Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Yesterday, a rather unusual situation occurred, when a substantive motion was introduced in this House questioning the impartiality of the services provided to parliamentarians of our political party, the Bloc Quebecois.
The actions in question led us to take the most serious step possible in a parliament, a motion of non-confidence in the Speaker. While there is before this parliament a motion of non-confidence in the Speaker, something that has not occurred since 1956—it has been 44 years since such a motion has been tabled in this House—a motion amply justified by the abhorrent actions by the House of Commons administration in connection with the confidentiality of services provided to this party, yesterday, the government refused to debate this substantive motion.
It preferred instead, because the Liberal Party convention is starting, to run roughshod over Quebec with Bill C-20. There was a vote against Quebec yesterday in this House. Today again, the government is getting ready to run roughshod over this motion. Parliament is in crisis, the Chair is in crisis, the entire institution of democracy is in crisis. The Liberal Party is using parliament as a partisan tool, on the eve of its convention.
What is going on in this parliament? Watching as things unfold, debating motions and bills, as if nothing were wrong. This historical institution of parliament is in jeopardy, and the Bloc Quebecois motion will not be debated. Do sovereignists no longer have any place in this House? Do the members of parliament representing Quebec—indeed 70% of Quebec is represented by sovereignist members—no longer have a place?
Does the fact that we have concerns about the Chair, that we are questioning the institution, that we are the victims of an unprecedented partiality of House of Commons services mean nothing?
Mr. Speaker, what message are you sending to Quebec? That it is more important to debate any old motion than it is to debate the issue concerning the Chair? Will the government members from Quebec allow scorn to be heaped for long on the right of Quebecers and on democracy in this parliament?
Yesterday, we had a discussion. I spoke to you outside the House. I respectfully put my point of view to you.
If the Parliament of Canada is not in fact a partisan instrument used by the Liberal Party, because the Liberal convention is coming up, and if the Parliament of Canada has an ounce of pride left, it seems to me that the Chair has full authority to decide that, in this House, we will not do as the government tells us, but will debate a fundamental issue.
Does democracy still have any meaning in this House? Are the individuals legitimately elected by the people of Quebec entitled to speak? Are they entitled to question the institution? Are they entitled to want to debate the question of impartiality? Are they entitled to debate their rights or is it more important to proceed to government orders?
In what kind of country are we living? What is going on? Does parliament no longer have any value? Have parliamentary principles disappeared? Is it that, because the government wants to get rid of the separatists in this parliament, a non-confidence motion concerning the Chair is unimportant? It is business as usual.
When the Speaker leaves the chair he is replaced. You have all the powers. You can decide. You, Mr. Speaker, can decide that we will discuss the real issues. You can tell the people of Quebec and the rest of Canada that you will not let this parliament become an instrument of the Liberal Party of Canada. You can tell Canadians that you consider the parliamentary institution more important than the Liberal Party convention.
We know this is embarrassing for the government. We know that it is a pain. We know that it is annoying to have to tell Liberal supporters “Parliament is in crisis. We acted in such a way that we will now have to debate a motion”. We know that it is tedious, but it is a serious issue. Parliament is not at the service of partisanship. Parliament is here to allow parliamentarians to hold debates in a democratic fashion.
The reason for this institution to exist is that, over the course of history, people realized that conflicts could not be resolved through violence and that it was not possible to lead nations through a monarchy, with one person deciding and telling others what to do. People realized that it was necessary for their representatives to talk to each other.
There is a green carpet in this place, which is called the House of Commons. One day, it was decided that England's districts would be represented in a place where everyone would have the right to speak.
Do you know what distance separates both sides of the House? The length of two swords, plus a foot, plus an arm's length. Do you know why? Because people used to fight in parliaments. But times have changed. Today, we have an institution where it is possible to settle ideological differences in a civilized manner.
Issues must be settled democratically. But for the first time in years, actually for the first time in the history of this parliament, we have taken a giant step backwards, with members now being told that from now on in parliament decision are made by the government and the government alone. It is disturbing to the government to see separatists across the way, as if there were no separatists in Quebec. Half the people in Quebec are separatists and, the way you are acting, it will soon be three-quarters.
I must tell you that there is a political price to pay. I want the Speaker to know, I want this institution to know, I want the officials who are here to know. They are accustomed to democracy being respect and they cannot believe what is happening: they are being denied their right to speak, and they cannot believe the cavalier fashion in which this government is acting and its partisanship in reducing the Parliament of Canada to slavery. What is happening here is ugly, very ugly.
Everyone is outraged. I am outraged. People who are watching us are outraged. Quebecers are outraged. International democracy is outraged, because this will be known.
I know that there are democrats on the other side, people listening right now, and I appeal to their sense of democracy. It will become known in certain countries that the Parliament of Canada, which is challenging its Speaker, because the rights of an entire political party have been violated, does not wish to discuss the problem. It prefers to present a motion to proceed with the orders of the day. It prefers to pass a bill that will take away the rights of Quebecers. It prefers to consider a motion by the Progressive Conservative Party, which is very interesting in itself, I agree, but is completely out of step with what is actually happening here.
The institution of parliament is in crisis. Canada is in crisis and there is a price to be paid. I cannot believe that there are not members opposite who, deep down, agree with what I am saying.
Whatever my opposition to this country, if there is anyone who respects the institution of parliament, it is I. I have told my colleagues a hundred times that we must respect parliament because, when parliamentary debate ceases, when people believe that democratic expression is no longer possible, there is a serious problem.
Today, I appeal the government's decision. As the Speaker, as the guardian of my rights, as the guardian of the rights of this political party, as the guardian of the rights of all the opposition parties, as the guardian of the rights of all members of the House who are not members of cabinet, and as the guardian of ministers' right to speak, I ask you now to require the government to take the much more urgent route of a substantive, rather than an ordinary, motion.
If you fail to do so, if you fail to listen to us, Mr. Speaker, not only will you disappoint us, not only will you strike us a hard blow—we separatists will understand that we are not important in this parliament, that the vote of the thousands and millions of Quebecers who elected us means nothing here in Ottawa, and I did not think it had come to that—not only will you be denying the representation of all these members, but you will also be allowing an extremely sad message to be sent to international democracy.
The message will go out that the institution of parliament in Canada is in crisis and that it prefers to resort to motions.
That is inadmissible, and I can understand—I am speaking for myself, not for my party, but people might support what I say—that nothing more can be done in this institution. In every forum, I will explain it very ardently to Quebecers. I know that right headed federalists will find it sad that I should do so, but in all the forums in Quebec, in all the radio stations, in all the media, I will explain to citizens that nothing more can be achieved in the Parliament of Canada. Even though we have been elected, we are second-class citizens.
The fact that the rights of all these members are trampled on does not matter at all to the Chair. The members just have to deal with some motions about health or whatever, routine business. It just does not matter. The Bloc Quebecois, which represents two thirds of Quebec, has been cheated. Our rights have been trampled on. We have been the victims of a process that carries for us a high political price.
We want to defend ourselves legitimately. We want to explain to citizens that the only tool we, sovereignists, have in this Parliament is our voice, the possibility to speak, to explain our views, to confront our ideas and to confront the government.
Clearly, Mr. Speaker, you are party to that situation. You, the Deputy Speaker, the Speaker and all those in position to make decisions—better let me speak, because I might as well tell you that this may be the last time I speak in this Parliament—are all accessories to this dubious manipulation. The Chair is now serving the Liberal Party. That is the message people will get if you fail to made a decision.