Mr. Speaker, if there is to be an economic and political union between Canada and Quebec, that is, if Canada were to give a separate Quebec special favours it does not give other countries, the Americans and the Mexicans would insist on being at the negotiating table, just as Canada did when Mexico and the United States wanted bilateral negotiations. We said no, we had to be at the table.
Here is what Canada would run the risk of losing if it were to accord Quebec this special agreement: its agricultural policy, its cultural exemption, the Canadian Wheat Board, the financial services sector, the rules of origin for the automobile industry and, even more importantly, the binational panels protecting us against American reprisals.
As the Leader of the Opposition said yesterday, Canada's exports to Quebec represent $33 billion; its exports to the United States, however, represent $165 billion, and Canada cannot risk losing this. It is not because it would not want to, but because it would have too much to lose.