Mr. Speaker, I rise in reference to the unedited copy of Hansard which we sometimes refer to around here as the blues. The reference today is in regard to a question from the hon. member for South Shore heard by almost all members of the House because there was subsequent laughter. It had to do with the gender of an individual.
The question that was posed said, “Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just told the House he never spoke to” and it says in the blues “Dr. Brundtland”.
Clearly everyone knows Mrs. Brundtland and everybody knows that earlier today the person was referred to as “Mr. Brundtland” which provoked the laughter in the House of Commons. The blues as I see them in front of me do not reflect that. The word “Mr.” that all of us heard is now “Dr.” and that is not what we all heard.
I hope by the time the final version of the blues appears that Mr. Speaker will have had the opportunity to review the television replay of it which I understand some staff members have just done moments ago and clearly have heard again what all of us heard before we all burst out in laughter, and it was clearly the words “Mr. Brundtland”.