Mr. Speaker, next Monday, February 13, the voters in the riding of Brome-Missisquoi will choose their next member of Parliament.
In the information pamphlet that he has had printed and distributed for his campaign, the Bloc candidate for Brome-Missisquoi says, and I quote: "The Bloc Quebecois must keep its status as the official opposition in order to hold on to real power in Ottawa. Right now, there is only one seat between the Bloc Quebecois and the Reform Party. If we lose Brome-Missisquoi, we could lose our power in Ottawa".
By linking his possible defeat to the loss of his party's status as the official opposition in the House of Commons, the Bloc candidate is not presenting the facts accurately. Even if the Liberal Party of Canada wins the two by-elections now under way in Quebec, and I am sure they will, that will in no way change the Bloc's status as the official opposition.
Only by electing the Liberal candidate on February 13 will the voters of Brome-Missisquoi finally acquire real power in Ottawa.