Mr. Speaker, further to the introduction by the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs of a bill that denies the fundamental rights of Quebecers, I am asking for the unanimous consent of the House to table a document that will enlighten it.
It is an article entitled “A Government under Trusteeship”, which was published in La Presse , and I quote:
Abusive and ill advised, the clarity bill perpetuates the confrontation between Ottawa and Quebec City and, should it ever become law, would mean that the National Assembly would be under trusteeship.
This stern assessment of the Dion bill does not come from a witness invited to the House of Commons by the Bloc Quebecois, but from a staunch federalist, the former leader of the Quebec Liberal Party and former leader of the no campaign during the 1980 referendum, Claude Ryan.
In the midst of all the predictable testimonies for and against Bill C-20 heard in Ottawa since Wednesday, Mr. Ryan gave a jolt to the legislative committee. The Conservative party, which is against the bill (and had invited Mr. Ryan), was the only one to come out of the hearings unscathed.