Mr. Speaker, that was a good example of what happens when the NDP tries to work with the government to serve Canadians when it comes to our democracy. It is okay to have consultations on one subject, but not another. To me, and to Canadians and other New Democrats, that is a very serious problem with this government.
It is shameful that the Conservative government puts its partisan interests in place and in front of the interests of Canadians. We have just sought to allow the government to move forward, not just on all committee travel but on allowing Canadians to be consulted and listened to when it comes to our election process.
This is not about politicians making the rules; it is about Canadians building, reinforcing, and renewing our democracy. The homeless, first nations, seniors, and new Canadians are all groups who will have their voices limited by the Conservative government when it comes to our country.
We now have the spectacle of a Canadian government calling the idea of such cross-country consultations a “partisan circus”, a “costly circus”, a “gong show”. This is shameful. It is unprecedented in Canadian history that a government would seek to say that creating new election laws is a partisan activity, that Canadians should be shut out from the process, and that it should take place in the Ottawa bubble with only Conservatives driving the car. We think this is wrong.
New Democrats will stand against this. We will seek to be reasonable with the government at all stages, as we have just attempted to do. In all cases and in all ways, we will represent the interests and values of Canadians who want to see a healthy vibrant democracy, not one constructed by this minister and the Conservative government.