Mr. Speaker, we need to move this debate away from the heated rhetoric which has been taking place here today to the issue that really counts, the people of Canada, those of Longueuil, Lac-Saint Jean, Montreal, Papineau-St. Michel, Toronto, Hawkesbury or Victoria.
The issues being discussed today affect everybody in the country. The hon. member brought up the issue of overlap in government. This is a problem we are all labouring under. We need to solve this problem for all our constituents, including Canadians in Quebec.
The net transfer of payments in the order of billions of dollars has been going to Quebec for many years. Where does it come from? It comes from the west, British Columbia and Alberta. Do the people of Alberta and B.C. complain? Absolutely not. Why? At this time we are enjoying economic prosperity whereas the east is not.
Since we are all Canadians we do not mind transferring the funds to the east to help other individuals in the country who are not doing as well. That is a part of being a Canadian.
What will they do when the transfer funds are eliminated if they separate? The business community has repeatedly told the premier of Quebec that if there is separation there will be a huge negative economic impact on the people of Quebec.
What does the hon. member think about that, and what does he think about our 20-20 plan which is a comprehensive plan on how to decentralize federal-provincial jurisdictions for all Canadians across the country?