Mr. Speaker, I am pleased and proud to draw the attention of the House to yesterday's results in the Saint-Jean by-election. The election has confirmed the mandate given to the sovereignist government of Quebec.
The election was mainly about the future of the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean. The verdict is clear, in that the people of Saint-Jean see the agreement initialled by the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and the former Quebec Minister of Education as a bare minimum.
The Government of Quebec therefore has a mandate to improve on this agreement by ensuring that the CMR maintains its military avocation. The federal government will have to go back to the drawing board, and we urge it to respect the decision of Saint-Jean's voters and reverse as soon as possible its decision to abandon officer training at the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean.