Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully and I know the member for Winnipeg South has had a real interest in the whole question of the use of technology, about how to balance the public interest and private considerations and so on. I welcome his full participation in this issue.
I would nevertheless like to raise the question with him of whether he is not somewhat concerned about the possibility that in the particular environment where security has become such an overwhelming concern of people, is there not the danger that government will, in that environment, seize the initiative on this question of a national identity card, so that before we know it, it is just in place? Then people are left saying that they do not like giving up their privacy and they do not really like the notion that we end up creating almost an apartheid situation at some point, that we could be called upon to give an accounting of ourselves when we are doing absolutely nothing that is anybody's business, because there is such a fear and insecurity in this society generally.
I want to add to that. It is perhaps not so much a question as a comment. I believe the member was chastising the New Democratic Party for its unwillingness to discuss this issue, but I would just have to state the obvious, that if we were unwilling to discuss the issue, we would not exactly have used our opposition day to bring forward the issue out into the open and under the spotlight in public view through Parliament, which is exactly what we are here for.