Yes, because he had been defeated by then, as memebrs may recall. The premier was not elected in the general election. He had been the MNA for Saint-Laurent since 1985.
The National Assembly adopted a motion which I shall read in order to show just how much we are above partisan politics and concerned with higher interests:
That the National Assembly strongly disapproves of the federal government bill—
Again, this was at the time of the federal Environmental Assessment Act.
—an act to establish a federal environmental assessment process, because it is contrary to the higher interests of Quebec, and opposes its passage by the federal Parliament.
That was on March 18, 1992. The motion was passed unanimously in the national assembly. This is not without interest because, as hon. members are aware, the national assembly is what our elders called the salon de la race, the one and only parliament controlled wholly by francophones. Of course, when the national assembly speaks with one voice, we like to think it is because the consensus in Quebec is very strong.
The Bloc Quebecois will be approaching this issue in the same way. This will not prevent us from recognizing the progress that has been made. Once again, it is obviously a good thing that the law will make crown corporations subject to, and governed by, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
Again, I would like to close by saying that in Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, there is a rail line right by Moreau Street bridge. This is understandable, since Hochelaga—Maisonneuve was one of the first neighbourhoods to be developed by industry. There are plants there that were built in the 19th century. The Lallemand plant and the Lantic sugar refinery come to mind.
Hochelaga—Maisonneuve was a separate town from Montreal, and a very prosperous one. One of the reasons that 19th century businesses chose to settle there was the fact that the port of Montreal was located there and it was well situated for transportation. Of course, maritime shipping was extremely important to economic development in the 19th century. Today, people talk about intermodal transportation, so we know all about it. It is about just in time delivery for business, and obviously, railways are important.
Unfortunately, if I were asked which company is the worst corporate citizen in Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, I would have to answer CP. Remember, there are seven trains that go by in the night. When junctions are located in the middle of residential neighbourhoods, one can imagine how difficult it is for people who live on Moreau, Préfontaine, Wurtele and a small strip called Thomas Vallin.
However, we will use the existing mechanisms for environmental assessment.