Thank you so much, Madam Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Parliament of Canada.
I had the privilege of serving in Quebec's National Assembly and I have now been in the House of Commons for 10 years. I have had the opportunity and great privilege of serving with first-rate people, both men and women. I remember Ms. Sylvie Roy, who was my first leader in the legislature and who passed away two years ago, unfortunately. I also think of Ms. Agnès Maltais. She was an staunch member of the PQ, whereas I was a very proud member of the ADQ. We had some absolutely scathing political debates, but with the utmost respect. I also remember Ms. Michelle Courchesne, the first female member opposite that I rubbed shoulders with. She was the minister of education while I was the education critic. We always worked positively for Quebec's future while I was there, despite our political differences and being members of the opposite sex.
I was also fortunate to serve in Quebec's national assembly under a government led by a woman, Ms. Pauline Marois. I often said that Ms. Marois and I agreed on two things: that the sun rose in the east and set in the west. Otherwise, we had different opinions on just about everything. Ms. Marois was nonetheless a strong presence in Quebec's political life, and therefore in Canadian politics, for over 30 years. She held all the important political positions in Quebec. When she retired, former premier Jean Charest said, roughly translated:
Perhaps a man will do the same thing one day, but I doubt it.
Since I have been in the House of Commons, I have been fortunate to meet first-rate people, of all political stripes. There is Ms. Harder, who I am getting to know, and Ms. Vecchio, of course. And Ms. Ambrose also, who was my first House leader here. She did an outstanding job and served her country as party leader and as minister.
Looking back in time, we must not forget Ms. Flora MacDonald, the first woman to serve as minister of foreign affairs. It was an extremely difficult time. It was 1979 and there was a minority government. She was sworn in 39 years ago yesterday. Ms. MacDonald played a prominent international role at a time when Canada was going through one of its worst political crises. She had to deal with six American hostages who were hiding in the Canadian embassy in Iran, where there was a civil war. With Ms. MacDonald's leadership and the support of the Right Honourable Joe Clark, the prime minister of the day, Canadian diplomacy had one of its brightest moments in our country's history.
All these people that I have had the pleasure of working with were, without exception, elected in the current political system. In our system, people who run for office either win or are defeated. First, they have to be chosen by their political party. In some cases, they are appointed by the party leader, while in others they are chosen by its members.
My question is very simple. In a political system such as ours, how can we achieve equality when the choice is up to the members of the political parties, whether Conservative, Liberal or NDP, and then ultimately the population?
How can we achieve the equality we hope for so much?