Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague opposite, who said he heard members say this, that or the other. However, I think he forgot to answer the question that was put to him today as to whether or not he approves the motion presented by the Bloc Quebecois, which simply says this: “Do you agree to consult the House of Commons before making any military decision, as your party has been asking in its program, the red book, since 1993?” That is precisely what the Liberals were asking that the Conservative government do when they were in opposition.
We are simply asking that the Liberal government not change its tune and apply the same principles. Is the hon. member in favour of democracy or not? That is the issue.
Bin Laden did not consult parliament. He did not consult any parliament. He decided, surrounded by a small group of fundamentalists, to send people here and there to carry out military actions.
Have we gotten to the point where the Prime Minister of Canada and his MPs would like to follow that example and send parachutists to one location and a small military group elsewhere on the sole basis of the Prime Minister's decision, without consulting parliament? I hope not. Are we or are we not a democracy? That is the question that is being asked today.
Members were elected democratically. Now, are they prepared to act democratically in this parliament, to respect the people by consulting those who represent the people in parliament? Are they prepared to consult the people before deciding to take any action whatsoever? It is that simple. The answer is yes or no.
We do not need speeches on what you heard over the last month or what happened over the last two weeks. Are you in favour of democracy, yes or no?