My question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Senator Harder, in the last sitting week, I asked you a question about the Trudeau government's discussion paper for the Senate. Rather than answer that question, you replied:

A former Conservative senator sent me a note the other day, and I would use it as a response, with all due respect to the original syntax of Barry Goldwater: "Excessive language in defence of old-style partisanship is no virtue. Moderation in defence of less partisanship is no vice.

That is an interesting choice of language, especially ostensibly coming from a former Conservative senator, as you stated in this chamber. But something about that didn't sit right with me, so I googled it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that in fact you gave the same response, word for word, when trying to avoid answering Senator Plett in this chamber one year ago. On May 19, 2016, you replied to him:

I would also, in the context of his question, suggest — I'm using the syntax of Barry Goldwater's famous speech — that excessive language in defence of old-style partisanship is not virtue; moderation in defence of less partisanship is no vice.

It's a tricky thing that Hansard, Senator Harder. You told this chamber on April 12, 2017, that you got this quote from a former Conservative senator's note the other day. Yet you had used exactly the same quote nearly one year earlier in 2016.

I know you don't particularly like answering our questions, Senator Harder, but why would you portray to this honourable chamber that a former Conservative senator had so recently sent you this quote to defend the Trudeau government's attempt to destroy the opposition in the Senate?

Hon. Peter Harder (Government Representative in the Senate): Yes, it does seem like yesterday. Let me simply reserve the right to repeat it again. But I won't do that today.

Let me respond by saying the documents that I have urged for consideration before the Modernization Committee are those of my office and myself and do not represent the Trudeau government's view on the modernization of the Senate.

I can also reassure all senators that the objective of the modernization and the proposals I put forward is not at all to render the opposition meaningless in this chamber, but rather to improve the overall collective performance of this institution.

Senator Batters: Senator Harder, with a $1.5 million office budget, you'd think your staff could at least write you some new material or maybe just ensure that your material is accurate. When looking up your recycled quote, I also discovered how much you mangled the very intent and meaning of the words of Barry Goldwater.

Here is actually what he said:

Extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice . . . and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

This is, of course, the complete opposite of the point that you were trying to make.

Rather than just giving us flippant responses that aren't accurate, wouldn't it just be easier to answer our questions?

Senator Harder: Yes.