Madam Speaker, I point out for my hon. colleague from the Bloc that is his opinion. The information provided by our expert witness at committee was not merely an opinion. It was based on statistical realities. It is empirical in nature.
I will return to what I was about to say before, particularly for the benefit of my friends in the official opposition. In 2006 the industry minister received a letter from a member of Parliament. I want to read it because it is very brief. It says:
I have received a few letters of complaint from constituents concerning the length and detail of the 2006 census.
They are primarily concerned with the great detail of personal information they are required to fill out and therefore the potential invasion of privacy.
I share this constituent's concern and would appreciate an explanation as to why these details are needed...
Who wrote the letter? It was the sitting Liberal member for Richmond Hill.
All day we have heard from the official opposition members that there are really no complaints with the current form of mandatory census taking. In effect, they know there are. Members of their caucus have written this government complaining about the intrusiveness and the invasion of privacy. We share those concerns among many others.
I point out for my friends in the official opposition that they should take heed of the advice and the concerns of one of their members before they stand and try to defend the indefensible.