Mr. Speaker, I do not in any way, shape or form agree with the member's comments here today.
I was elected to the Parliament of Canada in 1988 because I opposed the Meech Lake accord. I opposed it for three or four specific reasons, one of which was that I believe the only way to look after the disadvantaged regions is by having a strong national government.
I believe that the argument the members of the Bloc are putting forward here today reinforces the position I took in 1988. What they have been saying through their remarks today is: "Decentralize, decentralize. Give us all the money to look after the regional development problems. Then we will just separate and go our own way". What kind of logic is that?
If you are interested in city politics you run municipally. If you are interested in provincial politics you run provincially. However, when you are elected to the Parliament of Canada you come here to build and promote economic strength in the country.
Why would we support a motion in this House today which promotes dismembering the country?
The member mentioned in his speech the importance of tourism. I support the fact that we must be much more aggressive in marketing tourism in this country. I believe most members would support that. One of the difficulties is that we are saddled with a very difficult fiscal framework. We are saddled with instability. Our economic numbers are not as great as they should be because the Bloc is sending out negative signals which are hurting the very objectives it is trying to achieve.
The hon. member's premise has no logic. History will show that the best economies that we have had in the history of the country, and the best economy ever in Quebec was when we had a strong national government.