Mr. Speaker, I have listened carefully to the speech by the member opposite.
I am surprised at his support for the federal government's centralizing attitude. In the last part of his speech, he said that the government must listen to municipalities, but must intervene. It must listen to the private sector, but must intervene.
He also spoke of great national visions and of national criteria. I wonder if he really believes in the federal system. Let us not forget that the federal government did not create the provinces. It was the other way around. In creating the federal government, the provinces delegated powers and jurisdictions. The federal government must honour its creators—the provinces, that is—and their requests for jurisdiction. It must stay within the limits of the powers granted it.
The member spoke of health and national standards, and I understand that he was speaking of them in terms of better service to the public or assistance to the disadvantaged.
I understand perfectly well that the federal government must help all Canadians to achieve a certain equality, a certain fairness in health care and education, but it could show respect for provincial jurisdictions in so doing.
I could take the example of the millennium scholarships. According to the most recent surveys, 80% of the public in Quebec is against having these scholarships administered by the federal government. All university presidents in Quebec are opposed to these scholarships. The entire education system as well as the two main political parties, the Liberal Party of Quebec and the Parti Québécois, are against them. And what does the federal government say? It says it will go ahead anyway.
If it really wants to help the education sector, why—