Mr. Speaker, yesterday the people of Scotland took a decisive step toward their future. Today, after 300 years, the Scottish parliament is alive again through democratic process and the resolute political will of an entire people.
We congratulate all parties involved in this exercise, including the Labour Party, which was victorious, and the secessionist Scottish National Party, which will be the official opposition and will defend and promote its option. This historic event is the expression of a will to debate calmly and democratically the future of a people and all the legitimate choices available to it.
The day will come when Scotland, like Quebec, will find its place among nations, thus sharing with other sovereign states its common values and proffering its differences to the world as a whole as an equal partner. Maîtres chez nous is the expression that defined the Quebec situation 30 years ago. It transcends the borders of Quebec. Still relevant today, it underlies the rise of peoples in the coming millennium.