Mr. Speaker, respectfully, I have a follow-up to my previous question.
What the member said about the rules of the House is not correct. Members are able to propose private members' bills that spend money; they simply need a royal recommendation, which is the support of cabinet, in order to proceed. The member could have proposed legislation to do this. It might have required a royal recommendation, although, in this case, the concept the member is talking about is not a new expenditure but a change in tax treatment. I do not think that a reduction of taxes without new expenditures even requires a royal recommendation anyway.
First of all, the member could have put forward the motion either way if he had the government's support. Secondly, I do not think this even needs a royal recommendation. The fact is, doing it this way, asking the government to think about something, looks like a desire to send a signal of sympathy without actually making a change. I wonder, if the member had the courage of his convictions, why he did not actually propose the change that he wants to put forward.