Mr. Speaker, not so long ago the Liberals were adamantly opposed to the Free Trade Agreement with the United States.
"I think you sold us out!" said their leader to Prime Minister Mulroney, during the 1988 election campaign debate. Back then, the Liberals were capitalizing on their opposition to free trade to score points in the rest of the country.
The fact that the Liberal Prime Minister is now extolling the virtues of that agreement to the U.S. President is most hypocritical, particularly since he himself made a trip to Washington, in 1991, to beg our American neighbours to renegotiate the treaty.
Let us not forget that, while the Liberals were criticizing the Americans in the process, Quebecers, who, by contrast, are open to the world, played a major role in the outcome of the 1988 federal election, which would later result in the signing of the agreement.
It might be appropriate to remind President Clinton that if, today, we can all dream of a great common market from Tierra del Fuego to Baffin's Land, it is mainly thanks to Quebec and to Quebecers.