When the hon. member for Bourassa singles out the sovereignist movement as one of the causes of our economic problems, he is totally wrong. For several years—between 1985 and 1993 or 1994—Premier Robert Bourassa had control of Quebec's destiny. His was a federalist Liberal government. In the course of that period, Mr. Bourassa managed to cut jobs in Quebec by a net figure of 1,000 jobs. On the other hand, when the PQ government came to power, first under Mr. Parizeau and now with Mr. Bouchard, it created over 100,000 jobs in a shorter period of time.
The problem is structural. It arises from the fact that the Canadian federation is based on the impoverishment of the provinces surrounding Ontario, with Ontario getting the biggest slice of the pie. It has been that way for 130 years, it continues, and so long as we remain in this system, there is no way out.
So, it is time to stop telling us that transfer payments are charity. All we want is what we are entitled to, nothing more, nothing less. But the bottom line is that the only way to put an end to this dispute, this gross misunderstanding, is for Quebec to acquire its sovereignty and have full control over its entire economy.