House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1997, with 54% of the vote.
The Constitution November 6th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of a referendum is to find out how the public feels. We know how the public feels. People want to stay in Canada, and they want changes made within Canada. They expressed their opinion. It is over. Because we believe in democracy, we concluded that their no was a real no, and we are acting on that basis. That is why we are going to put reforms in place in Canada.
The Constitution November 6th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, obviously the government speaks with one voice, whether it does through the Prime Minister, who is in charge, the Minister of Justice or myself. Furthermore, the questions now being asked by the hon. member for the opposition are about purely speculative matters on which the government is not prepared to commit itself.
The Constitution November 6th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, last week we said that the best way by far to give Quebecers the vote was to proceed with the good government we had started to put in place and implement the changes and reforms that were
clearly demanded by the public. That was the best way to prevent the next referendum.
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements November 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I have to remind members of the third party that we were elected by Canadians like they were and Canadians did not ask us to implement every desire of the premiers of the provinces.
They asked us to act in their interests by spending the taxes we collect from all Canadians for the benefit of all Canadians, not for the benefit of province a , b or c , in particular, but within province a , b or c , for the benefit of all Canadians. This is how we differ from provincial governments.
In this case the question to be asked is are the interests of Canadians being served well? The record is clear. The country we have created is the proof. As the federal government we have been serving Canadians right. There are some fields where the powers of the various levels of government must be reassigned. But it must be done for reasons of efficiency and service to citizens, not for reasons of ideology.
National Unity November 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that the question asked was confusing. We said that during the campaign. A number of Quebecers who voted yes voted yes under the misapprehension that a partnership was possible and that it was a mandate to negotiate.
What is important now is not to relive the referendum. It is important now to see that we have to reform Canada. The government has not only agreed to that, but we indicated that especially in last February's budget where we re-established fiscal responsibility and where we indicated the future elements of decentralization that should take place.
We are not in favour of decentralization for the sake of decentralization. We are for decentralization to the extent that it serves the people of Canada by making the various levels of government more efficient. We will not move in the direction of decentralization without justification.
National Unity November 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, during the campaign the economic arguments against separation were done well. They convinced a large number of Quebecers that separation was not in their economic interests and would be very costly especially to the vulnerable elements in society the separatists say they want to defend.
What is more important is that federalism is not the status quo. Federalism has been flexible. We indicated in fact, not in words like the opposition, that we were ready to reduce the size of the federal government and we were ready to review the powers of the various levels of government.
We are presently doing that. The federalism test we have applied is presently resulting in all kinds of powers being reassessed between the federal and provincial governments.
Distinct Society November 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, when will the party of the official opposition give up on continuing to fight a lost referendum, and when will it start addressing the true problems of Quebecers, which are problems of unemployment and problems of investment?
We face the official opposition here as a government which is attempting to develop Quebec and Canada, which is attempting to reduce unemployment. We know that Quebecers want us to renew federalism and want to see the economic situation improved. And the official opposition is continuing to debate arguments that were settled on the evening of the referendum. Quebecers decided democratically that they did not want out of Canada, and I implore the official opposition to return to the path of duty and to defend Quebecers, to help us create jobs and investments.
Democracy November 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, Quebecers made a clear choice Monday night. Even the Leader of the Opposition agreed that the democratic position was to accept the fact that they voted no to separation. In Quebec, the Parti Quebecois was elected with a majority of one-quarter point. And in this case, the Leader of the Opposition made it quite clear he would not challenge the referendum results. I think that if his members have any respect for democracy, they should not challenge them either.
The best way to prevent a second referendum is to renew federalism, and that is what 73 per cent of the population wants, according to a poll released today.
Natural Resources November 2nd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the ministers of intergovernmental affairs, both provincial and federal, are always discussing these possible changes. In fact just today I was in contact with one of them in order to try to see whether we could increase the harmonization in terms of questions of natural resources, decentralization, and the efficiency of the federation initiative.
We are working all the time, trying to reach new ways of governing the federation that are less costly to people and that permit the federal and provincial governments to govern where they are most efficient.
The Referendum November 2nd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that considerable changes are needed in the Canadian federation. I think we all agree on this.
The federal government has to play a leadership role. It has to redefine its roles and responsibilities. It has to clean up its act. It has started to do that. The various means that will be used in the future either to clarify the constitutional position or to redefine the jurisdictions of all levels of government will be taken whenever necessary by whatever means necessary.
But we must not forget that Canada is not just an addition of 10 provinces. It is all Canadians voting together in a federal set-up in order to elect a government and representatives that look at national interests, not only provincial interests.