Luckily we have a Speaker who ensures that order is observed in the House and that each member's right to speak is respected. I was very upset and hurt on February 26, 1998 when all members waved Canada's flag around like five-year-olds during a royal visit and sang the national anthem in the House. I think the Canadian flag was used for propaganda purposes. I think the flag and the national anthem were used to provoke and I find that unacceptable in our democratic system.
Whether members are federalists, or sovereigntists like the Bloc Quebecois, I think they must show respect for the flag and the national anthem as we have. We are not saying we like this national anthem, but we respect it, as we respect the American national anthem. We respect the Canadian flag, as we respect flags of other countries. I think that is what tolerance is all about. I think that the Reform Party and certain Liberal members do not have the word in their daily vocabulary. I hope that your ruling on this matter will provide a bit of enlightenment for parliamentarians because, as you know, the 36th Parliament is still very young.
In the coming weeks and months, some extremely important meetings will take place in Quebec. I hope that Reform and Liberal members will adopt a slightly different attitude to Quebec, put aside their arrogance and vengefulness, and eventually be able to sit down with Quebec and work out problems that it would be timely and very useful to resolve as quickly as possible for the good of Canada and particularly for the good of Quebec.