Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Québec-Est who clearly described the obvious advantages for Quebecers to opt for sovereignty as soon as possible. It has also been demonstrated that the federal system does not work. I know that my Liberal and Reform colleagues do not like it when we talk about inequity, even though it reflects the real situation, so let us say that the federal system does not work, if this is the expression the federalists would rather use.
On that issue, the hon. member for Lotbinière was very eloquent. He used figures and several arguments to show that it is impossible to ignore how the Canadian Department of Agriculture has harmed the interests of Quebec.
Let me conclude my remarks which can be interpreted as a question to the hon. member for Québec-Est.
Without asking for more than what Quebec is currently giving to the federal government in the area of agriculture, and given the fact that Quebecers already pay 25 per cent of all federal taxes, if we were to get our hands on a similar proportion of the agricultural budget and to manage the whole thing, then we would be able to provide our farmers with an additional $500 million-since the federal Department of Agriculture has a $2 billion budget-in addition to the $300 or $350 million budget of the Quebec Department of Agriculture.
I know how capable, passionate and proud our Quebec farmers are and I am sure this will give them a competitive edge. So, I want to say thank you to my colleague from Québec-Est.