Mr. Speaker, all sovereignist Quebecers who voted Yes, 49.4 per cent, are still paying taxes to Ottawa and observing federal laws because they acknowledge the fact that democracy in Quebec has spoken. I said it before and I say it again: We are democrats first and foremost, and the first duty of democrats and citizens is to respect a democratic vote like the one held Monday in Quebec.
That being said, we should also realize that the people are masters of their right to vote and that if some day the people of Quebec decide to have another referendum, they can do that. We just had a reference to what was said by the Minister of Justice, who was merely referring to the Quebec law that provides that, in order to have another referendum, there must first be an election. And eventually we will have an election in Quebec, since we are a democracy and elections are part of being a democracy.
People will always be able to vote in Quebec. That does not seem to be the case in Canada.
Will the Deputy Prime Minister admit that the federal government is now resorting to such undemocratic measures as banning a vote, simply because it is afraid that a future referendum will make Quebec a sovereign country?