Mr. Speaker, my colleague's performance is a tough act to follow. He made a truly remarkable speech and has very clearly outlined the situation currently prevailing in Quebec, mainly as a result of the Conservative members who are not standing up for the people they are supposed to represent. That is unfortunate, but we saw that in November 2006. When they voted to recognize Quebec as a nation, they did so because it was a debating contest, it was out of defiance, and they believed it would give nobody any ideas at all. You do not make those kinds of decisions, then shirk your obligations and responsibilities.
When the Quebec government decided to recognize that the aboriginal peoples were nations and that the situation had to be managed with them, people to people, nation to nation, it signed the Paix des Braves. When you think that the Conservative government decided to name the Quebec nation merely because the Bloc Québécois had tabled a motion seeking recognition of that nation, you can wonder what kind of opportunism the government showed in doing so.
The Quebec members of the Conservative government in Quebec do not believe in the nation. We have proof of that today. I heard the Conservative members from Quebec ask my colleague questions that would shame anyone from Quebec. These people must toe the party line, which is to say nothing and do nothing contrary to the Prime Minister's decisions. We know that the Prime Minister does not have Quebec in his sights, but rather Alberta and the western provinces. It is those provinces he wants to please and that he has been pleasing for a long time.
Quebec is thrown some crumbs, as has always been done. People recognized the existence of the Quebec nation long before the Conservatives. I am thinking in particular of someone for whom I have no respect and to whom history has not been kind. I am referring to Maurice Duplessis, who said in 1946 that Quebec was a nation and that no one would strip Quebec of that status. Even Lord Durham, whom my Conservative colleagues must know, declared before Canada came into existence that there were two nations, two peoples warring in this arid, difficult land, which we cleared by the sweat of our brows and which our ancestors developed by the sweat of theirs.
The Conservatives should understand readily and clearly, if they have the slightest pride in their language, that we are not abdicating the right to learn English, Spanish, Russian or Italian. When I meet individuals of other nationalities, I can speak to them in their language. Can the member for Louis-Hébert do the same? I doubt it.
[The member spoke in Spanish]
[ French]
The Conservative members must stop being so haughty towards the Quebec nation, stop treating us as if we were less than nothing and they must understand that in accepting the premise that we are a nation, they also accept the associated rights, particularly abiding by the laws that are inherent to the Quebec nation. The first law that must be obeyed is Bill 101. The federal government is not being asked to abide by Bill 101 in Alberta or New Brunswick.
We are asking that the federal government abide by Bill 101 in its institutions within Quebec's borders. That is the nature of our request. If the Conservative members who are in power cannot understand the legitimacy of this request, the Quebeckers that they represent have a serious problem, and I know that these Quebeckers realize it today.
Being elected is not all there is to it. We are not elected to represent just those who voted for us. We are elected to represent all the individuals in our riding and unless I am mistaken, as at least 40% of Quebeckers vote for the Bloc Québecois, at least 40% of the individuals residing in the Louis-Hébert riding vote for the Bloc Québecois.
This member does not respect the wishes of his electors. He does not respect that it is a nation as a whole, a people as a whole, that have given themselves laws so that they can survive. In the past, we confirmed that the French language was quickly being lost. We confirmed it. If we do not take steps today, now, to ensure that our grandchildren and great grandchildren will be able to continue to speak French, I am afraid that the Conservatives in Louis-Hébert, Lévis and pretty much all over Quebec will get their wish, and that we will be reduced to speaking English throughout Quebec. We are surrounded by a sea of anglophones.
Is it a sin to want to keep French as the language of belonging? This is my ancestors’ language and I am proud to speak it. I hope that the Conservative members from Quebec will see the light and vote as their constituents would like them to vote, that they will be sure to vote as the individuals who live in their ridings would like them to vote. Nobody, whether Conservative, Liberal, NDP, or Bloc, nobody in Quebec wants English to become the official language. Everyone in Quebec wants to keep French as the language of belonging.
They better think twice before making a decision on a vote which, once again, will be historic and will show the Quebec nation the true intentions of the Conservative government when it declared Quebec a nation. This declaration is not enough. We saw it at UNESCO. Having a seat where we can sit and chat with our neighbour is not a big deal when we have to beg for the permission to have an idea and to express it. It is really not a big deal.
It is wrong to claim that the Conservative government has made significant progress in terms of recognizing Quebec as a nation. We were given a title, but what about the rights that go with it? I hope our liberal colleagues realize the importance of the French language in Quebec. I hope they realize the importance of this motion. We are not asking Canada to speak French. We are asking Quebec to keep its language et we are asking those who work for the federal government in Quebec to honour the French language. This is all we are asking.
I thank you for your attention. I will be happy to answer any questions my colleagues may have. I hope they will have the courage to tell their fellow citizens whether or not they are going to support this motion.
