Mr. Speaker, in the last election, Canadians voted to put an end to the old ways of doing politics in Canada and to change things in Ottawa. During the break, the voters of Saint-Maurice—Champlain were the losers in the same old political games even though they were among the 4.5 million Canadians who voted for change.
One of the fundamental principles of our representative democracy is the trust placed by voters in those who represent them. When politicians breach this trust, they show contempt for the voters and they fuel people's cynicism about politicians.
We should remind ourselves that our ridings do not belong to us; they belong to the voters. The NDP has been clear: if members wish to cross the floor, they should first ask the voters. Our bill to respect the voters' choice would make this mandatory. Voters who have placed their trust in us deserve no less.