Mr. Speaker, my entire speech was meant to answer the question that the member for Winnipeg North has been asking from the beginning of this debate.
Once again, I ask him to refer to page 244 of O'Brien and Bosc. Of course, he can refer to the English version.
The paragraph entitled “Expulsion” reads as follows:
Once a person is elected to the House of Commons, there are no constitutional provisions and few statutory provisions for removal of that Member from office. The statutory provisions rendering a Member ineligible to sit or vote do not automatically cause the seat of that Member to become vacant.
I would also like to refer to Maingot, which O'Brien and Bosc refers to at footnote 471:
471. ...[The] Canada Elections Act, s. 502(3), [the paragraph the Liberals have been quoting all along] which stipulates that a person who has been found guilty of an illegal or corrupt practice cannot be elected to or sit and vote in the House of Commons. Similarly, the Criminal Code...provides that a Member convicted of an indictable offence, for which the sentence is two or more years of imprisonment, may not be elected to or sit or vote in the House.
The footnote concludes:
Nonetheless, neither statute contains provisions declaring the Member’s seat vacant.
Maignot confirms that:
The Canada Elections Act provides for the election of the Member, but when duly elected, the House alone is the body to determine whether a Member shall remain a Member.
I hope this answers the member's question and that he is now enlightened.