Mr. Speaker, I certainly heard no personal attack. I have not ascribed motives to the finance minister. I have stuck to the facts about his stock ownings and earnings. The perceived conflict, which is very strong, is evident. I do not think that this is an irrelevant issue. It is not just the members of the New Democrat caucus who are talking about this. If this is a distraction from the government's agenda, it is entirely one of its own making. I would suggest that if the finance minister had followed the Prime Minister's instructions to go beyond the requirements of the law, to take the strongest steps in every case to avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest, we would not be having this conversation today.
Nevertheless, as New Democrats, we are trying to propose something. If the member did read the motion, he would note that our motion is that, “the government...immediately close the loopholes in the Conflict of Interest Act as recommended by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, in order to prevent a Minister of the Crown from personally benefiting from their position or creating the perception thereof.”