House of Commons Hansard #252 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-61.

Topics

Tribute To Quebec PremierStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Bloc

Lucien Bouchard Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

Mr. Speaker, I again hear the Minister of Transport starting up his insulting comments.

A pillar of the sovereignist movement, Jacques Parizeau also rebuilt the Parti Quebecois in the aftermath of a particularly difficult period. It is in large part due to him that Quebecers will soon have their own country.

A man of integrity and profound convictions, he has never doubted the necessity of sovereignty for the people of Quebec.

Mr. Parizeau, the people of Quebec will never forget your efforts to finally bring Quebec recognition within the family of nations. You will now be acknowledged, along with René Lévesque, as one of the great builders of the country of Quebec.

Tribute To Quebec PremierStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

Tribute To Quebec PremierStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

The Speaker

The Right Hon. Prime Minister wishes to speak.

Tribute To The Premier Of QuebecStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jean Chrétien Liberal Saint-Maurice, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have a short statement I would like to make, with leave of the House.

Obviously, in public life we cannot always agree with everyone, and sometimes this leads to difficult situations.

I know Mr. Parizeau well. I have known him since 1968 and I have had the opportunity to work with him. Despite our significant political differences, I can say he is a man who has given his life to politics. He is a man of considerable talent, who has worked with governments for many years. He was even an adviser to the Government of Canada, to the Department of Finance, when I was parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Finance.

One day, our paths separated, and he became a sovereignist, a separatist. I respect his opinion and always have, even if I do not completely agree. Now he has decided to retire. I would have hoped it could happen under circumstances less controversial for him and for everyone, but I have no control over circumstances.

I would like to point out that, here, in Canada, we have one of the finest democracies in the world. It is an example. Few countries in the world would tolerate the raising of passions as deep as those involved in wanting to break up a country and use part of it to make a new one.

It is an example for the world that this sort of passionate discourse cannot be permitted without a surprising amount of control. I have travelled with Mr. Parizeau. We have been travelling companions. He could be a most pleasant companion, at times, when we were not talking politics. Obviously, when we started talking politics, breakfasts or dinners were rather tumultuous, but interesting, I must say.

Today, he has decided to retire after serving the public for many years, and we must thank him for serving the public as he did. Unfortunately for me, he did not remain an ardent federalist. He decided not to remain one, and I did. I am very persistent. He became persistent after that and he remained the most persistent sovereignist or separatist of the group. He did not hide his opinion.

At one point, he even left Mr. Lévesque, because he did not agree with the "beau risque". He is retiring, and the people of Quebec should thank him for his contribution to the public debate, even if we did not agree. That is what is so great about Canada: we can disagree and yet serve the public to the best of our knowledge and abilities.

Tribute To The Premier Of QuebecStatements By Members

2:20 p.m.

The Speaker

We started with Statements by Members and the hon. Leader of the Opposition made his statement. I recognized the Prime Minister who evidently was joining in and I believe we have turned it into tributes.

I will recognize-I believe that is why he is on his feet-the hon. House leader and then I propose to begin question period.

Tribute To The Premier Of QuebecStatements By Members

2:20 p.m.

Lethbridge Alberta

Reform

Ray Speaker ReformLethbridge

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the intervention of the Prime Minister. Would the Speaker ensure that we have the full amount of allotted time for question period?

Tribute To The Premier Of QuebecStatements By Members

2:20 p.m.

The Speaker

The answer is yes.

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Lac-Saint-Jean Québec

Bloc

Lucien Bouchard BlocLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, I think both Mr. Parizeau and we in the Bloc are grateful to the Prime Minister for his fine gesture in speaking these words. I thank him for it. With the permission of the House, I would like to table the preliminary report of the count of Monday's voting.

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

The Speaker

It is a bit different today. Perhaps the hon. Leader of the Opposition could table it at the end of question period. We return to question period again.

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Bloc

Lucien Bouchard Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

Mr. Speaker, we, the people of Quebec, whatever our political stripe, are delighted at how democratically the recent referendum debate was carried out. In fact, the only hitch in the democratic proceedings we might criticize came about because of Ottawa and very high up in Ottawa, namely the number one guardian of Canadian democracy, the Prime Minister of Canada. We will recall that he said in this House he reserved the right not to honour a narrow yes majority in favour of sovereignty.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Knowing now that the no majority is only six tenths of 1 per cent above 50 and in view of the fact that the sovereignists have set an example by bowing to a very narrow majority, does he not think he should withdraw his remarks and apologize in the name of Canadian democracy?

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely not. I should say first that, indeed, 49.4 per cent of Quebecers voted yes. However, probably between 30 and 40 per cent of them voted yes thinking they were going to stay in Canada. They did not all vote for Quebec's separation.

I was in the car a few minutes ago, and people were calling an open line show saying they did not know, they did not suspect the mandate was to separate.

The word "separation" was never again heard from the lips of the Leader of the Opposition after he was obliged to use it in front of the Americans to make himself understood.

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Lac-Saint-Jean Québec

Bloc

Lucien Bouchard BlocLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister of Canada, as part of his duties in the

House of Commons, is permitted to distinguish between votes, if I understand properly, when the votes were for the yes side.

What would the Prime Minister of Canada say if, as Leader of the Opposition, I did not recognize the very slim no majority? What would he say? He would be right in accusing me of not being democratic.

Nearly 2.3 million Quebecers opted for a sovereign Quebec on Monday. For a Prime Minister who promised us we were going to take a beating, it is quite a comeuppance.

The Quebec reality continues to escape him, however, because he now thinks he can meet Quebec's expectations with an unimportant resolution in the House paying lip service to Quebec's distinctive nature.

Can the Prime Minister be so ignorant of the reality in Quebec that he imagines he can halt the irresistible sovereignist advance with such a horrible mockery?

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, first, Quebecers have spoken. I hope the Leader of the Opposition will accept the verdict of Quebecers, who have decided to remain in Canada. On the night of the verdict, he was saying he was going to start again right away, whereas the people had spoken. He is the one who lost and should have accepted the verdict.

As for me, my job in this country is to ensure observance of the Canadian constitution, only I did not have to use all the powers vested in the government, because the people of Quebec spoke and chose to remain in Canada. I hope the Leader of the Opposition will understand that Quebecers want all elected officials, both here and in Quebec City, to serve the people and look after economic growth and job creation; they are sick and tired of all the talk about constitutional problems. They want the governments to get back to the real problems: the dignity of workers in Quebec.

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Lac-Saint-Jean Québec

Bloc

Lucien Bouchard BlocLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, for people who are fed up, a 94 per cent turnout in a popular vote is not bad.

After Monday's vote, the Canadian federal system is enjoying a respite, the result of a few tenths of points of popular vote. In this context, does the Prime Minister not see that the only realistic solution for Quebec and Canada is a new partnership negotiated between equals following the next Quebec referendum, which will follow inexorably?

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, the people have spoken. Democracy has spoken. Obviously, the Leader of the Opposition does not agree with democracy. DidMr. Johnson, who lost the election last year with four tenths of 1 per cent-

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

The ReferendumOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Liberal

Jean Chrétien Liberal Saint-Maurice, QC

Was Mr. Parizeau's government illegitimate because they won by only four tenths of 1 per cent?

The people have spoken and they have decided to remain in Canada, despite all the unbelievable propaganda, in which people were told that, if they voted no, there would be no more unemployment insurance and their pensions would be cut, without it ever being proven. These were absolutely gratuitous statements. Despite this, despite all these lies, they failed to win.

Distinct SocietyOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, it did not take more than 24 hours after a No win based on a fraction of a percentage for the Prime Minister to consider tabling a resolution in the House of Commons recognizing the fact that Quebec is a distinct society. And all this while hastening to add that such recognition confers no special powers or status on Quebec. He seems to agree with the Premier of Ontario who said that now was not the time to react hastily and promise things one might not be able to deliver.

My question is directed to the Prime Minister. Does he agree with the Premier of Ontario that any changes that would be significant in the eyes of Quebec would not be acceptable to the rest of Canada?

Distinct SocietyOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, to me, the recognition of Quebec as a distinct society is important. It is something that the Parliament of Canada has already accepted, it was voted on in a referendum, and we voted in favour of a distinct society-

Distinct SocietyOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Lucien Bouchard Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

That is not true.

Distinct SocietyOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Jean Chrétien Liberal Saint-Maurice, QC

While the Leader of the Opposition-

Distinct SocietyOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Lucien Bouchard Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC

Everyone knows it is not true.

Distinct SocietyOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Jean Chrétien Liberal Saint-Maurice, QC

-and the House leader of the opposition voted against Charlottetown. Then they went around Quebec blaming us for not delivering on Charlottetown when they all voted in favour of recognition of Quebec as a distinct society.

Distinct SocietyOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has conveniently overlooked the fact that he killed the Meech Lake Accord-

Distinct SocietyOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

He did. He did.