That is an amazing statement even for a Liberal to say that the long gun registry is already working when it has cost Canadians a billion dollars. That is exactly my point. The government has zero managerial skills and is not great on manners either.
I would tend to think that most of us in the House would think this type of legislation is a positive move, that it is a step in the right direction. I do not have that guarantee. Although I am not the critic for the legislation, I am not convinced yet that there is enough accountability, transparency or that we know all the numbers and facts.
It looks like a step in the right direction. Is that step big enough and bold enough? I am not certain. What do Canadians think about it? Quite honestly I think they have become so turned off by the political process and some of the charades that occur here that they will just say that this few million dollars will be wasted anyway. They have no faith in the government to do the right thing with the dollars it has.
I will close on a comment that the right hon. member, the leader of the Conservative Party, made in this place. He closed his debate on this with this paragraph. He said that the Prime Minister had told reporters that this would be a question of confidence in the government. The bill on party financing of elections has become a question of confidence. It seems that everything is a question of confidence these days.
Obviously, there is some discussion, maybe some very hostile discussion, among all the players on this legislation. Why would he do that? This is a matter of fundamental political morality. Members should not be bound by the power of the party any more than they should be bound by the power of the purse. If the Prime Minister has the courage of his convictions, let him make and win his case on its merits. Let this important matter be subject to a free vote in Parliament. I totally agree with that.
Although I believe it will be our tendency to support the legislation, there are still a lot of questions to be answered yet.