Mr. Speaker, as I was listening to the member opposite he used a phrase referring to the art of politics. What in fact we are seeing is anything but the art of politics. It is the blood sport of politics as we watch the histrionics taking place, the character assassination and the misconstruing of facts.
A good example is a province which has been a net beneficiary in Confederation of transfer payments and calling it a fiscal imbalance. What we are seeing is the blood sport of politics and it is anything but artful. It is like calling the WWF the ballet.
The reason why so many Canadians these days shake their heads with shame is because this sort of display and character assassination takes place. It is high time that the parties in the House, instead of taking part in this sort of display, began engaging in the art of politics, which means providing leadership and a vision for the country.
How can the member opposite call this display that he just put on the art of politics? How does that compare to the term “blood sport”? Is he engaged in the art of politics or the blood sport of politics and character assassination?