Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Dr. Gaffield, for your thoughtful presentation. Our research officers inform us that you are an expert on the ways demographic, economic and cultural changes influence institutional and political history. That's wonderful.
My question is of a political nature. It comes from someone who is a sovereigntist. At the close of your presentation, you express the hope that we use all of the positives you describe to increase, or nourish, our common Canadian cultural identity. Earlier in your presentation, you gave the example of the Canadian railroad that contributed to the birth of Canada as a nation. My question will flow from what I am about to say. The major political decisions in Canada, such as building the Canadian railroad, needed to be taken. I completely agree with those decisions. Canadians could not have done otherwise, or they would have remained a small people living in a small part of a very vast land that needed to be settled. Although it may not have been the objective, the decision to build the railroad ultimately had the effect of diminishing Quebec culture and identity. Quebec's minority position grew as Canada was built. This can be seen, for example, in the fact that western Canada is set to be given more elected representatives in Canada's Parliament, given the larger population in western Canada. A pro-Canada decision reduced Quebec's position.
This same can be said about the St. Lawrence Seaway. The construction of the seaway killed Montreal as the economic capital of Canada. Mordecai Richler even wrote a book about this. He wrote the following, and I quote: “Once the St. Lawrence Seaway was in place, diminishing the importance of Montreal, Montreal's slippage was inevitable.” This is entirely true. I'm not anti-Canadian, but rather pro-Canadian. All of the decisions that were made were intelligent decisions that Canada needed to make. However, as a result, Quebec's political, economic and cultural powers were diminished.
My question is therefore political in nature. You claim that there is a desperate need for the Canadian identity to be strengthened. Mr. Del Mastro is quite right to say that there is more to being Canadian that hockey games and maple syrup.