We know full well that there is no support for this bill, which is obviously an unreasonable measure. This is a bill that you should forthwith ask all your pages to collect, Madam Speaker, so that we never hear about it again. That is the best thing that could happen to it. Do not think for a minute that we will let it go through without putting up a fight.
We are all here today to let our listeners know that, if passed, this bill will result in the establishment of a government agency that is not accountable to this Parliament.
Why is the Minister of Revenue—who was so voluble when it came to promoting Vancouver's bid for the Olympic Games—unable to explain by virtue of what principle it is consistent with ministerial responsibility to surrender our powers and offload onto non-elected representatives the responsibility of destroying 20% of the public service? This is not serious. I think this bill should be immediately withdrawn.
There is at least ten good reasons justifying the Bloc Quebecois' opposition. First, as I said, there is no support for such a bill. There is an old principle in the British parliamentary system, which the heritage minister must know and which states that lawmakers must not legislate for no good reason.
How is it that a bill like this does not address the real problems? If the government wants to talk about taxation, it should get cracking and introduce a bill on Canadian transfer payments that would return to the provinces the money taken away from them.
Between 1993, when the Prime Minister closed the red book, and now, the provinces have been done out of $42 billion. Quebec alone lost $7 billion. Is this the kind of federalism the Minister of Canadian Heritage wants to see? Once again I ask the Minister of Canadian Heritage to listen to what I am saying and to tell me whether this is the kind of federalism government members favour, that is to say a system that allows the central government to literally destabilize the public finances of the provinces.
When I was a hot-headed and dashing young university student thirsting for knowledge, I was taught that federalism had three characteristics. I was told it was a political system with two levels of government: a central government and provincial governments. In their respective areas of jurisdiction, each level of government was supposed to be sovereign. That was the first characteristic.
The second characteristic, they said, was that, under constitutional law, a higher level of government was not supposed to interfere in the affairs of so-called lower levels of government. Well, what about bill like this, which goes right to the heart of taxation in Quebec? I know that you will hardly believe it, Madam Speaker, but if this bill is passed, municipalities might even be asked to help with tax collection.
Is there anything more closely related to provincial governments than municipalities? Why would the federal government need to interfere in an area such as this one?
The problem is that there is nobody in cabinet to defend Quebec's interests. Nobody in this government speaks for Quebec. They have no backbone when it comes to defending Quebec's interests. I am convinced we could not name a single minister who did so. Certainly not the member for Vaudreuil—Soulanges. He does not talk much. He is not one to raise his voice.
As a matter of fact, Madam Speaker, if I asked you, would you be able to name one minister who defended Quebec's interests when it came to putting an end to such interference by the federal government? No.
That is the sad part about it. If not for the members of the Bloc Quebecois who are totally dedicated to defending Quebec's interests, which is why we are respected and have the support of the people, this bill would have passed without a hitch.
No, we will not let it happen because we have too much respect for the Government of Quebec.
We fought hard to have our own tax system in Quebec. We just have to think of Maurice Duplessis, of the Union nationale, who asked Ottawa to give him back his loot. He was the first to create a direct taxation system in 1948.
So we will not let it happen. The day is not over yet, and we still hope this bill is withdrawn.
Madam Speaker, would it be possible to have the unanimous consent of the House—which, I think, will be granted—to continue my speech for another ten minutes? I am not finished yet.