Hon. Andrew Cardozo: Honourable senators, this is one of the most exciting and interesting debates that I’ve seen in this place for a long time. I say “exciting” from an intellectual perspective. I listened to the speeches made by Senators Moodie, Cormier, Aucoin and many others. I wish to pick up from the question that my colleague Senator Bellemare put forward.

In sober second thought, we often give our best advice to the elected chamber. If we were to pass this amendment and say, “This is our best advice, and these are the reasons why” — and my colleagues have outlined them much better than I can — it gives the elected government and the House of Commons the opportunity to consider what we are saying to them. They can either accept it or put something else forward. As Senator Bellemare said, “What other suggestions are there?”

That’s what’s happened in many cases where we’ve made amendments, they have accepted some, changed some and then come back. We would be saying to them, “This is what we think needs to happen. You’ve perhaps got some concerns about, perhaps, the constitutionality. Can you come back with something that takes care of those concerns and meets these concerns?”

I am asking: Isn’t this a good opportunity to have that kind of dialogue between the Senate and the House of Commons?