Madam Speaker, Motion M-206 brought forward today by my colleague from Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca says that the government should establish beforehand five specific conditions with regard to any secessionist claim.
I can understand why this motion is being debated. I can even say that, in a sense, I agree with my colleague from Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca that the unilateral secession of any province is totally unacceptable.
Let me remind the House that the government was quite clear on that. We went to court to defend the rule of law. The federal government's intervention before the Cour supérieure du Québec is the direct result of the motion presented by the Government of Quebec. It claims that the secession of Quebec does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Canadian courts or the Constitution and that it is solely a matter of international law.
The matter is now before the courts and a ruling will be made at the appropriate time. In the meantime, we are concentrating, as we have always done, on issues of interest to all Canadians, namely the economy, employment, growth, the renewal of the federation, equality, social justice as well as national reconciliation, which the Reform Party obviously has no interest in.
Far from creating an environment favourable to national reconciliation, the positions adopted recently by members of the third party underline the fundamental issues that divide them.
When did our colleagues from the Reform Party contribute to the debate with positive arguments, constructive solutions? Instead, they seem to be on the path of division and confrontation.
While conditions for secession seem to be "the" main concern of Reform members, our government has clearly indicated its priorities in the throne speech. We are focusing our efforts on positive action that will prepare Canada for the challenges of the new millenium.
Economic prosperity, employment, equality, social justice and national reconciliation, these are the issues of concern to Canadians. These are also the priorities established by our government.
During the first half of its mandate, the government took some measures to set economic and budgetary conditions that would foster sustained growth and job creation. It undertook a major administrative reform, reduced the deficit, and took some trade and international investment initiatives.
It is in this context that, since it assumed power, our government has created more than half a million jobs and reduced the unemployment rate by two points, so that, for the first time in five years, it is under 10 per cent.
Thus, our government has made major changes in the past two years and it continues to put forward the measures announced in the throne speech to improve the workings of the Canadian federation. In this regard, let me remind the hon. member of the initiatives on which our government is focusing.
First of all, our government promised to limit its spending power in exclusively provincial areas. Never before has the federal government offered to limit its powers outside formal constitutional negotiations.
Moreover, at the request of its provincial counterparts, the government says that it will not create any shared cost program in sectors under provincial jurisdiction, without the agreement of a majority of provinces. Non participating provinces implementing such a program will be compensated. We believe that, with such co-operation and openness, we will promote Canadian unity.
Secondly, our government is determined to find new avenues for cooperation with provinces to maintain national standards in social programs without imposing conditions and without unilateral implementation. It must be reminded that our social programs guarantee all Canadians access to comparable levels of service no matter where they live. That is what our government's commitment to social solidarity means.
Thirdly, the government took the commitment to define more clearly the responsibilities of the different levels of government. This is done in cooperation with the provinces. We began withdrawing from areas which are more directly the responsibility of the provinces, municipalities and other stakeholders.
In this regard, the proposal put forward last week by our colleague, the human resources development minister, is a concrete example of the fulfilment of a major commitment for our government and for most of the provinces, which had been seeking increased authority over manpower training for a long time. The announcement also signals a new co-operation between both levels of government in the area of manpower training.
Therefore, provinces, if they wish, will be able to have their own programs of employment measures, such as wage subsidies, income supplements, job creation partnerships as well as manpower services such as employment counselling and job placement.
This is a practical example of the ability of federalism to adjust to the claims of its various partners and to the regional needs in the best interests of Canadians everywhere in Canada. We are also continuing with our plans to withdraw from a number of other activities, such as forestry, mining and recreation.
Fourth, the federal government will continue to promote economic union. In order to ensure greater protection for individual and common interests, our government has undertaken to work in concert with the provinces, in order to reduce obstacles to internal trade and manpower mobility. We are also proposing to create, in co-operation with the interested provinces, a Canadian Securities Commission that will facilitate the circulation of capital.
Fifth, the federal government is in favour of including in the Canadian Constitution a regional veto and recognition of the distinct identity of Quebec.
Finally, on the question of conditions of secession, which seem to be the Reform Party's main preoccupation, the government has indicated that it would ensure that the rules regarding the question and the consequences of secession are clear for everyone, which was obviously not the case in the referendum last October 30.
I would like to remind the House that the next first ministers' conference is part of that process for the modernization of the federation. That meeting will be the perfect opportunity to examine ways to improve the workings of our federation and to bring about the changes that all Canadians want.
Here is how our government intends to revitalize the Canadian federation: by proposing some positive answers to the concerns of Canadians, in an atmosphere of co-operation, dialogue and respect. This is also how we should, and we will, implement a more harmonious federation based on a larger consensus.
Therefore, we ask the Reform Party to join in with the federal government, in order that we may work constructively towards the renewal of the federation, as all Canadians want us to do.