Mr. Speaker, I get of lot of sympathy from this comment and I want to tell the hon. member that we have been trying to change the system for 125 years, and particularly in the last 35 years.
First, we once gave 74 out of 75 seats to the Liberals, with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau at the helm, and even with that representation, Quebec was not able to get what it needed.
Then, we relied on the Conservatives to regain, with dignity, our place within the Confederation, and that was also denied to us. We are now at the point where Quebecers feel that a structural change is needed. We are told that cuts, among other measures, are required to make real savings.
Take manpower training, a field in which Quebec and Canada together waste $250 million every year. If this $250 million was
available for development, there is a good chance we would not have to rely on government initiatives: We would be able to promote our own development in other ways.
The hon. member asks if there are other solutions, but sovereignty means that you pass your own legislation, levy your own taxes and conclude all your own treaties concerning Quebec's future. If federal legislation and taxes had ensured that Quebec got what it needed for its development, and if the federal government had been successful in getting what we wanted when it signed international treaties, we would stay.
However, the current structure has not given any such results, and it is particularly noticeable in the case of regional development. I might add that where I come from we have made a habit-and this may be another difference-of letting people who have the right to speak to do just that. It is much more practical to do so.