Madam Speaker, in response to the Bloc Quebecois motion, I wish to reaffirm the position of the Government of Canada, which acknowledges the right of Quebeckers to decide their future. It is precisely because it believes in that right that the Government of Canada has introduced certain initiatives to ensure that the debate for the possible secession of Quebec is held in an atmosphere of clarity and transparency. It is only then that the right of Quebeckers to determine their future takes on its full meaning.
It is clear that Quebeckers cannot be kept in Canada against their clearly and democratically expressed will, but they must not lose Canada without having renounced it clearly. A clear question, a legal, orderly process acceptable to all, an enlightened decision made by citizens who have all the information they need and a clearly expressed will, these are the essential components for Quebeckers to be able to decide their future. To settle for less would be to deny Quebeckers the exercise of their democratic rights that clarity and transparency are paramount for the Government of Canada.
Some information that has now been made public reveals the true intentions of the Government of Quebec at the time of the 1995 referendum, and the approach it had in mind, even after a weak yes on a nebulous question.
The unilateral declaration of independence, plan O or the big game plan of Jacques Parizeau, as well as the famous political and economic partnership suggested by the referendum question but described now by Mr. Bouchard as just the bare bones, or a summary, clearly demonstrate that the process for taking a decision as serious as separation from Canada must be clear and transparent. The process proposed by the PQ government to achieve sovereignty was irresponsible and unrealistic, and the negative consequences of a vote in favour of secession were not disclosed.
Not only must the process be transparent, but the consequences of a vote in favour of Quebec's separation must be clearly explained to people. The fact that the government was prepared to risk losing over $17 billion in people's savings for the unrealistic purpose of limiting panic on the markets after a victory of the yes side—this after assuring people that the consequences of such a victory would not be alarming—clearly shows that the right of Quebeckers to decide their future must be exercised with full knowledge of the facts. The decision to break up a country must be taken with full knowledge of the consequences.
Quebeckers must be allowed to decide, but they must also know exactly what they may have to give up. The confusion generated by secessionists regarding the consequences of Quebec's separation convinced the Canadian government to ensure the clarity and transparency of the process. Do I have to remind the House that, according to a CROP poll taken in July 1997, 44% of Quebeckers who voted yes thought Quebec would still be part of Canada after a yes victory?
The President of the Queen's Privy Council and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs reaffirmed the importance, for Quebeckers, to have all the information required to properly exercise their right to decide their future. In a letter dated February 6, addressed to Mr. Ryan and dealing with the reference to the supreme court, the minister wrote “Through this reference, the Government of Canada seeks clarification of an important issue, that of the legal aspects of a unilateral secession. We believe Quebeckers and other Canadians are entitled to that information. Above all, the decision whether or not to secede should not be made on the basis of myths and false theories”.
We could add that the governments of Quebec and Canada alike have a duty to take necessary measures to inform citizens of all the aspects of a possible secession by Quebec. I repeat, only under those conditions does Quebec's right to decide its future take on all its meaning.
The Government of Canada has and will always have the responsibility to respect that duty, to provide information that is incumbent on every government.
The current Quebec government said on a number of occasions that, should the yes side win a referendum, even with a small majority, it could separate Quebec from the rest of Canada by unilaterally declaring its independence, adding that neither the Constitution nor the courts have a role to play in a secession. The Government of Canada is of the opinion that such a statement has no legal foundation.
In fact we rather agree with Lucien Bouchard's statement in his book Mot à Mot , and I quote:
Quebeckers, whatever their stripe, did not and do not agree with living outside the Constitution of Canada, when we live in a society based on the rule of law. And Canadians have to understand this.
Secession within the law would already cause huge problems. While it is true that unilateral secession has no basis in law, it would raise problems that are even more difficult to overcome, as the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs indicated in his letter to Mr. Ryan.
In it he said that one of the consequences of such legal instability could fly back in the face of the secessionist government, and I quote:
Many Quebeckers would claim the right to not lose Canada in the confusion, without a recognized legal framework. The Government of Quebec would have a hard time obliging its citizens to comply with its laws, since it would have moved itself outside the legal framework. We Quebeckers would not want our society plunged into such instability.
No person and no government would benefit from such instability, which would, in turn, create economic uncertainty and threaten peace in society.
The action taken by the Government of Canada for clarification purposes in no way questions the legitimacy of a referendum. The aim is not to prevent Quebeckers from expressing their opinion on their political future, but rather to clarify certain matters of law to enable Quebeckers and other Canadians to better understand the scope of the unilateral action proposed by the current Government of Quebec.
Among other things the principle of the rule of law protects the democratic rights of the population. It ensures that over and above the political choices of the day all democratic principles underlying society and guaranteeing its existence within an orderly and peaceful context are respected.
The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs went further in his letter to Mr. Ryan, stating that the law is necessary in order for political action to take place democratically and not in anarchy.
The Government of Canada undertook to explain clearly what was at stake in a possible third referendum on Quebec's independence and, in particular, the consequences of unilateral secession.
I agree with the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs when he says that, as a Quebecker, he wants to be sure that neither he nor his fellow citizens will lose their identity or their full rights as Canadians in the confusion, with no legal framework to decide our disputes, in a dangerously unclear state that is democratically unacceptable.
I cannot support the motion introduced by the Bloc Quebecois because this party refuses to recognize the rule of law, as we saw with its refusal to agree to the amendment moved earlier today by the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.