Mr. Speaker, this is nothing more than a cheap, or should I say a very expensive, political game, which is being orchestrated by the leader of the Conservative Party. It shows an absolute disrespect of what takes place in the House of Commons, on the floor here inside the chamber.
I refer the member to a story in The Hill Times. The author of the story is Steven Chaplin, a former senior legal counsel in the office of the House law clerk and parliamentary counsel. He is an expert, and he gives a very stark warning to all members of the House because of this game the official opposition is playing. He wrote, “It is time for the House to admit its overreach before the matter inevitably finds its way to the courts which do have the ability to determine and limit the House’s powers, often beyond what the House may like.”
The game that the Conservatives are playing is borderline contempt in itself, and it is coming from the office of the Conservative leader. I am wondering if the member has read the story, and if he has not read the story, would he commit to read the story and maybe share some of those conclusions with his leader?