Mr. Speaker, according to Mr. André Lalonde who will take over at the helm of the Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario next month, ACFO intends to reach out and grasp the hand extended to it last Friday by the Leader of the Bloc Quebecois.
We congratulate ACFO for its courage and determination and for refusing, in spite of the pressure put on it by Liberal franco-ontarian members and ministers, to allow a partisan line to be dictated to it and for its desire to remain faithful to franco-ontarian interests.
We encourage leaders in the rest of Canada to follow ACFO's example and to come to the realization that their relations with Quebec are about to take on an entirely different complexion.
The Bloc Quebecois hopes that this gesture is the first step to achieving greater co-operation between francophones in Quebec and those in the rest of Canada.