Mr. Speaker, I get the feeling that the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader is mixing up all sorts of things.
First of all, we would simply tell him that the best proof that sovereignists respected the 1995 referendum verdict is that Quebec is still part of Canada. Since the Government of Quebec was a sovereigntist government at the time and still is, if it had not respected the verdict of the people, it would have subsequently proclaimed Quebec's sovereignty, which it did not do.
It therefore respected the verdict of the people, even though the referendum results were very close.
That having been said, if, as the federalists argue, Quebec were divisible, the very great majority of Quebec's territory would already have been sovereign since 1995. All regions of Quebec, with the exception perhaps of three, the Outaouais, West Montreal and the Beauce, voted very heavily in favour of sovereignty and yet they are not part of an independent country called Quebec today. They are still part of Canada.
However, in 1995, the possibility of constitutional amendments was held out to the people of Quebec and a small majority was once again misled into voting no. They voted no, probably hoping that the Prime Minister's empty promises would result in a renewed federalism. Once again, as it did 1980, the federal government reneged on these promises.
As a result, since the promises made to Quebecers in 1995 were not kept, we are fully entitled to again ask ourselves whether we wish to belong to this country.
I would say to my hon. colleague that the reason I am still promoting Quebec's sovereignty is because in 1997 Quebecers gave me and my 43 Bloc Quebecois colleagues a renewed mandate not only to defend their interests but also to promote Quebec's sovereignty here in the House of Commons.
That is what I am going to continue to do because it is why my constituents sent me here.