Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to the member's speech. He spent a great deal of his time talking about the NDP and our approach toward reforming the Senate, abolishing the Senate, and changing the democratic process in this country to make it more accountable to the people, the people who pay the taxes and vote to make sure that the institutions are working for them. What I did not hear him talk about at all was what we are here to talk about tonight, which is why we should grant another $92 million to the Senate, an institution that is utterly and inexplicably unaccountable. There was example after example given of the problems that arise when we do not have accountability mechanisms, where people run off with credit cards and are not held accountable for that.
I would like to ask the member this. Would he please explain to me and to the half a dozen people who might be watching this show why it is that he does not think it is important that the Senate be held accountable and that the government be held accountable for giving the Senate, an unaccountable body, $92 million?