Jean Chrétien

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, February 24th, 1994]

It is true. We, on this side, believe that there are federal institutions in Quebec and that one can be a proud Quebecer, a proud Canadian and a proud francophone everywhere in this country.

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, February 24th, 1994]

I want to say something to the leader of the opposition. If, some day, he succeeds in leading Quebec to independence, his neighbour's children will not have the option of becoming American citizens. In an independent Quebec-

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, February 24th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to see the hon. member defending federal institutions in Quebec. I am really very happy to see that. I hope that the hon. member will now start saying that he knows more than his small region.

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, February 24th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I stand by what the Minister of National Defence said. There is a possibility.

I once was the member for Beauséjour. When I was there, I attended the University of Moncton, where some law classes are taught only in French. I visited the University of Sudbury and the University of Ottawa. I was also invited to Glendon College, in Toronto. It is possible to find institutions in Canada, outside Quebec, which provide first-class education in French, and that is what Canada is all about: ensuring the preservation of French all across the country.

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, February 24th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, that statement is totally false. The problem was not even raised in the Liberal caucus.

I would say to the hon. member that he should think twice before making statements like that. If we had cut 25 per cent as he asked and as he called for dozens of times in the election campaign, not only would we have closed Saint-Jean, but we would have closed the military base in Bagotville at the same

time. Furthermore, I think that the new Canada can have a completely bilingual institution in Kingston, Ontario, where they have one of the best universities in Canada.

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, February 24th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry, perhaps that was the problem in 1952, but since then, we passed the Official Languages Act. The best example I can give the House now is that the chief of Canada's armed forces, John de Chastelain, is a perfectly bilingual anglophone, which proves that the Canadian armed forces have changed a lot since 1952.

[Collège Militaire Royal De Saint-Jean, February 24th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the government does not take such action on a whim. We had a recommendation to close the Royal Roads Military College in Victoria and the one in Saint-Jean, Quebec.

Royal Roads was established in 1942 and Saint-Jean in 1952. We decided to close them both and to keep the one in Kingston, Ontario, where both official languages of the country will be taught. There are many French-language institutions that work very well in Ontario.

I would remind the Leader of the Opposition that many times he recommended cutting military spending by 25 per cent. If we had followed his recommendations, not only would we have closed the military college in Saint-Jean but we would also have had to shut down the facility in Bagotville, in his region.

[Provincial Byelection, February 22nd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the best way to sell federalism in Quebec is to have a good, efficient, honest government in Ottawa.

[Provincial Byelection, February 22nd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased by the preoccupation of the leader of the Reform Party. I am happy he wants to make a contribution. If he wants to make a contribution he should support the policies of this government in favour of bilingualism.

[Provincial Byelection, February 22nd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the best decision to that effect was by the Canadian people on October 25 when they replaced the former government with a Liberal government.