Madam Speaker, everybody will understand that it is on a somewhat humble tone that I am speaking today to an issue of such a vital importance, after the many eloquent speeches from my colleagues. I am making reference, among others, to the members from St. Hyacinthe—Bagot, Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, Rosemont, Trois-Rivières and Frontenac—Megantic. All those who rose before me are only adding, if you will, to my nervousness while I am speaking.
Your attention to this debate and your nods of agreement while we speak are only adding to the determination with which I am expressing myself here today.
On October 19, 1999—a few days before the birth of the first child of a couple that are friends of mine and to whom I wish to say hello—we can talk about an obsession of the federal government, the obsession of uniformity.
We can only go back to the origins of this country, Canada, namely the Constitution Act, 1867. This document—until the fast approaching day when Quebecers will decide to leave democratically, and we are working passionately to that end every day—represents the rules we have to follow.
The Constitution, although plagued with defects was nevertheless sometimes reflecting a certain wisdom. All the colleagues who spoke before me mentioned that section 92.13 of The British North America Act gave the provinces exclusive power on property and civil rights.
But another paragraph which remained almost unnoticed until now in the Constitution is section 94. Section 94 allowed the federal government to ensure the uniformity of legislation in the common law provinces at a time when there were four provinces in Confederation, that is Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This allowed the federal government to standardize legislation in Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but not in Quebec, because it was recognized explicitly, not only in section 92.13 but in section 94 as well, that the legal system in Quebec was distinct, based on a totally different tradition, a civil tradition.
The recognition of the distinctiveness of Quebec's legal tradition is not upheld by those who want to be the heirs of the Fathers of Confederation, the current government.
Any observer from another country, or even one landing here from another planet, would say “My goodness, this does not make any sense. The ones defending respect of the Constitution of 1867 are the sovereignists, the ones who want to ensure that Quebec is no longer bound by that document”.
Where are the defenders of federalism? Where are the defenders of the Constitution? They sit opposite, but say nothing. Even those who come from Quebec did not stand up to say “Wait a minute, we will not allow the exclusive jurisdiction of Quebec to be flouted, put aside, forgotten, and even, as one my hon. colleagues put it so eloquently, scorned”.
It is of course the Bloc Quebecois' position that I just mentioned, but it is widely shared by numerous stakeholders throughout Quebec.
Once again, the Bloc Quebecois is the voice of Quebec in the federal arena, to the great displeasure of my colleague from Chicoutimi, whose speech I did not hear. I do not know if he rose to speak on this subject.