Mr. Speaker, it is not surprising that the member for Medicine Hat, given the party that he belongs to, would prejudge a situation without having all of the facts at hand. We have seen this time after time on the part of the members of the Conservative Party who continually have one or two facts, prejudge, and come to a conclusion.
We know that it is improper for a member of the House to call attention to the absence of another. Therefore, the member for Medicine Hat committed unparliamentary behaviour in my view. In addition, for that member to come to the conclusion that my absence in this House was due to my being kicked out is amazing. That is my first point of order.
I have a second point of order and it concerns the member for Newmarket--Aurora, who asked a question in the House in which she purported to relate accurately comments that I made in the subcommittee on international trade in its public hearing yesterday. In fact, I would encourage the member for Newmarket--Aurora, that if she wishes to quote me, that she use the entire statement that I made in that committee.
The statement that I made in that committee was to agree with the witnesses that Canada should use chapter 20 of NAFTA in order to conduct a public review on chapter 19 and the irritants of 19. I agreed with the witnesses that this would embarrass the United States when the United States has as its main objective to negotiate binational trade agreements with other countries. Other countries would possibly be leery of signing a binational with the United States given Canada's experience of the United States not respecting chapter 19.