Mr. Speaker, today Quebec artists conveyed to the Supreme Court of Canada the message that the Quebec people will not agree to be bound by a decision made on the basis of the Constitution Act, 1982, an act that was never recognized by the Quebec National Assembly.
Because they believe in democratic values, artists have continued to think and create freely, in spite of the Minister of National Heritage, who wanted to use them as Canadian flag bearers.
It is therefore with pride that I quote Pierre Graveline, who recently wrote: “While our existence and freedom are once again being challenged by the Canadian government, we assert today that Quebeckers are a free people with a legitimate right to self-determination that no court can take away. Our destiny does not belong to anyone but ourselves. It is not up to the Supreme Court but to us and us alone to decide our future”.