Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with this House remarks made in September in Chicago by a person who is sold on sovereignty and selling the idea.
According to this unexpected sovereignist, we are witnessing the emergence of a movement for building a North American community where states co-operate more closely on regional and global issues while maintaining their distinct cultures and identities, which is a essential to allow a community to define itself as a nation.
The challenge, according to this speaker who might as well have been a member of the Bloc Quebecois, would then be to develop some common courses of action—let us call them partnerships—flexible enough to prevent crushing identity references and national cultures, which absolutely must be maintained.
The Bloc Quebecois is very pleased to welcome the Minister of External Affairs into the sovereignist camp, as he has just shown that we share many views on sovereignty.