Mr. Speaker, the smear campaign undertaken by opposition parties clearly reflects their despair.
To be sure, the Bloc Quebecois has reasons to be concerned. Support for sovereignty is diminishing and is now around 40%. Polls in Quebec put the PQ in third place, with 25% of the vote. We can no longer figure out how many members the Bloc Quebecois has. Is it 36, 37 or 36? This is not to mention its poor showing in the last byelections.
Indeed, the Bloc Quebecois has reasons to be concerned. It is asking for a public inquiry to evaluate the level of corruption within the Liberal government. The Bloc Quebecois had already asked for an investigation. We mandated the auditor general to conduct one. Now, the RCMP will look at the issue.
This morning, the Prime Minister referred to his government's strong performance when he announced the main features of an aggressive eight point plan to raise the bar even higher in terms of ethics and integrity, for our government.
Since the publication of its first report, in 1995, Transparency International, which is the most important international organization dedicated to eliminating corruption in government and in the business world, has recognized Canada as the country where corruption is perceived as being the lowest among all G-7 members.
Is the Bloc Quebecois prepared to admit today that its exaggerated and unfounded attacks could adversely affect hundreds of workers who earn a living honorably in Quebec's advertising industry?