The Conservatives should not be lecturing us. There is a young fellow in the back there who is getting all riled up. Having been around here a long time, I can tell you that the Conservative Party, when on this side, was shown the door because of a problematic situation. It, however, did not have the courage to set up a commission to investigate itself.
So the Conservative Party should not be lecturing us. What they ought to be doing instead is admiring the courage of this Prime Minister. We are not embarrassed; our books are open. We have let the RCMP come and inspect the party's books. We have mandated a special counsel to turn up all the money that may have been given out in an inappropriate manner.
I will not accept any partisan attempts to cast doubt on the integrity of members of Parliament, ministers, or party supporters. If democracy is working, that is because of the faith some men and women have in the process. That is the case elsewhere as well as here. These people want to be involved in parties that are upright and honest. This is exactly why we want to see the Gomery inquiry get to the bottom of all this. These honest folk who donate time and energy as volunteers do not deserve to be tainted by the actions of a few scoundrels.
When I see these little bullies threatening an election, I realize that this is not because they want the truth. It is more or less like sentencing an accused person half way through the trial.
If we are concerned about the integrity of this place, and of our profession, we must make an effort to see that we get to the bottom of this and that we go through the entire process. We cannot settle for one-quarter or one-half of the evidence, we must have it all. We cannot pass judgment without all the information.