Mr. Speaker, on September 27, the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton affirmed through a unanimous resolution its pride in its bilingual character, going back to pre-Confederation time.
The citizens of the National Capital area are proud of the fact that their communities on both sides of the river reflect the duality of this great country of ours. Populated for more than a 170 years by the two founding peoples, the capital is the symbol of what the Prime Minister was saying last night, that citizens of different tongues, cultures and origins can live together in harmony.
Like the Ottawa-Carleton region message to Quebecers, I truly hope that they vote no on October 30. I urge them, like the Prime Minister yesterday, not to break our bonds of friendship and understanding, our bonds of mutual trust.