Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with the charismatic and charming member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, who is going to captivate us with his vast knowledge and legendary enthusiasm. Are we saving the best for last? We shall see.
I have so much to say. So many questions have been raised. First of all, the Liberals asked a number of times whether seeking royal assent on an opposition day is the right approach. Why not? An opposition day gives the opposition parties a chance to put a given topic on the agenda. On the one hand, we have a Liberal government that makes promises and does nothing, or does very little very slowly, promising sunny days ahead but delivering nothing. On the other hand, we have the Conservatives who want us to replace the Prime Minister with the Leader of the Opposition. If that is meant to happen, it will happen in due course. What we want, however, is substance.
We looked at the current situation and asked ourselves what issues we could push forward in the coming weeks and months. We did not choose the topic of immigration because, as my leader said this morning, we knew very well that the NDP would support this vote. What we want is to deliver something and show that we will no longer tolerate this government's inaction. We need action, not just lip service. What we are calling for today, with this request for royal assent, is concrete action. It is that simple. If we do not ask for it this way, how will we ask for it? Should we accost the government members in the hall and beg? They will keep saying, “Yes, in two weeks”, hoping to put us off until Christmas.
The vote following this opposition day will force the government to take a stand. That is why, in the motion, we are asking for royal assent. When I hear members say that it is ironic that the Bloc Québécois is calling for royal assent, what am I supposed to say? Until proven otherwise, we are stuck within the Canadian federal system. Rather than sitting at home and complaining as we watch the federal government act against the interests of Quebec, we thought that we could co-opt this government, go to the federal Parliament and be the voice of Quebec until Quebec is a country. That is what we are doing. However, we have to work within the institutions in place, or else we do not get any results. The Liberals can continue to poke fun at the fact that we are asking for royal assent, but that does not make us monarchists at all. There is no need to worry. On the day that we get to leave this country, we will be very happy. That day is coming.
What is today's topic? As I said, we in the Bloc Québécois wondered what we could gain. We looked at reasonable, sensible, intelligent bills that had the support of the majority in the House of Commons. That is another important factor.
Earlier, the Conservative member for Lévis—Lotbinière, if I am not mistaken—