Mr. Speaker, when a parliamentarian is deeply hurt and wronged by comments and debates in the House that undermine the very essence of his work, he must immediately stand up and say so. I therefore rise on a question of privilege.
I humbly address all my colleagues. I heard the House Leader of the Official Opposition refer to the government's approach to procedural reform as dictatorial. I heard the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons say that she wanted to hold a discussion and have all parliamentarians take part in it. I would humbly submit to the House that we have had to witness this exchange even though we cannot sit on the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs or any other committee. Indeed, since October 19, 2015, we have been banned from this type of debate and thus ostracized as parliamentarians.
What I am humbly stating today is that if we want to reform the Standing Orders, I imagine that we want to do so for the good of parliamentary democracy. Therefore, no one would oppose our right to speak, which we had in the case in the Special Committee on Electoral Reform. It is an affront to hear people who have millions of dollars, and so much the better for them, to spend on being heard and having their constituents' voices heard. I was legitimately elected by people who pay their taxes to the federal government and I have the right to sit on the committee that will study parliamentary reforms.
