Marcel Massé

[Renewal Of Canadian Federalism, November 29th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is impugning motive. We are working on various ways in which the Canadian federation could be improved.

Yes, we did discuss the issues of distinct society and veto rights, and the first results were there in the Prime Minister's announcement. We are now discussing other matters, including a more sensible division of powers between the provinces and Canada. We will submit our recommendations to the Prime Minister as soon as they are ready.

That ministers should differ in their opinions on various subjects is entirely normal in a party like ours that practices the democracy it preaches.

[The Constitution, November 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, again, we must bear in mind that the Prime Minister made promises concerning the distinct society and the right of veto and that he will keep his promises.

But at the same time we must not forget that the Leader of the Official Opposition very clearly stated that he would reject any constitutional proposal and refuse to consider any offer made by the federal government. So, in this instance, the Prime Minister is the one who is trying to go ahead and give something to Quebecers, but his efforts are being thwarted by the inflexible and hard line approach taken by the official opposition and its leader.

[The Constitution, November 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, again, I think that the official opposition is hard of hearing. The Prime Minister made promises and he will honour them.

This past week-end, the special convention of the Liberal Party passed a number of resolutions, which we will do our best to help implement. The unity committee that was struck and that I chair is to look not only at how the Prime Minister's promises can be fulfilled, but also at possible corrective measures to make Canada an even better place.

I wish that the official opposition would do its job, which is to help make Canada a better place, instead of systematically attempting to destroy the country.

[The Constitution, November 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I repeat, the Prime Minister made promises he intends to keep and he will keep them. The only obstacle to our proceeding immediately is the members of the official opposition, because their leader made it very clear he is not prepared to proceed on any constitutional offers.

It is time the official opposition stopped trying to evade the issue and admitted that with the Parti Quebecois, it is preventing Quebecers from having the full benefit of the Prime Minister's promises.

After all, 73 per cent of Quebecers said they wanted the Quebec government to negotiate offers with the federal government, and we have the Leader of the Official Opposition who objects, who said no and who prevents us from taking a constitutional approach.

[The Constitution, November 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps we should rephrase the question as follows: What is the position of the Bloc Quebecois and of the Leader of the Official Opposition? Because if I remember correctly, last week the Leader of the Official Opposition, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois and aspirant leader of the Parti Quebecois, said in no uncertain terms that he would not consider any constitutional offers before sovereignty.

Clearly, the Leader of the Official Opposition is the one who is obstructing any translation into constitutional terms of the Prime Minister's promises.

[The Constitution, November 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my first answer is that the Prime Minister is a man who keeps his promises. He promised he would act on the issue of distinct society and the veto. I remain convinced, absolutely convinced, that he will act on those two promises very quickly and that Quebecers will see the Prime Minister is a man of integrity, a man of his word and a man who keeps his promises.

[Committee Chaired By Minister Of Intergovernmental Affairs, November 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, to use the same vocabulary, this is a phoney question, clearly void of content.

We repeat what we have said: the Prime Minister's promises are correct. And as long as the opposition continues to ask phoney questions like this one, when its goal is the destruction of Canada, it does not deserve an answer.

[Committee Chaired By Minister Of Intergovernmental Affairs, November 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I feel obliged to repeat once again what the Prime Minister said, which is that to ensure the change and modernization of Canada, no change is excluded. And what he said in the House on Wednesday, which is:

I said we were going to make changes to the federation, constitutional changes, if necessary.

Thus there is no contradiction between the two statements. What we are doing in the unity committee is preparing a series of recommendations for the Prime Minister. The recommendations the group of ministers make to the Prime Minister are confidential, as they must be, because the person who makes decisions on behalf of the government is the Prime Minister. Once those decisions have been made, he will make the announcement.

[Committee Chaired By Minister Of Intergovernmental Affairs, November 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, we must recognize the facts. The Prime Minister repeated in the House what he said in Verdun, and I mentioned both statements yesterday to show they were consistent. However, it is also time to realize that the Leader of the Official Opposition and the members of the official opposition are neglecting the duty they have, as the official opposition, to defend the interests of their constituents. They have now stated they do not intend to co-operate with the federal government at all, and consequently, their only goal, as their leader said, is to achieve sovereignty. Their only goal is to destroy Canada and consequently, their questions no longer have any credibility because they are not trying to improve the way the government operates but are only trying to achieve their goal, which is to destroy Canada.

[Committee Chaired By Minister Of Intergovernmental Affairs, November 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, last Tuesday, the Leader of the Official Opposition was asked this question:

"Is it even theoretically possible that premier Bouchard could sign any deal which would see Quebec remain in Confederation?"

Mr. Bouchard replied: "No, that is impossible, I am a sovereignist".

In that case, I fail to see why the official opposition or the hon. member for Roberval would ask about the ways in which we are trying to deal with the current problem, since they have already said that, in the circumstances, they are not interested and that their only objective is to destroy the federation.