Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on a point of privilege to clarify, at the first available opportunity, a concern about conflict of interest on my part. Mr. Speaker, Members of this House are very conscious of the potential for real or perceived conflict of interest. When we take office, we declare business and financial interests and set ourselves at arm's length from any businesses we might have. When matters arise in the House, which we are directly involved in, such as a loan from a government agency, we excuse ourselves from the discussion.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the potential for conflict and try to be careful on what I say in this House. For all of my colleagues, such as Mr. Picco, I have raised concerns about libraries and I have commented on the role of promoting literacy. I see the role of community libraries as a territorial issue. In this light, Mr. Speaker, I asked the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, questions in the House on Friday, January 31, contained on pages 537, 538 and 539 of the unedited Hansard. My questions were intended to address the territorial-wide concerns about community libraries, just as my colleagues have been raising for a number of days.
However, there was, apparently, some concern over possible conflict of interest, since my wife is a community librarian and I was addressing funding for libraries. On territorial issues, Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to know when we can speak. If a Member has a wife who owns a business, can he participate in discussions on BIP, which could benefit her financially? If a Member's wife works for a women's shelter, is it alright for him to question the cuts to funding in women's shelters?