Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of a vast majority of my constituents.
In everyday life, a number of them are political opponents of mine who do not necessarily share my burning desire to live in my own country, Quebec, as soon as possible. However, this time they share my opposition to Bill C-20, introduced in this House on December 10 by the member for Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, the Canadian Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. The bill is entitled an act to give effect to the requirement for clarity as set out in the opinion of the Supreme Court of Canada in the Quebec Secession Reference.
Moreover, what happened this morning in this very House shows that the members of the Liberal Party of Canada, the party in power, have completely lost track of what it means to be democratic.
Democracy is first and foremost a concept that people must have between their ears. If it is not there, they can talk about it all they want, but they will not change anything in reality. They will then adopt undemocratic behaviours while pretending to serve democracy and to defend the public good. Moreover, they will do as this government is doing. They will become arrogant and go as far as to prevent their opponents from expressing their views on what the government considers to be a decisive issue for the future of Canada through a gag order.
I regularly hear on the radio or on TV and read in the newspapers, both English and French, statements by the member for Saint-Laurent—Cartierville saying that Quebecers do not want to hear about a referendum in the foreseeable future.
Has this member, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, already forgotten that he himself revived the debate on this issue in Quebec and Canada? If this minister is as sensitive to public opinion as he claims to be, why did he introduce a bill that nobody wants in Quebec?
We will conclude today the debate at second reading of Bill C-20. Unfortunately, I will not have time to get to the core of the issue because I have no choice but to express my outrage at a government that, day after day, tramples on democracy and never misses an opportunity to lecture other countries. The people of Canada and Quebec must keep a close eye on their federal government, because the absence of democracy originates in its own backyard.
In the last general election, in June 1997, if the Liberal Party of Canada had won only 151 seats, the leader of this party and member for Saint-Maurice would have agreed to form the government on the basis that his party had a majority. A majority of 50% plus one would have been enough to take office.
The Prime Minister, the member for Saint-Maurice, and his Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs find that a majority of 50% plus one is not enough, while they belong to a party that got only 38% of the vote in the last general election.
The government must stop adding fuel to the flame. The hon. member for Saint-Maurice and the hon. member for Saint-Laurent—Cartierville must stop antagonizing the people of Quebec. The Prime Minister and his Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs must stop trying to gain the support of the Canadian people by denigrating the men and women of Quebec.
With Bill C-20, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs wants to define the rules of the next Quebec referendum. This is clear interference in the democratic process that Quebec has put in place to decide its own political and constitutional future.
Also, the minister would have us believe that his government now recognizes the possibility for Quebec to break away from Canada when in fact his legislation is designed to make it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to hold another referendum in Quebec.
Obviously, the former great professor will claim that I am not interpreting his bill properly and that he never intended to prevent Quebec from holding a referendum when and as it sees fit. But in reality, and notwithstanding what he claims so loudly every chance he gets, should Bill C-20 be passed, any potential referendum Quebec may want to hold would have to take into account the minister's wishes as set out in Bill C-20.
Accordingly, I call upon members opposite who are moderately intelligent and who did not enter politics to be the sidekicks or the puppets of the member for Saint-Laurent—Cartierville. I call upon the intelligence of those members across the way who still know the meaning of the word “liberal”. I call upon those who are still able to express themselves within the Liberal Party and have not fallen victims to the gag order their party leader or their House leader imposes on them.
When the people of Canada and Quebec have fully understood how horrible this bill is, they will know what to do at the ballot box at the next general federal election, as they did regarding employment insurance at the last general election. But it will be too late for our colleagues opposite, who will be sorry they did not have the courage to speak up.
There is still time for the government majority to intervene and make its Prime Minister and his Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs see reason. There are at least three good reasons the government should withdraw Bill C-20.
First, Bill C-20 is designed to give the House of Commons the power to disallow a legal and legitimate act of the national assembly and decision of the Quebec people.
We talk about a right of disallowance because Bill C-20 gives the House of Commons the power to determine by resolution whether it pleases the House to find that the question is clear and that a clear majority of the people of Quebec have clearly expressed their will to separate from Canada.
We talk about a right of disallowance because Bill C-20 accords the House of Commons the power to reject a motion by which the national assembly would adopt a referendum question and to censor the result of a referendum without a clear majority, again in the opinion of the House.
Considering the intentions of the government on clarity and the question to be put to the aboriginal people on the Pointe-Bleue reserve in Roberval, no wonder doubts are cast on this government's ability to assess clarity.
Here is the question to the voters in the band:
Do you accept and approve the settlement agreement dated, for reference purposes, the 14th day of December, 1999, between the Montagnais band of Lac-Saint-Jean and Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada?
Do you agree to sanction, pursuant to sections 38(1) and 39 of the Indian Act, the absolute transfer to her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada by the Montagnais band of Lac-Saint-Jean all rights and those of its members pertaining to all parcels of reserve lands on concession IX of the Ouiatchouan township?
By voting yes, you authorize the Chief of the Montagnais band of Lac-Saint-Jean or any other member of the band council duly authorized by resolution to sign on behalf of the band council and its members all documents and to take all measures required to put into effect the settlement agreement and the absolute transfer of all parcels of the reserve lands on concession IX of the Ouiatchouan township. “Yes or no?”
So much for the clarity of this government.
Second, Bill C-20 denies Quebecers the freedom to choose their political destiny, and particularly the freedom to include in a referendum question—if such is the desire of the national assembly—an offer of partnership with the rest of Canada.
Bill C-20 is an attack on Quebec's freedom of choice because it limits the constitutional and political options for the future of Quebec by rejecting partnership outright.
In section 2 of Bill C-20, particularly subsections (4) ( a ) and ( b ), we see that the real political objective of the Liberal Government of Canada is to deprive the Government of Quebec of the possibility of presenting to the people of Quebec a modern version of independence and sovereignty.
The purpose of Bill C-20 is to prevent Quebec from extending its hand to Canada with the offer of a form of partnership which would be fully compatible with the new status of a sovereign Quebec.
As several analysts have pointed out, we are dealing with a strategy, a ploy of the Prime Minister and his Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, intended to place before Quebecers the following alternative: status quo or secession.
The third reason is that Bill C-20 denies the universally accepted rule of 50% plus one for the majority, and the fundamental rule of the equality of votes.
Since you are signalling that my time is nearly up, I would like to repeat that this bill ought to be withdrawn before the institution that is the House of Commons is condemned for having broken an essential principle, the equality of everyone before the law.