Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to the comments made by the hon. member for Bourassa and I perfectly understand his position.
However, I find it somewhat ironic that he and his party should try to find a scapegoat, when the scapegoat himself cannot understand their separatist policies.
I know that from time to time we must take firm positions on policies, but that should not, in the end, prevent anyone from working, from earning a living. That is why I do understand the hon. member's comments.
I know that from one end of our beautiful country to the other, people are struggling. Just a few hours ago, GM workers on strike in Ontario held out their hands to workers on strike at the GM plant in Sainte-Thérèse. We saw two communities working together and finally succeeding in reaching a satisfactory agreement with the company.
Using this example, I could suggest-and I easily get involved in policies-that the situation in Montreal is not that different from the situation elsewhere, except that we do recognize it in our ridings.
The hon. member is fully aware that Montrealers, anglophones and francophones alike, sometimes come to see us to tell us how bad the situation is in Montreal and that it is a result not only of federal and provincial government policies, but also of the changing economy, so we must co-operate and adapt.
Instead of putting a question to the hon. member who, of course, must approve the motion, I hold out my hand to him saying: "Work with us, work with Franco-Ontarians, work with others in this country. We are here to help you". But we must hold out our hands, we must have hope in our future, in our future together. Does he not agree with this sincere offer from our government?