Mr. Speaker, neither British Columbians nor I are calling for secession. What we are calling for is a little respect from the government.
The government responds to foreign overfishing off the west coast by taking the B.C. government to court. It closes the only military base on mainland British Columbia. It withholds millions of dollars in transfer payments because it claims the B.C. NDP government is too hard on welfare recipients.
Would the minister agree it is because of the government's mishandling of west coast issues that so many British Columbians do not feel at home in Confederation?