Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague has a lot of parliamentary experience. He knows that the Government of Canada's position has not changed. We have always expressed concerns about the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause. My hon. colleague mentioned the last word. This should not be the first word. It should be the last resort.
We accept and understand the purpose of the notwithstanding clause, but we will never agree to it being used pre-emptively. That should come as no surprise to my colleague.