Mr. Speaker, my first impulse in commenting on Premier Bouchard's one person attempt to manipulate history was to shrug and say “What is new?”
On more thought, however, I realized what a horrible insult he had made to Quebeckers.
The rest of Canada may dismiss it as one more of the premier's childish tantrums, but when one recalls the blood and sacrifice of thousands of Quebeckers in World War II one sees how his actions approach sacrilege.
How can he dismiss the record of the Vandoos, the Maisonneuve, the Black Watch and others and their fallen comrades who left their blood, their dreams, their youth on the soil of Europe so that people like Premier Bouchard would have freedom of speech?
How can he forget General and Mrs. Vanier, one of Quebec's, and indeed Canada's, most famous families and their record of service to Canada?
Mr. Bouchard should hang down his head in shame.