Mr. Speaker, yesterday the hon. member for Beauharnois—Salaberry selectively quoted United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on the matter of secession.
In fact, what the secretary general said was: If the supreme court judgement requires a clear majority, if the majority of Quebeckers opt for secession, and if your constitution recognizes their right to do so, we too will have to grant that recognition.
The secretary general is therefore referring to a clear majority of Quebeckers on secession, and not a vague notion like sovereignty-association. He is referring to a secession negotiated within the framework of the Canadian Constitution, not unilateral secession.
In fact, he is saying exactly the same thing as the Government of Canada has been saying over and over again for the past two and one-half years. He added—