Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about our election system. For many of the Members, the 1995 election was a learning experience. Unfortunately, in my case, which should have been a lesson in the virtues of the democratic system, it became instead a lesson in how easy it is to make a mockery of our political process and hurt innocent people along the way.

Instead, the people of Fort Smith and those people accused have watched costly court arguments between the RCMP and Elections Canada over who had handled the complaint, no clear end to the complaint, and evidence of how easily a person with ill intent could disrupt the election process if they want to.

Frankly, Mr. Speaker, I am appalled at the time and money that has been spent by both the RCMP and Elections Canada as they squabbled over jurisdiction and staff resources as they duplicated each other's efforts investigating the same complaint. When the federal government is cutting our funding for housing and other social programs, it is hard to believe that a simple investigation of a possible election fraud in a community of 2,500 people ends up costing the taxpayers the equivalent of at least five nurses' or teachers' salaries.

At this point, apparently the CEO of Elections Canada has determined there is no basis for the complaint. The RCMP continued with their own investigation and apparently have sent a final report dismissing the allegations to the CEO, who will have the final say regarding the charges laid.

Mr. Speaker, the way Elections Canada and the RCMP have handled the elections complaint in Fort Smith seems to be a travesty to the process. Of course, it is difficult to know what is really happening given the lack of clear information from these two organizations. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.