Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is quite wrong in suggesting that the rule of law somehow results in the oppression of anyone.
It is crucially important to the population of Quebec as well as to the rest of Canada that everything we do in this country is consistent with legal principles.
The rule of law and democracy go hand in hand, and the rule of law is not an obstacle to change. It permits change to take place in an orderly way. If that is seen in its proper context as part of democracy then one sees that the premise of the hon. member's question is quite wrong.
It is troubling when an attorney general of a province, who is supposed to be the chief law enforcement officer of the province, leaves a courtroom and says that he will have nothing more to do with the case and that the result of the case is irrelevant to him or his plans. That is troubling. It is inconsistent with the values of the people of Quebec, the values of the people of this country.
Legal principles and respect for the rule of law goes hand in hand with democracy, and that is at the heart of the matter referred to by the hon. member.