Mr. Speaker, the less than flattering statue of Louis Riel in front of the Manitoba legislature was replaced yesterday by one that befits this great man and his role in the history of Quebec and Canada.
Now that the father of Manitoba has been so honoured, the Bloc Quebecois hopes the next step, an even more important step that this House should take, will be to unanimously agree to quash the guilty verdict against Louis Riel.
This would show that John A. MacDonald's mentality no longer prevails. In 1896, he told Quebec's Lieutenant-Governor, Rodrigue Masson, and I quote:
"He shall hang, even though every dog in Quebec barks in his favour".
In other words: "He shall hang, even though all dogs in Quebec bark in his favour".