Lost her last election, in 2008, with 39% of the vote.
Interparliamentary Delegations October 2nd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the third report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association.
It is the report of the official delegation representing Canada at the joint session of the defence and security committees, the economic committee and the political committee of the North Atlantic Assembly held in Brussels on February 18 and 19, 1996.
The Late Robert Bourassa October 2nd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I rise sadly today to pay tribute to a man with whom I had the honour and privilege to work for over 10 years as an organizer and political adviser for the Quebec Liberal Party.
He was a man who believed in a strong Quebec inside a strong Canada. I remember a man who believed in the full and strong participation of all Quebecers in the political process, regardless of their ethnic origin.
But I rise not to speak of his political accomplishments, which are many, but to remember the human side of the man we call Robert Bourassa.
I remember he would rather drink a glass of milk than anything else. I remember he loved Chinese food. I remember he always started off his days by swimming laps in the pool. I remember he always had vegetables in his car.
I remember the first time I met him and we spoke. He was crammed with his feet up to his chin in a used car that I used to drive around as a political organizer. In that position he made a commitment to me and to other Quebecers that night-I was a novice at the time-that he had a deep commitment to public service and to ensure that members of Quebec's cultural communities continue to play a strong role in Quebec's future development.
I extend my sympathies to his family and his wife-
In short, I remember.
The Bloc Quebecois September 30th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, according to a SOM-La Presse poll, 57 per cent of the population of Quebec wants a ten- year respite until the next referendum on Quebec's independence. I hope you are listening.
This poll is a clear indication that the majority of the population has had enough of the disastrous economic impact that the PQ and the Bloc are having with their threats to hold another referendum.
When asked to comment on this poll, the leader of the Bloc decided, as he usually does when at a loss for a reply, to put the blame on the Canadian government, claiming that his party's priority is economic issues. Hansard is a faithful witness to the subjects that interest the Bloc Quebecois, and anyone who bothers to read Hansard will soon realize that economic recovery and job creation are not among the top priorities of this separatist party.
The Mouvement De Libération Nationale Du Québec September 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, the separatist movement has long been associated with groups and individuals who promote segregation, racism and intolerance.
In today's Gazette , Raymond Villeneuve, president of the Mouvement du libération nationale du Québec openly attacked the Jewish community of Quebec. He stated: ``If there is trouble after Quebec becomes independent, nationalists will remember who was against them''.
I appeal directly to the leader of the official opposition to publicly and strongly condemn these racist and violent comments, which have no place in our society.
Separatists want Quebec to believe that they are not racist and not exclusionist yet their leaders do not denounce people like Mr. Villeneuve. As a Quebecer I am insulted. As a member of the cultural communities I am insulted.
When will they realize that we are just as much a part of this society and this province as they are?
Bloc Quebecois Leader September 20th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, today, September 20, 1996, the Bloc leader said, and I quote: "As far as I am concerned, the Bloc's mission is not to sell the idea of partnership to the rest of Canada".
Yet, on June 16, the Bloc leader had this to say, and I quote: "-as we speak, I have a task force that is looking at how we could co-ordinate our efforts in the rest of Canada to explain the partnership portion of our political program that is consistent with sovereignty".
The only thing that is clear in the contradictions of the Bloc leadership is that they invite Quebecers to follow them blindly without really knowing where they are going.
Once again for them, the end, sovereignty, justifies the means.
Parti Quebecois Regional Convention September 19th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, as everyone will remember, early on during the last referendum campaign, the separatists promised federal civil servants that they would all be integrated into the new Quebec civil service.
A few weeks into the campaign spokespeople for the separatists began to send the message that perhaps they would not be able to guarantee a position for all public servants. In the end federal public servants were told it would be unrealistic to guarantee work for anyone in an independent Quebec.
Last week, at the PQ regional convention held in Quebec City, delegates asked that the clause concerning the automatic integration of federal civil servants be withdrawn from the agenda, since it was, in their views, the biggest blunder in the PQ strategy in the Quebec City area.
[English]
What else is new? They never keep their promises. The hypocrisy and the flip-flops of the separatists never cease to amaze us and do little to improve the image of all Quebecers.
Interparliamentary Delegations September 18th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour and the pleasure to table, in both official languages, the first report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association.
This is the report by the official delegation that represented Canada at the third annual meeting of the North Atlantic Assembly's Political Committee, held in Moscow from April 9 to 12.
Mr. Speaker, I also have the honour to table, in both official languages, the second report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association which represented Canada at the 1996 spring session of the North Atlantic Assembly (NATO Parliamentarians) held in Athens, Greece, May 16 to 20, 1996.
Governor General's Performing Arts Awards September 18th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I rise in this House to offer my sincere congratulations on behalf of all my colleagues to Mr. Luc Plamondon, one of three Quebec recipients of the 1996 Governor General's Performing Arts Award.
At the press conference where the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards were announced, Luc Plamondon commented that he looked on this award he was about to receive as an attempt to bring Canada's two solitudes closer together.
Like him, we feel that bringing the French Canadian and English Canadian communities of this country closer together will, needless to say, promote the preservation and development of our cultural identity as Canadians.
We share this vision of cultural development in Canada and are striving to promote the talents of all Canadian artists who are a credit to this country.
Peacekeeping September 17th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, September 17 marks the United Nations International Day of Peace. It is a day for us to be proud of the contributions that Canada has made to the United Nations such as those of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson who won the Nobel peace prize for creating the concept of peacekeeping during the Suez crisis.
Since that time, Canadians have been involved in numerous UN missions including Korea, Cyprus, Rwanda and of course our ongoing mission in the former Yugoslavia.
Last year Canada was credited with initiating a UN rapid reaction force that would act in times of crisis.
Canada has good reason to be proud of its past performance, and must continue to work in conjunction with the United Nations on behalf of peace in Cyprus, Lebanon, Iraq and anywhere else in the world where human rights and international law are not being respected.
Cyprus June 18th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, yesterday my private member's motion on the demilitarization of Cyprus as the first step in finding a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem was debated in the House. It received all-party support. MPs from both sides of the House and Canadians of Cypriot origin are looking now to the government for support.
Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell this House what he intends to do in response to this unanimous request for action on the part of the Canadian government?