Mr. Speaker, the biggest democratic deficit in Canada is the lack of opportunity for the electorate to change the government of the day.
The success of a proposed merger between the Alliance and the PC Party will stop the Liberals from winning successive elections by default through vote splitting. There are too many parties in the House of Commons fragmenting the votes to the point that the Liberals formed the government in 1993 with only 37% of the votes.
Canadians need a real option to the Liberals in the next election capable of forming a government. That is why a merger of Canada's two conservative parties is good for both our country and democracy. With a reunited Conservative Party our votes will really count. We will have the potential to throw out an unwanted government.
The leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and the leader of the official opposition have earned our thanks for putting the country and democracy first. They deserve the support of all Canadians.