Mr. Speaker, on April 20, 21 and 22, the third summit of the Americas will be held in Quebec City. On this occasion, the 34 heads of state in our hemisphere, with the exception of Cuba, will continue negotiations on the free trade area of the Americas.
Behind closed doors, they will be making decisions that will affect the life and future of all the people of Quebec.
The 34 states deciding the future of the Americas, and therefore Quebec, include Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, but not Quebec.
Without access to the negotiating table, the Quebec nation must leave it up to Ottawa to defend its rights and its vision.
In this situation, the need for an independent Quebec is readily understood. If a country with a population the size of that of greater Joliette can discuss as an equal with its partners in the Americas, why can Quebec not ?