Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has been strongly speaking out against what he calls special interest groups. I am not clear whether the member has been equally as strong in including in special interest groups the Business Council on National Issues, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Manufacturers Association. If he has, he will have done a service.
I object to his term special interest groups. It has now become a Reform Party slogan. Often it is used to marginalize people rather than to include them.
There is a place in a thriving democracy for different points of view to be presented vigorously. As a good Liberal I am sure he would agree that it is necessary to have a functioning democracy in which every part of society has the ability to participate in helping to shape public policy not just during an election but throughout.