Mr. Speaker, on November 18, the Canada Council for the Arts announced that Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois had won the 2014 Governor General’s Literary Award and $25,000 in prize money for his book titled Tenir tête. The Bloc Québécois wishes to sincerely congratulate him.
What is even more worthy of our congratulations is the fact that the author decided to donate his winnings to the “Coule pas chez nous” campaign, run by a group of citizens who are standing up to the oil companies that are threatening to turn Quebec into a highway for oil from the oil sands.
Since November 18, Quebeckers have donated more than $300,000 to this cause. Why? Because Quebec civil society cannot count on the House to protect its interests. Quebeckers know that if they cannot count on their governments' support, they can count on one another.
The people of Quebec have been clear about what they want, but I will say it again: we do not want your oil from the oil sands if it is at our own risk and peril.