Mr. Speaker, I choose not to really offer observations on the conduct of other leaders.
I just simply wanted to say that I thought there was a moment of hope in this chamber when we were able to secure agreement from all parties on the issue of climate change to send a piece of legislation to a special committee.
In fact, it was done in a way, using the procedures of the House, that allowed all parties to bring forward their best ideas, to remove those elements of the climate change legislation that would not work, and to replace them with a plan that represented the best thinking of this House.
This does not happen very often, I think members would agree. But when it does happen, it should be celebrated. And not only that, it should be respected.
I remember that the former leader of the opposition, now our Prime Minister, used to say that a prime minister, particularly in a minority government situation, had a moral obligation to respect the decisions of the House of Commons.
I do not know what happened to that moral commitment. Where did it go? Where is the respect for this House of Commons on an issue that Canadians universally want us to grab a hold of?
If there was one issue that Canadians would tell us they want us to work together to address, it would be the climate change crisis and that is exactly what was done by this House. But the attitude of the government is totally disrespectful to this House of Commons.
That is why we have been forced to place a motion of non-confidence on this issue, specific to this particular action by the government, or inaction as it would more appropriately be called.