Madam Speaker, on April 14, I put a question to the Prime Minister and reminded him that the Premier of Quebec said:
Job training is, according to Quebec's traditional position, a basic issue of respect for our jurisdiction over what affects us directly.
And I asked him:
Given these statements...does the Prime Minister still think that Quebec's demands are mere whims?
Madam Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly voted unanimously in favour of the following resolution:
That the Quebec National Assembly ask Mr. Jean Chrétien and the federal Liberal government to abide by the unanimous consensus of all parties in Quebec on the need for Quebec to exercise exclusively its jurisdiction over manpower training.
Madam Speaker, considering the current situation, this unanimous resolution demonstrates the very serious concern of all Quebec's elected representatives for the manpower training issue.
There is more, however. Since then, we have heard statements from other important sources in Quebec. This morning I read in the Quebec media that the Forum pour l'emploi is opposed to Ottawa's centralist policies. Who does the Forum pour l'emploi represent? The Forum includes central labour organizations, as one would expect, but it also includes Quebec employer associations. It includes representatives of regional organizations, the Mouvement Desjardins, and just about any organization that is connected with job issues.
Finally, Claude Masson, a respected editorial writer in Quebec, who seldom shares the views of the Official Opposition, made some comments in La Presse which I would like to read to the Prime Minister before he answers my question. Mr. Masson said, in referring to manpower training:
If governments,as they keep repeating ad nauseam , really want to serve the public and at the same time substantially reduce public spending, it makes good sense to have only one government in charge of manpower training, and the government that is closest to the workers, the unemployed and people on welfare and knows best what they need and what it can offer them is the provincial government, in this case the Government of Quebec. This is not a matter of ideology but of common sense, not a constitutional choice but a practical and realistic one.
Madam Speaker, does the Prime Minister realize that by reviving disputes between Quebec City and Ottawa on an issue that is the subject of unanimous agreement in Quebec, he not only gives his centralizing vision precedence over the interests of the unemployed but also clearly shows to all Quebecers-federalists and others-that the only federalism possible for them is one of confrontation and scorn for their people?