Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Beauce will stop at nothing to draw attention and score political points. On Friday he said that Quebeckers “don't need Bill 101 to protect the French language.” He was back at it again yesterday, saying that the legislation restricts “people's rights and freedom of choice”.
One would have to be completely out of touch with the reality of thousands of Quebeckers, not to mention the history of Quebec, to say such things. We are still seeing more and more attacks on the prominence of French. If the Lévesque government, with Camille Laurin leading the charge, had not had the courage to protect our linguistic heritage, the use, teaching and influence of our language would have suffered even greater degradation than it has. And the fight is not over.
Whether the member for Beauce likes it or not, there is a consensus in Quebec that Bill 101 must be maintained.