Mr. Speaker, I thank the the member for his question. It is quite interesting. However, I think he has misunderstood what I said with respect to east-west economic ties in Canada.
It does not take an expert to explain and every economist recognizes that the east-west link in Canada is historically and artificially built and that the natural tendencies in our economic trade are north-south. However, this is not to say that Quebec when it becomes sovereign will not want to trade with western Canada, Ontario or the other provinces.
Those economic bonds that have developed between Quebec and the other provinces are good and should continue. It is good not only for those provinces, Ontario and the west, it is good for Quebec as well.
Let us not be simplistic in our economic approach. It is not a question of severing those good things in the system. It is a question of liberating us and all the regions in Canada to be able to develop where economic development is due.
Take Alberta for example, a province well represented by the Reform Party. If we look at its economic situation, we will see that 40 per cent of its trade is with British Columbia, and another 40 per cent is with Asian countries, with the far east; a small 20 per cent with the rest of Canada.
It is totally normal. It is not a political statement to recognize those facts. It is just normal, economic practice.