Mr. Speaker, today we are talking about Bill C‑3, an act to amend the Citizenship Act. I will focus on the all-important issue of citizenship, because that is the crux of today's debate.
First and foremost, I would like to debunk some myths. Since the beginning of the debate on Bill C‑3, the Liberals and the NDP have repeatedly attempted to demonize the intentions of the opposition, whether Bloc Québécois or Conservative. They have accused the Bloc and the Conservatives of being a bunch of racists and xenophobes, of fuelling anti-immigration rhetoric and so on.
Now, I have to say that the Bloc Québécois is used to hearing such accusations. This is nothing new. We know that others often use such accusations to shut down criticism by discrediting the speaker. They can then avoid having to debate the other person or justify their position. After all, they have simply discredited that person.
We refused to let that intimidate us. We asked questions and even proposed amendments, even though this upset the Liberals on the other side. What is even more interesting in these circumstances is that the bill is not even an immigration bill; it is an emigration bill. The bill would apply equally to everyone, to any descendant of a person who has citizenship and decides to go live abroad—