Mr. Speaker, I would probably have regretted not participating in this debate, so that is why I am doing it now, even though it is getting near the end. I will remind the members that we are now at report stage and that the study of this amendment will complete the consideration of this bill at second reading. I will probably be the last person to speak at this stage of the process.
The amendment before us is aimed at deleting paragraph 7, in clause 14 of the bill. We want to delete it because, from now on, a provincial government will be able to exercise its right to opt out only if it can convince the minister. And convincing Minister Axworthy is no easy task. The provincial government will have to send written notice to the minister before the beginning of the loan year, even though the number of students is essentially the same from one year to the next in the various disciplines. The federal government wants to put one more obstacle in the way to make it more and more difficult for the provincial governments to opt out of the national standards that the minister of education of Canada-since we may have to call him that from now on-wants to impose on all Canadians.
I think it is extremely difficult to accept such a change. Several of my colleagues who spoke today mentioned that Quebec has always exercised its right to opt out. We also heard that this student financial assistance program was first established in 1964 by a great Liberal, Mr. Pearson, who had a totally decentralized vision of Canada. But we can see clearly in the intent of this bill the centralizing influence of the former Trudeau government since several Cabinet members who were probably involved in the drafting of this bill, including the minister and the Prime Minister, have followed in the footsteps of this great man who, according to some people, marked the history of our country, certainly because of his excessive centralizing policies.
To opt out with full compensation, provinces must also adjust their loan and grant conditions to their particular situation. Over the past few weeks and the past few months, we have been saying it over and over again, there are two countries within this one. Soon, there may be ten or even twelve, because I doubt if provinces will want to operate under such a centralized system. Moreover, people will realize that this legislation contains real danger. It is as if people had fallen asleep all of a sudden; it would appear that parliamentarians have also fallen asleep and are unable to see the traps in this piece of legislation; the danger is real. When they wake up, it will be too late.
I am thinking of the francophones outside Quebec who presented a brief. I do not want to be quoted out of context nor be accused again on the basis of my supposed intentions. I will therefore quote the brief presented by French-speaking Canadians, by our young francophones. It says that francophones and Acadians often have lower standards of living. Their education level is lower than their English-speaking counterparts, which leads not only to lower incomes but also to a situation where post-secondary education should be systematically promoted as a means of breaking out of the vicious circle our communities are trapped in. Besides, because of their linguistic situation, these young students must often leave their community, or even their home province, to further their education at the university or college level.
The provinces should have a piece of legislation or regulations that would be flexible enough to allow them to organise their own loan repayment system according to students' needs. Incentives could be taken into consideration such as Quebec's initiative to grant a substantial break on loan repayment to students who manage to complete their education within the specific time frame normally needed for a bachelor's degree, a master's or a Ph.D.
I urge the government to carefully review this bill before passing it at third reading.