Mr. Speaker, when asked if he thought Canada was better served when there were more Quebeckers in charge than other Canadians, the member for Papineau stated, “I'm a Liberal, so of course I think so”. He then went on to say that all the best prime ministers were from Quebec.
Is the member for Papineau actually saying that Nova Scotia-born Prime Minister Borden, who led us through the First World War, was not a great prime minister? Is he saying that Sir Charles Tupper, a founding father of this country, who served as prime minister in his seventies, was unfit to be prime minister because he was born in Amherst not in downtown Chicoutimi? Or is he saying that Robert Lorne Stanfield, the best prime minister this country never had, was unqualified because he was from Nova Scotia not from Montreal?
The member then went on to say, “This country...belongs to us”, referring to the Liberals from his province. On behalf of my constituents, this country belongs to all Canadians, not the Liberal Party and not the member of Parliament for Papineau.