not somehow try to do the right thing, put the proper emphasis on it and proportionately move in a direction Canadians would expect? It is very disappointing and very frustrating for this side of the House when we are giving the government the opportunity to do that. The government members can hang their heads in shame, but I suggest that if we leave here with that bad taste in everyone's mouth then we have a lot to account for and I suspect we will have a long, hot summer.
Again I would hope that the government would reverse itself as it has done on so many occasions, but reverse itself in the right direction. The way the government did it on helicopters, for example, it reversed itself by in some way trying not to take the right contract. Now the Liberals are struggling to do everything they can to avoid buying the same helicopters they cancelled.
Let us try to put some of this partisanship aside and bring in a piece of legislation that Canadians want and Canadians are looking for.