Madam Speaker, it certainly is something that we do need to consider and discuss. My concern is that if we pass this bill without making substantial amendments to actually give it the capacity to do the job that we all imagine it might be able to do would be a bit like closing the gate after the horses are out. We would then have to recapture that potential and that possibility.
There are some very real concerns in this country about the way that we do social development and the way that we deliver social programs, particularly since the demise of the Canada assistance plan. There is no legal framework anymore to challenge provinces that deliver most of those programs to live up to some of the commitments that we made as a country through the United Nations and through some international pacts around basic, fundamental rights of citizens.
What concerns me is that we are putting the cart before the horse here and we would not do the good work early on that we need to do to maximize the potential for some really important stuff to happen down the road.