Mr. Speaker, today, the federal government and the Canadian establishment are putting all their power at the service of the No cause: a paid holiday for employees who want to attend the rally in
Montreal, transportation services subsidized by the major Canadian carriers, and I could go on. Even Ottawa high school teachers are using school buses to send their students to the rally in Montreal.
As the director general of elections in Quebec reminded us, all these referendum related expenses by the federal government and private enterprise violate Quebec's referendum act, since any service that promotes a referendum option constitutes a regulated expense. The Liberal Party of Canada and the federal government are supporting these illegal referendum expenses.
This rally in Montreal was meant as a demonstration of love. Is it becoming a giant intimidation manoeuvre paid for with taxpayers' money, in defiance of the referendum act and of all Quebecers' idea of democracy?