Mr. Speaker, first, the member refers to the constitutional amendment on school boards, claiming it enjoyed unanimous support among the people. Of course, I do not know too many issues enjoying unanimous support, which was certainly not the case for this amendment, event though it was a good one.
Second, the member claims that parliamentary unanimity means that the Constitution may be circumvented. He says, for instance, that such a constitutional amendment does not need, or hardly needs, the agreement of the Parliament of Canada. He knows full well that a constitutional amendment must be ratified by a resolution of the proper legislative assembly, in this case the National Assembly of Quebec, and of course by both Houses of the Parliament of Canada.
Because a constitutional amendment only concerns one province in particular does not mean that it should not be ratified by the Parliament of Canada. It had to be done, and it was done with the support of members across the way. It was necessary, therefore. At the time, even ministers from Quebec came and testified before the committee. Mrs. Marois was one of them.
I have dealt with that point and would like now to deal with the issue of francophones outside Quebec since it has just been raised by the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, who said that francophones—