Mr. Speaker, would it be as easy for an independent Quebec to become a signatory to the North American Free trade Agreement, also known as NAFTA, as the separatists claim?
The federal finance minister said yesterday it would not. He even warned that reopening negotiations with our American and Mexican partners would put a number of sectors of the Quebec economy in a vulnerable position.
I would also like to quote James Blanchard, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, and Sandra Fuentes-Berain, the Mexican ambassador to Canada, each of whom indicated that there were no guarantees an independent Quebec would automatically become a member of NAFTA.
They expected to keep Professor Ivan Bernier quiet by keeping his study on NAFTA under wraps, but they will not be able to do the same with everyone. As the finance minister said yesterday, it is time to get rid of this myth cultivated by the separatists.