Madam Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion because it raises the issue of the future of Quebec.
The official opposition is very concerned about the future of Quebeckers. We want to do everything we can to make sure that this future is as good as possible.
I suggest that the motion before us is only half a motion. The motion is really referring to the rights of Quebeckers but it does so without qualification. It appears to imply that the right of Quebeckers to decide their own future is some absolute right but in reality, there are no such things as absolute rights.
Every right is subject to qualifications and limits. Rights are limited by the rights of others. My right to extend my fist stops at the end of your nose. So what we have before us is half a motion. The missing words are subject to the rule of law and the principle of democratic consent.
The official opposition maintains that Quebeckers have the right to decide their own future but first of all in accordance with the rule of law. In the case of Canada that means in accordance with the Constitution of Canada which is the supreme law of our country.
Whether or not the Bloc or the PQ like the Constitution of Canada, it is the law of the land. That law contains no explicit provision for the secession of a province. The only way a province could lawfully secede would be to pass a constitutional amendment which would then have to be carried in this House and approved by the other provinces.
The point that the current law does not provide for a unilateral secession seems patently self-evident to us, but if that point will gain more authority by a ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada, so be it. That is why we favour the reference to the supreme court to get a determination on this matter.
Members of the Bloc will say that they do not intend to respect the rule of law with respect to this point, the right of a province to secede, but I would plead with the Bloc members to tread very carefully on that ground.
Once you say—particularly once lawmakers say—that you respect the rule of law except on this point or that, you are opening a door which you may never be able to shut. And if you teach your people that there are exceptions to the rule of law and that when they disagree with the law they should feel free to break it with impunity rather than to change it, you are starting down a very dangerous road.
That is why I asked the hon. leader of the Bloc after his speech whether he believed in the rule of law within a new Quebec. He said yes. Yet if the Bloc teaches the people of Quebec that there are exceptions to the rule of law, what will be the answers of such members when some citizens of Quebec say to them down the road “We do not like your law. We intend to break your law and we declare that we have a right to unilaterally break it because you taught us that this is permissible”.
Another qualification on the Quebeckers' right to decide their own future is the principle of democratic consent. Reform has been quite clear on this point. We want Quebeckers to remain in Canada. We fervently desire to unite Canada for the 21st century.
We believe that Canada can be united by reforming the federation on the principle of equality and through a rebalancing of the powers. But we have also stated that if a majority of Quebeckers responding to a fair question in a fair referendum process were to decide in favour of secession, the Government of Canada would then have an obligation to enter into negotiations of terms and conditions of secession, terms and conditions on which Canadians would then have to pass judgment.
Before the Bloc Quebecois members rejoice too much at our endorsation of this principle of democratic consent, let me make clear that it is a two-edged sword. If we affirm that Quebeckers have a right to decide their own future in a referendum, that right should apply to every Quebecker including those who see their future as part of Canada.
The ballot for a referendum on secession to be fair to all concerned should bear two questions. And I do not mind saying what the wording of those questions should be: Should Quebec separate from Canada and become an independent country with no special legal ties to Canada, yes or no? If Quebec separates from Canada, should your community separate from Quebec and remain part of Canada, yes or no?
If a majority vote on the first question on separation is sufficient to trigger the negotiation of a secession, a majority vote on the second question in a particular district or municipality would trigger the partition of Quebec, a change in the boundaries of Quebec in accordance with the right of Quebeckers, in this case a minority of Quebeckers, to determine their future. In other words if Canada is divisible, as long as the process employed respects the rule of law and the principle of democratic consent, then Quebec is divisible by the application of the same processes and the same principles.
I conclude by saying it is because the secession of Quebec would not only diminish Canada but would also diminish Quebec, it is because both Canada as a whole and Quebec as an entity would ultimately be injured by secession and partition, that we search for a third way beyond separation and status quo federalism. We earnestly plead with Quebeckers to consider that third way and to generate a new consensus around that third option as the best guarantee of a secure and a prosperous future.