Listen, do you guys want to have a fight?
We will demonstrate that we are determined to keep faith with both the heritage and the potential of our wonderful country.
We recognize that Quebec is a province with a legal system that is not based on common law, but on the civil code. It is the home of a diverse population of anglophones, allophones, and a majority who are French speaking Canadians who are also diverse. We will not just talk about good intentions. We are building trust by acting on those good intentions. This measure before Parliament is based on the reality of Canada.
Unfortunately, as all Canadians know, anything proposed by the Government of Canada will never go far enough to satisfy the Parti Quebecois or for that matter the Bloc Quebecois. Equally unfortunate, anything proposed by the Government of Canada will never go far enough to satisfy the Reform Party. Those people will never be satisfied.
Thank goodness this debate is not about keeping those people happy. This debate is about keeping Canada together. This debate is about satisfying the people inside and outside of Quebec who understand that the me generation has passed and the we generation has arrived. It is no longer about cutting the best deal for yourself. It is about reaching the best solution for the future of our country. It is about building the new Canada. It is about standing proud and tall for the maple leaf. Canadians from coast to coast to coast must rise above their differences and realize that there is so much more that unites than that which divides us.
We have experienced many problems throughout our history but have always found a way to resolve them, for we understand that compassion is far more humane than conflict.
We understand that tolerance is far superior to intransigence. We understand that allowing our fellow citizens to reach their full potential does nothing to diminish us. Canadians know that we cannot build a big country on small minds.
Canadians know that we cannot build a big country on little minds.
Canadians are not expecting miracles, nor are they looking for heaven here on earth. But they are entitled to expect that the Parliament of Canada will do its utmost, will take the right actions, will adopt the appropriate principles, in order to recognize the modern reality of Canada and to show its true commitment to strengthening the ties among the members of Canada's diversified population.
I hope that Quebecers and non-Quebecers alike will urge members of Parliament from all parties to keep the big picture in mind. I hope they will urge members of Parliament to take meaningful and realistic steps toward progress.
Canadians are people of moderation and modesty. From time to time we are also a people of passion. We try always to be people of principle, of fairness and of optimism. Throughout their history Canadians have overcome their differences and succeeded beyond the wildest dreams of the founders of this nation. We did it in the end after much reflection by appealing to the better side of our nature as human beings and by acting on the better side of our nature as citizens.
Recognizing Quebec as a distinct society, providing a new constitutional veto and bringing government closer to the people are the vital and important issues. Those are the proposals which the government is moving to turn into reality. What is at stake is keeping our word, keeping faith with the dreams of Canadians, re-energizing our national unity and revitalizing the very best country in the world.
When political discourse becomes invective, when rhetoric over reality becomes overheated, it begets intolerance, instability and fear. When political leaders target identifiable groups-and we have had more than enough of that-when they blame specific communities, they are offensive and they fuel exclusion, anger and resentment. They are a blot on the good name, the goodwill and the respect we have built for our society both here in Canada and
around the world. When bigots like Pierre Bourgault and his ilk spew their invective, they show that they have no place in our caring society.
I know that the vast majority of Quebecers reject those exclusionary, racist remarks and recognize that we as Quebecers-and that includes some of you on the other side-are all welcome, we are all included and we are all equal, with equal rights, and that our vote will be respected. We too have contributed beyond measure to the growth, development and well-being of all Quebecers.
I want this understanding of the fair sharing in Quebec to be appreciated. I am a Quebecer. I am proud of my difference. I am not better, I am not worse, I am just different. That is what makes me distinct and that is what makes all of us distinct in Quebec. The environment has formed us in many ways.
I call on all Canadians to join with us in recognizing that despite our diverse geography from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, our many cultures and the aboriginal peoples of our two official languages, we are one country. It is by extending our hands of welcome to one another, by rejoicing and appreciating our differences and our diversity that we grow and prosper. It is through our civility and the unity of all Canadians that we ensure a bright future for our children, for our community and for our country.