Madam Speaker, I listened closely to what the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons had to say, and I want to reiterate my colleague from Montcalm's calls to protect the rights of members of unrecognized parties.
Some of my colleague's arguments are true in theory, but things are different in reality. For example, when we want to say something in committee, they let us talk only if the subject is somewhat less interesting than usual. Whenever a juicy topic comes up, we are not allowed to speak.
Here is an example. Last year, during KPMG's testimony on tax havens before the Standing Committee on Finance, we had a number of questions to ask, but we were not allowed to say a word until the final 15 seconds, which was not long enough to get an answer.
I want to point out that we do not get to call witnesses to appear before a committee. In committee, we can propose amendments to bills, but only with the unanimous consent of committee members. If even one committee member says no, then forget it.
As my colleague from Montcalm was saying, the rules of the Board of Internal Economy do not allow us to properly defend our constituents. All members are equal, but some more so than others. That is why we are asking the Speaker to stand up for us. We are counting on you.