Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be asked this question by the member for Kitchener—Waterloo because I know he has a lot of interest in human rights.
I fundamentally believe that this is probably the most cowardly move that the government could make when it ideologically does not support the Charter of Rights of Freedoms. It does not have the courage to take the necessary action to have a true debate if it wishes to stifle it. It is choking the sunlight, removing the sunlight, shading the light, and removing the oxygen that makes it live by cutting the court challenges program.
As the member mentioned, it is the only way that an average citizen can afford to go to the Supreme Court of Canada or any other court level, whether it be federal or provincial. It is the only way that communities and organizations can do it. It is the way the Acadians did it for education. It is the only way that not for profit church organizations can have their rights tested and respected.
Rather than saying that it is against the charter, I believe the government has decided to stifle the charter by removing the oxygen that makes it live.