He did not knuckle under, as my colleague for Hochelaga—Maisonneuve is suggesting to me very wisely and accurately.
I wonder what those members came to do here if not only to vote when they are told to do so. A little while ago I saw many of them, and I still see some of them, bowing their head. They have been forbidden to speak to this bill. They are ashamed, and I understand why they are looking down. I understand why they are hiding behind the curtains. I understand as well why they made signs to their leader when he came in to put the gag on us.
It is difficult to belong to a party that calls itself democratic and to be told: “Shut up. You are not here to think, you are here to vote when you are told to do so. We are four or five here to think for you”.
However, when they make speeches in their ridings, this is not what I hear. They say that they will defend firmly the rights of the individuals, associations, businesses, industries and citizens of their ridings. We are speaking of the rights of citizens and what do they do? They do not react. They accept to remain silent about a bill that is so important that it impacts on everyone in Quebec and in Canada.
I appeal to these members. I remember some speeches that the hon. member for Beauce made in his riding when he said “I will do the same as Mr. Bernier did before me”, but Mr. Bernier would have reacted to a bill like this one.
The hon. member for Beauce should be ashamed of what he said that time. If Mr. Bernier were here, he would rise and say “I do not accept that the rights of Quebecers are being trampled on in this way by this bill”.
Where is the member from Laval-Ouest? During the last electoral campaign, she engaged in debates and spoke constantly about human rights. She has not said a word about this bill.
The hon. member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine is always lecturing us about human rights in Quebec. But what is she doing today? She remains silent on a bill we are unanimously opposed to in Quebec.
And what is the member for Lac-Saint-Louis, a former Minister of the Environment in Quebec and a great human rights advocate doing? He also is keeping silent.
I call on the member for Pierrefonds—Dollard. He is a physician. He must know what human rights are, what privacy means. But he also is saying nothing.
I call on the member for Anjou—Rivière-des-Prairies, a former unionist and president of the CEQ. How many times has he talked about human rights in his speeches? I was expecting him to rise and say “No, this bill does not meet the expectations of the citizens of Quebec at all. It contradicts everything that was said by all the Quebec agencies who spoke on the subject”. But no, this public defender, this former great unionist now goes along, as his leader is doing, toeing the party line.
And what of the member for Pontiac—Gatineau—Labelle, who was saying the same thing during the election campaign?
Worst still, where is the member for Brome—Missisquoi, a former president of the Quebec bar association? What does the bar association have to say? It says all that. However, when he was the president of the bar association, what did he do? He said “Vote for me, I will go and defend the interests of Quebec. I know that the Quebec legal system is different from what exists elsewhere in Canada, first of all because of our Civil Code”.
The organization that he was heading has told us, and the member for Terrebonne quoted it earlier, that this bill was utterly useless, and that if we really wanted to pass it, it would have to be drastically amended. This organization sent a four-page letter to every member of parliament. Where is the former president of the bar association, now the member for Brome—Missisquoi? He also is remaining silent on this bill.
Then there is the member for Brossard—LaPrairie. I heard him in Shawinigan, during the 1993 election campaign, and during the 1992 referendum campaign. Together, we took part in debates. He was a great champion of rights and freedoms. Today, he is being silenced by his leader.
I urge all members from Quebec to rise and uphold the rights of Quebec. I appeal particularly to the famous minister, the member for Outremont, who said “I will speak out for the rights of Quebec within the Confederation”. The time has come for him to prove he can respect Quebec. Not only Quebec, because other provinces are opposed to this, but Quebec in particular. Five years ago, it was the first region in the western world to introduce such a bill and to enact it.
I appeal to all the ministers from Quebec, the Minister of Public Works, the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport. If he is now off his diet, is he now free to deal with human rights?
In concluding, I hope that in the last moments of this debate, all members from Quebec, no matter their political allegiance, will rise to tell the minister “Withdraw your bill”.