Mr. Speaker, I think there is a great danger with the word “fearmongering” because what has happened in this place over the last few years is that when certain people do not like their dogma challenged, as opposed to standing and explaining why their point of view is correct, they try to deflect from their inability to debate someone's point by calling them a name. This is one of the things that I mentioned in my speech. If the government or anyone cannot stand in this place and defend why their idea is correct or why their approach to policy is correct, and correct being defined by how it best serves the interests of Canadians, they should not have the ability to call someone a name. That is wrong. Frankly, that is what has polarized politics in many places in the developed world right now.
When concerns are dismissed, for example, I speak often about immigration, I do not think that we should allow people who have reached the United States to claim asylum in Canada. Instead of someone standing and calling me a name, they should stand and argue why they think that is the case and why that is in the best interests of Canadians instead of calling Canadians names. What ends up happening then is we have a polarized division.
I am happy to debate policy, which is why I try to put policy forward whenever I can, even in opposition, but over a 15-year period, we need to get away from the tendency, especially in certain schools of political thought, to denigrate and call people names as opposed to looking at alternate points of view. If someone can make a policy argument, we should be able to discuss that and refute it here. I think we have lost that in this place over the last 15 years.
I do not agree with my colleague's assertion. I do not think that happens all the time. When it does, I would hope that Canadians would have the ability with their critical thinking skills to call that out and address it at the ballot box. I know they have that skill, but that should not prevent us from challenging policy or dogma in here from time to time. In fact, that is why Canadians pay our salaries and why we are supposed to show up here for work.