Mr. Speaker, it is not very complicated. I simply asked the Bloc Quebecois and the Parti Quebecois to be honest and to say that they want to separate from the rest of Canada, pure and simple. They have the answer.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
The Constitution December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, it is not very complicated. I simply asked the Bloc Quebecois and the Parti Quebecois to be honest and to say that they want to separate from the rest of Canada, pure and simple. They have the answer.
Quebec Referendum December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, we hope that some day the Reform Party will try to work with the rest of Canada to make sure that Canada stays together. That type of attitude is not helpful at all for the unity of the country.
Quebec Referendum December 12th, 1995
If everybody in Canada and in Quebec wants a question that is clear and everybody wants to work to that goal, we will achieve it. We will have to make sure that the question is clear. There will be enough pressure on the government to achieve that. I repeat that the next time the question will be clear and the people will know exactly what they are voting on.
Quebec Referendum December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, this is purely a hypothetical question. There is no referendum at the moment. The leader of the Bloc Quebecois said he does not want a referendum for the time being. He wants to run Quebec and try to provide good government.
If they were to provide good governance in Quebec, of course the rest of Canada would be very happy and we would help them. At the moment I repeat, if there is another referendum, the question will be clear, do not worry about that. I will make sure it is very clear.
Quebec Referendum December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, if anybody is creating confusion in Canada at this time it is the leader of the third party.
There has not been one day since we have been talking about this problem that he has not been in bed with the Quebec separatists. There has not been one day that he does not want to try to make life difficult for a government that is trying to save Canada. There has not been one day that he is not causing some disturbance in Canada because he has no interest in keeping the country together.
He is dreaming. Perhaps he dreams all the time about becoming the leader of the rest of Canada, but there will be only one Canada from sea to sea.
Quebec Referendum December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, they are always asking political questions.
I said that the federal government has the obligation and the duty to the people who are going to vote to ensure that the question is clear. We will use the power we have to achieve that goal. Do not worry about that.
Quebec Referendum December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, last week the Reform Party had a plan with 20 different points to deal with that.
The question was asked of me and I said that the question of a referendum, if there is another one, is not only for the people of Quebec to vote on, it is a question for all the people of Canada. I
said that very clearly. I said that there are means available to the federal government-
Quebec Referendum December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, he can consult his lawyers. We know what to do.
Quebec Referendum December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, it is very important to have a fair and honest question if there is another referendum.
I do not want to speculate on when there will be another referendum because the leader of the Bloc Quebecois said that when he goes to Quebec his priority will be to run a good government and put the province's finances in order. If he wants to do that we will help because we want Quebec to have a good economy.
However, I said that if there is another referendum the question has to be clear. We will not accept any more ambiguity and we will take the necessary steps to achieve that goal.
Referendums December 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the promises I made go back a long way. Unlike the Bloc Quebecois, I voted for Charlottetown and for the distinct society. They voted against it. Since 1970, I have supported veto rights and the Victoria formula. That has always been the position of my party. In fact, I was merely confirming what our party has supported for a long time.
And talking about democracy, again their leader said on television a few days ago that they were going to take everyone by surprise. And when he was asked: "Do you intend to ask an honest question"? He said: "No, I will ask a winning question".
The only way to win honestly is to have an honest question, a question that everyone understands. In this way, there can be no confusion about the result.