Madam Speaker, when the bill was first developed, many individuals said that it is already the right of any Canadian to fly the flag any time they wanted. However, as I developed the bill, it became very apparent that it is not the right of every Canadian. If people live in an environment where there is a ratepayers' association, a condominium board or any other type of jurisdiction that will not allow it, then those Canadians cannot freely fly the flag.
When we developed the bill, yes there were some harsh penalties for those who would not allow someone to fly a flag, for example, a condominium board or ratepayers' association. I still believe, quite frankly, that it should be a Canadian's right to do that. However, as we discussed this at committee and as we heard from Canadians, the penalties were far too harsh and so two amendments--