Privilege  Mr. Speaker, first I would like to say that I will be sharing my speaking time. I am pleased to rise today on this very important issue, which goes to the very heart of our institution, Parliament and the House of Commons. It is fundamentally important that the House debate these issues because, as the Speaker has determined, there may have been a violation of our parliamentary privilege to be able to have all the information before us, and accurate information.

Privilege  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. However, I disagree with him on one point in particular. He said that an apology is enough to erase everything someone did in the past and to let that person avoid facing the consequences. Some people can make mistakes or commit crimes that are punishable in our society.

Privilege  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his excellent speech and for the amendment he proposed to the original motion. If the motion is adopted this evening after the vote—and I truly hope that the Conservative members will support us—we must ensure that the meeting is held in public.

Privilege  Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the member who just spoke. I have a lot of respect for all of my colleagues in the House, including the one we are talking about today. However, now that we know that the member for Mississauga—Streetsville misled the House and gave information that was not true or correct, will the member for Mississauga—Erindale have faith in the information provided by the member for Mississauga—Streetsville the next time he rises in the House?

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend for his remarks. In the September 2013 Speech from the Throne, the government promised to improve railway safety. The mayor of Lac-Mégantic was even in attendance. However, there is no mention of railway safety in the budget. There is no funding for inspections.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague specifically about National Defence's procurement strategy. In this budget, why has the government decided to defer the $3 billion earmarked for various Canadian Forces procurement projects?

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the ultimate goal is to hold consultations from one end of the country to the other, not just in Ottawa. It is a question of speaking with people who have real-life examples and experiences to share. They may be able to add something to the debate. Here, in Ottawa, we will hear from experts who have studied the elections act, but that is not enough.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have only 50 seconds to respond to a very broad question. The member seems to be saying that I did not talk about the points he raised, but today's motion is not about the actual content of the bill. It is about holding public hearings across Canada. I already made a speech about the content of the bill.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by saying that I will be sharing my time with the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. I am pleased to speak today to the very important motion moved by the NDP. It has come to this with the debate on Bill C-23, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to certain Acts.

Northwest Territories Devolution Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his excellent speech here today. He is always concerned about the rights and well-being of aboriginal people, as we have seen in recent years with one of the communities located in his riding. In the member's opinion, how important are consultations with first nations when decisions are being made that might affect their lands?

Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to put a question to my colleague who just spoke. I wanted to ask her a question about the public education role played by Elections Canada. It is responsible for educating Canadians, especially young people. It is most important that we educate them about their right to vote and how, when they are 18 years old, they can exercise this privilege that we have in Canada.

Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to ask my colleague a question. He delivered his speech, but in my opinion, he failed to mention one important point: excluding funds collected by third parties from the election expenses, that is, fundraising among donors who have already donated more than $20 to a given party.

Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question about Elections Canada's educational mandate, something that I did not have the chance to discuss in my speech. Between elections, Elections Canada had the right to educate the Canadian public on their right to vote. It will no longer be allowed to engage in any kind of public education, in particular for students.

Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, there were a lot of questions there. I think I counted five. Indeed, students will still have the opportunity to vote, but these measures will complicate the voting process and make it more difficult. I am not saying that it will be impossible for students in Sherbrooke to vote.

Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to speak to Bill C-23, which was introduced last Tuesday. The bill is 242 pages long and was introduced less than a week ago. Today is the last day for debate at second reading of this bill. As I said, the bill was introduced seven days ago, including the weekend.