Mr. Speaker, I can only say with regard to the question of how we use our time that I have not found the time spent to be as productive as the hon. member for Toronto—Danforth. I will perhaps simply leave it at that. It is a different way that we value the time we have. There are a number of different ways in which we make the acquaintance of other members of the House, and, in my view, the work we do in committees, at parliamentary friendship associations and so on, is more useful.
With regard to the committee report, he is quite right that the committee did not state it was either in favour or against the proposal. It simply reported that this was the motion; there was no commentary on it at all. This is an item for members of the House to make up their own minds on. As a practical matter, voting in favour of the report nonetheless has the effect of causing the motion to go forward. Voting against concurrence in the report would have the effect of defeating the motion.
This is the first indication I have had from a member of the New Democratic Party on the subject. I will be very interested to hear what my other New Democratic Party colleagues have to say on this motion and to determine whether indeed there will be a free vote, or something that is a little more stringently applied, where we see all New Democrats voting against it.