Madam Speaker, let me say from the outset that the reason I want to take part in this debate about the throne speech is to stress how this government— which has major surpluses after cuts in transfers to the provinces, with the result that ordinary people in particular have felt the impact of these significant cuts in health, education and social assistance—is using these surpluses in an arrogant way, without any concern for the very real problems experienced by individuals, problems for which the provinces now appear to be responsible.
First, why did the government postpone the beginning of the session by three weeks? Did the throne speech really justify that three week delay? During those three weeks, Quebecers and Canadians could not get answers from federal ministers, nor could these ministers be pressured into finding solutions to issues such as the major problem in the airline industry.
In Montreal, between 5,000 and 10,000 jobs could be lost, yet no one was there to explain why the government was letting things develop in such fashion or, if there is an east-west problem in Canada, to let us at least talk openly about it.
Why was the speech postponed? Citizens were deprived of an opportunity to react in a timely manner to the supreme court decision. The government saw the Marshall decision coming; it should have been ready.
Who paid the price? I would like to point out that Acadians and natives were on good terms. Many times, Acadians would say, in French, that they were sad because the reason many people were still around was because the Indians had protected them after the 1755 deportation. The government's negligence has torn this community apart. It will take time for things to return to normal.
Why a three week delay? Here is what I think. First, the government wanted to install, with great pomp, a new couple to represent the Queen of England, the Queen of Canada. The government claims it wants to help Canada enter the 21st century as a leader.
In the meantime, what are the Australians doing? They are getting ready for a referendum on whether or not to become a republic. That is a debate that might perhaps lead to the 21st century. The decisive day is November 6.
Why did the government delay the Speech from the Throne? So as not to muddy the waters for the International Forum on Federalism, which was supposed to show how wonderful Canadian federalism was. How wrong it was, because that was not what came out of the forum.
By the way, I would like my constituents in Mercier to know that I was there and glad that I was. What we saw were federations that said they were having problems and were trying to resolve them. That is not what we see in Canada.
Did the Canadians tell the forum that they were having problems, that they had imposed the Constitution on Quebec in 1982, and that it could no longer be changed, when change was what was needed? No, we did not hear that. Canada appeared as the model of a federation, but nobody was fooled, because Lucien Bouchard and Joseph Facal set out the problems. They said what we are saying in the House of Commons.
The conference revealed more than just the problems that Canada did not want to reveal. It also established that the issue of identity was important one. The speaker everyone there acknowledged as the best spoke of the importance of identity. Other federations said that they were trying to satisfy the needs of groups, specifically, the federations based on two or three nations trying to accommodate them so that together they may improve the quality of life of their citizens.
I could not ignore the fact either that the first person to point out that Canadian federalism had huge problems, was Ghislain Picard, who noted just how often native peoples had promises made to them put off.
Finally, we have the throne speech. I can't say right off that it was not worth forgoing the three weeks of session. For Quebec, this is a throne speech of a unitarian country recognizing increasingly less its mere existence.
The word is mentioned once to say that the government will be concerned with the issue of clarity, as if 94% of Quebecers who voted the last time did not know that their question was clear. Even Jean Chrétien realized it.