Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to express the Bloc Quebecois' assessment of Bill C-105.
As the government spokesperson said before me, this bill is not controversial, it is a matter of course in trade relations between countries.
The bill concerns the implementation of conventions between Canada and various countries, including Latvia, Estonia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Hungary to avoid double taxation and prevent fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
It is a very technical bill that was first negotiated by officials in Canada's diplomatic corps and public service, and we are ratifying the treaties they concluded, with this bill.
As the government spokesperson put it so well, this sort of thing is standard between sovereign countries, countries that want to promote trade. The bill is based on the standards defined by the OECD, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
You might be wondering why I wanted to speak on behalf of the official opposition. Because this bill, which has been described as arising as a matter of course, could serve as an example, a point of comparison, for the events that could occur the day after a yes vote in the referendum in trade and economic relations between Canada, the United States, Quebec and other countries in the world.
In their trade, diplomatic and political relations, countries look after their own interests, as the opposition member clearly pointed out. In a proposal like the one before us, before concluding a treaty or an agreement-and there are now such treaties and agreements with 55 countries in the world-, we look after Canada's interests. We look at these countries' investments in the Canadian economy and at Canada's investments in the countries with which we have treaties.
At some point, after assessing our trade and economic interests, we sign a treaty. So there is nothing contentious in all of this. Negotiations take place, the various countries check their laws, and it is quite normal to sign an agreement so that Canada and its partners can maintain and improve their regular trade and economic relations.
In the debate currently taking place in Quebec and Canada on the prospect of a sovereign Quebec, economic and trade arguments are often on the agenda. Just the day before yesterday, the Minister of Finance claimed that Quebec's sovereignty would threaten 1 million jobs in that province. When we examine the finance minister's speech, we see that these million jobs would be
threatened if trade between Canada and Quebec and between the U.S. and Quebec was reduced to zero.
Can trade between Canada, Quebec and the U.S. be reduced to zero? Will Quebecers and people in Jonquière stop buying Ford cars if these cars meet their requirements? Will people in the U.S. stop-