Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. That is definitely the question we will be asking all day, since it is such a huge bill, with 208 clauses.
The only conclusion I can draw is that the Conservative government is afraid of debating its ideas. Why? Because its argument is very weak and is not supported by any studies. The Minister of Justice told us himself that these are his own personal observations, because there is very little left of any studies. The government spoke at length about the study conducted by Justice Nunn, who appeared himself and contradicted the Conservatives, saying that he agreed with only part of the bill. That is the problem. Everyone agrees with small sections of the bill. However, if I say I agree with one small section, they must not quote me and say that the member for Gatineau supports Bill C-10.
That is the problem. They are truly afraid of having a real debate. Yet they have a majority. They have no reason to fear that Bill C-10 will not pass. If they were serious legislators, they would have taken the time needed. We have heard this from the Quebec justice minister, the Quebec bar and the Canadian Bar Association. Incidentally, those two associations are not made up of only criminal defence attorneys, as we have heard said in this House. They include lawyers who specialize in all areas of the law. Only a small percentage practice criminal law.
I must say, the Conservatives are laying it on a little thick when they say that if we do not support them, then we must support the criminals. No one here is siding with the criminals.