Mr. Speaker, the Conseil du patronat du Québec has just released the results of a major survey it conducted among 418 of its corporate members, including almost all of the one hundred largest private businesses in Quebec.
It reveals that 88 per cent of the respondents will vote no in the referendum and 87 per cent of them are not in favour of Quebec sovereignty. Ninety per cent of the corporate members said that a yes vote in the referendum would result in very significant costs for Quebec. Like the vast majority of Quebecers, business leaders wonder what advantage there is for Quebec in separating from Canada.
For these businesses, which are real job creators, Canada remains unquestionably the best strategic choice for Quebec's economic, social and cultural development.