Madam Speaker, in the five minutes I have to close, I first want to thank my hon. colleagues for participating this evening. I refer to my Liberal colleague from Halifax West who first addressed the motion following my intervention; the Canadian Alliance member for New Westminster--Coquitlam--Burnaby; the Bloc member for Témiscamingue; the New Democratic Party member for Winnipeg Center; and the Liberal member for Mississauga South who most recently rose to participate in the debate.
Part of what I intended to do was accomplished tonight. Part of the purpose of private members' business, whether it is a motion or a bill, is to bring debate to the floor of the House of Commons and to get, hopefully, some stimulating debate on certain issues that are important to the people in the real world outside this place.
Some of what I heard tonight was reasonably informative but some of what I heard is of concern to me. A couple of points the member for Mississauga South made seemed to imply that because new citizens take a test they are somehow better equipped to understand politics and therefore cast a ballot.
I have often heard that there should be some sort of means test. I have heard many people who actively and consistently participate in the democratic process by casting their ballot, whether in a municipal, provincial or federal election, suggest that many people do not follow the issues sufficiently before casting their ballot.
I do not think we can pass judgment on landed immigrants in such a cavalier manner. Just because they may only have been here a short time does not mean they do not take enough of an active interest in the election campaign to cast an informed vote. That is not fair to them. It was a bit presumptuous on the part of the member for Mississauga South to make a statement like that.
It is interesting to note as well that he did not take any responsibility for the drop in voter turnout, something I addressed, albeit briefly, in my remarks, almost as an aside to this whole issue of whether landed immigrants should be granted the right to vote.
I and a lot of members on the opposition benches accept the fact that we need to take some responsibility for the drop in voter turnout. We are not presenting a legitimate government in waiting to the voters and, in some respects, perhaps in their minds, not presenting them with a viable choice between the existing government and a government in waiting. I accept that but I think the member for Mississauga South is skirting the responsibility he and his government should be taking for fueling the cynicism and distrust that we see constantly building out in the real world between people and their government.
Several comments made by various members were based on the premise that if we were to grant landed immigrants the right to vote that would somehow fix the problem of voter turnout. That was not the thrust of my speech nor the thrust of me bringing forward this particular motion.
I fundamentally believe, as does the member for Winnipeg Centre, that at minimum we should have an informed, wide ranging debate on this particular issue. We should engage as many Canadians as possible in this debate, landed immigrants included, to see if there should be some changes made. That was the purpose of my bringing the motion forward.
I am extremely disappointed, as I have often been, in the fact that there many good issues, and this is just one example, that warrant more debate and ultimately a vote in the House of Commons.
This motion is about voting and we do not even get the opportunity to vote on it in the House of Commons. I do not think that is right. All private members' business, be it motions or bills, deserve the right to more debate and subsequently a vote in the Chamber.