Mr. Speaker, I apologize to my colleague for missing the beginning of his speech, but from the time I did arrive in the House until the end of his speech, I got the impression that what he was seeking above all was for politicians to be able to find some means other than military intervention and for us to address this issue in response to a proposal from the government of Nova Scotia.
What I would like to remind him, however, and I hope he will take advantage of the response to perhaps provide a more detailed explanation of the part of his speech that I missed, is that the proposal before us at this time is the following:
If Ottawa decides to send troops to provide support or assistance in connection with the events of September 11, we do not want this to be done without a discussion and vote involving each member of the House of Commons.
That is the purpose of the motion before us today. Perhaps he could explain to me what he said in the first part about his peace plan, about politicians having to do their bit. Despite my assignment as defence critic I am basically a pacifist. Above all else, I want us to be able to solve the September 11 problem and the fallout from it in a peaceful manner.
I fear, however, and this is what we need to be prepared for, that if ever there is an American response and the Americans ask us for military assistance, we will need to know what action to take.
What we in the Bloc Quebecois want to avoid, and what is addressed by our motion, is that the Prime Minister and the cabinet alone will decide on behalf of all Canadians and all Quebecers. What we want is not just a discussion in the House, but a vote as well.
I would therefore like to know from my colleague what he thinks of the Bloc Quebecois motion.