Mr. Speaker, in light of the introduction by the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs of a bill that denies Quebecers their fundamental rights, I am asking for the unanimous consent of the House to table a document which will certainly enlighten this House.
It is an article on the advantages to Ontario of the separation of Quebec, which appeared in La Presse on January 26.
The article states:
The sovereignty of Quebec would temporarily upset the economy of Ontario but, in the long term, Canada's richest province would undeniably gain from Quebec's departure from the federation. This is what was revealed by the Globe and Mail yesterday, after it managed, with great difficulty, to get its hands on secret studies commissioned by the Government of Ontario during the 1995 referendum campaign, when everything seemed lost for the federalists. According to these documents, Ontario felt at that time that the federal government was prepared to use military force if Quebec declared independence unilaterally. The government of the neighbouring province also feared that Quebec's departure might trigger a long recession and destabilize the dollar.