Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question. I agree I might be worthwhile to expand on that.
The intention is not to prevent anyone from praying. Some members are religious, and that is an individual matter. That is precisely the point. Faith is a personal matter. This Parliament serves all citizens of Canada, the provinces and Quebec. These people have different religions.
I am wondering how my colleague would feel if he entered a parliament where a prayer from a religion other than his own was said at the beginning of the day. That becomes rather counterproductive, but if we have a moment of personal reflection, then each person can use that time as they see fit. That will enable Parliament to respect religious pluralism as well as the principle of state secularism, which we support.