Madam Speaker, the member may know that we have called for a doubling of the existing consultation period, but beyond that I would add that, in my view, part of the problem with the consultation period right now is that we do not have the full proposal. Call me a dreamer, but I think it would be nice to be able to engage in a consultation with Canadian small business owners, actually knowing what the real plan is in its full detail. It is hard for me to imagine that people could get a real definite sense of how these changes are going to affect their business overall if they do not know what the full suite of changes being proposed actually is. If we had that, then we could start a meaningful consultation.
In the meantime, there are things to talk about. One of the things I have appreciated as a parliamentarian in Elmwood—Transcona is that this conversation has triggered a great dialogue with small businesses in my community, and I am getting to understand better who they are, what their concerns are, and how their businesses operate. I do not think the consultation has been in vain; I just think it is not a comprehensive consultation and it is far too soon to end it. This kind of consultation could go on longer, but we are going to need some real time. We have seen from the government too often that, once it tables the legislation, it is keen to shut down debate in the House and speed it through committee.
When we actually get the bill, we are going to need some more time, and I hope that the government is budgeting that time so that we can go out and talk to Canadians about the real proposals that the Liberals are ultimately going to bring forward, because right now they are not committed to anything.