Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a Canadian and I am proud to be part of a country that includes the province of Quebec. I am proud to be part of a country that not only recognizes diversity but respects and cherishes it.
What a boring country it would be if we were all the same. Our differences keep us vital and dynamic, and our ability to respect our differences while working together has made us the envy of the world.
The United Nations said Canada is the greatest country in the world. We owe this honour in large part to those who built Canada, to the men and women who came here searching for a better life and for hope.
The fabric of our country is woven from the threads brought here by people from around the world. These threads of hope, tolerance and compassion unite us as Canadians and will provide the strength to see us through the challenges that lie ahead.
Countries are not rigid like the stone and rock they are carved from. They must be fluid and adaptable if we are to survive.
Since Confederation, Canada has successfully adapted to a rapidly changing world. Our boundaries have changed and it was less than 50 years ago that we acquired a new province, Newfoundland. We are now in the process of creating the new territory Nunavut.
Our economic base has expanded and diversified to the point at which Canada has a highly integrated economy and is a competitor in world markets. A century ago the people of a country that was largely based on farming and trapping could never have dreamed that the Canada of today would be a leader in telecommunications, aerospace and finance, and that its agricultural products would be marketed around the world.
Canadian society has also changed dramatically. Our population has grown tremendously and shifted from largely rural to mostly urban. An influx of people immigrating from around the world has made Canada a unique cultural mosaic.
Canada has grown and prospered because of its ability to read the signals for change and to adapt for the well-being of our country. The referendum vote on October 30 was a vote for Canada. It was a signal for change.
As the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism noted during the debate on Friday, the Prime Minister, the government and Parliament have a duty to preserve the unity of Canada as a nation indivisible.
Quebecers and Canadians have asked the government to keep Canada together. The Prime Minister has responded quickly to the signals for change. It is a response to keep the country united. That is what Canadians and the people of my riding of Dauphin-Swan River want.
When the Bloc members refer to the rest of Canada as English Canada they do a great disservice to the hundreds of French Canadians who live in my riding of Dauphin-Swan River; French Canadians who have kept their language, culture and traditions alive in rural Manitoba.
I am pleased and proud to represent predominantly French communities such as Ste. Rose du Lac, Laurier, St. Lazare and San Clara where people of many ethnic origins, including English, French, Ukrainian, Polish and First Nations people, work together toward their common goal of building strong communities and contributing to a strong and united Canada.
I have been overwhelmed by the response of the people of Dauphin-Swan River about the future of Canada. The people of my riding tell me that for the good of Canada, for our present and for our future, we need to remain united.
As the Prime Minister has so eloquently stated, a Canada without Quebec is no Canada, and a Quebec without Canada is no Quebec.
I also bring to the House a message from the youth of Canada. They too want and deserve a voice in the debate about the Canada they will inherit from us.
In November I travelled to a number of schools in my riding of Dauphin-Swan River to listen to young people about their vision of Canada. The students told me their Canada includes Quebec. It is important to them that we make every effort to keep our country united, from sea to sea to sea. That is the Canada they know. That is the Canada they want. That is the Canada they deserve.
This was also the message three young people from Russell, Manitoba brought to me in Ottawa on their way to the Montreal rally. These young people spent their hard earned dollars to travel to Montreal to be part of the chorus of voices ringing across Canada, telling Quebecers they are important to Canada. The courage and the commitment of these young people is a shining example of the belief western Canada has that a strong Canada is a united Canada.
We must lead by example. We must show our young people that differences can be overcome and that compromise is preferable to conflict. As a member of Parliament and as a member of the Liberal government I am committed to ensuring a strong and united Canada for the benefit of the people of Dauphin-Swan River and for all Canadians. As a mother and a grandmother, the Canada I want to give to my children and my grandchildren is a Canada which includes Quebec.