Mr. Speaker, yesterday, another extensive study on the finances of an independent Quebec was made public. It responds to the arguments of my colleagues who think that they can scare Quebeckers by saying that if Quebec does not agree to become a highway for bitumen, it should no longer receive equalization payments.
This financial analysis once again proves that if Quebec were to keep the billions of tax dollars that it gives to Ottawa, it could continue to provide all of the services currently offered by the federal government, including old age pensions. Not only that, but Quebec could also use all of that tax money to develop its own economy by focusing on its strengths, which include renewable energy, electric transportation, and aerospace.
I would like to acknowledge all of the supporters who will assemble across Quebec this weekend as part of the Bloc Québécois's independence day to explain that the best thing for Quebec is not to have to beg Ottawa for its own money, but to take back all of its power and tax money—