Madam Speaker, I am really saddened by the remarks of the hon. member from Kamouraska. I gather from what he said that Quebecers never got anything out of Canada and are denied prosperity.
It is particularly painful for me to listen to that, because my own ancestor landed in Kamouraska in the mid-1600s, around 1642 or 1652. He founded a family, the members of which settled in all parts of the country, not only in the Kamouraska and Rivière-du-Loup area.
Today I am a Franco-Ontarian member of parliament, and I am proud of the work my ancestors did. We share the same ancestors. They were the founders of a great region of this country. The hon. member's remarks are unfortunate, because, to us, a country is something very important. We should not take lightly the breakup of a country. And we do respect democracy.
How many referendums shall we have? Quebecers have said no twice already. This is hardly respect for democracy. But since the Parti Quebecois and the Bloc Quebecois have decided to keep talking about referendums, we have a duty to put forward clear rules in order to protect democracy.