Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc quebecois has always maintained that the Bloc quebecois was in Ottawa on a temporary basis. Last fall, he said, and I quote: "And to make the options quite clear, I think Quebecers should realize, if they have not done so already, that the Bloc quebecois is not an accessory that comes with federalism as well as sovereignty; you cannot be a federalist and expect to keep the Bloc quebecois in Ottawa indefinitely".
Today, a number of BQ riding associations want to make their party permanent. The leader of the Bloc quebecois will have a difficult choice to make: maintain his vision of a temporary party or respond to the wishes of the grassroots and stay in Ottawa indefinitely.