Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Quebecois wishes to salute the election of the Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, as President of the French Republic. During his seven-year mandate, Mr. Chirac, a man of vast experience, will probably have to face the major challenges that await France as the next millennium approaches. When Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau visited France in January, the new French president said that if Quebecers decided in favour of sovereignty, France would no doubt be among the first to say that it would accompany them along that road.
For his part, the Prime Minister of Canada implied a few months ago that Jacques Chirac had as little chance of winning the presidential election as the sovereignists had of winning their referendum. Again, history is waiting for our Prime Minister just around the corner.