Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time the Parti Quebecois has run into political contradictions.
This morning we learned that the government of Quebec is refusing to take part in the launching of the Year of the Francophonie in Canada.
In justification of its refusal, it refers to the concept of Quebec as a “historical focal point”. According to the PQ government, “Quebec is a historical focal point of the French language in North America”.
Yet, on April 17, 1996 Lucien Bouchard leapt at the throat of the federal government. Why? Because he wanted to attack this same notion of principal focal point, which our party had raised a few days before.
This is a major contradiction. According to Mr. Bouchard, the focal point concept was just one more proof that renewed federalism is impossible within the context of Quebec's fundamental aspirations.
The Parti Quebecois plan is to hobble Quebeckers and prevent them from developing within Canada.