Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the truly great symbols of our Legislative Assembly is the mace. Its origins go back thousands of years when it was a weapon of choice by kings' bodyguards. Over time, the mace has gone from a weapon to symbolize the king's authority in the Legislature, to symbolizing the Legislature as a whole's authority. Up until the 20th Century, legislatures did not allow paper in their assemblies. Members were expected to be able to debate without using notes. Ministers were expected to know the workings of their departments without briefing books. Imagine that, Mr. Speaker.
As life and government get more complicated, restrictions on use of paper relaxed and now they are allowed in our legislatures. Mr. Speaker, the 21st Century life in government has gotten more complicated. The amount of information provided by governments, legislators, researchers and non-government organizations continues to be astronomical.
Technology exists; we should be using it. Through the use of laptops and other information management tools, we can effectively...