Appointment Of A Special Joint Committee  moved: That the House of Commons do unite with the Senate in the appointment of a Special Joint Committee of the House of Commons and the Senate to study matters related to the proposed resolution respecting a proposed Amendment to Section 93 of the Constitution Act, 1867 concerning the Quebec school system; That sixteen Members of the House of Commons and seven Members of the Senate be members of the Committee; That the Committee be directed to consult broadly and review such information as it deems appropriate with respect to this issue; That the Committee have the power to sit during sittings and adjournments of the House; That the Committee have the power to report from time to time, to send for persons, papers and records, and to print such papers and evidence as may be ordered by the Committee; That the Committee have the power to retain the services of expert, professional technical and clerical staff; That the quorum of the Committee be twelve members whenever a vote, resolution or other decision is taken, so long as both Houses are represented, and that the Joint Chairpersons be authorized to hold meetings, to receive evidence and authorize the printing thereof, whenever six members are present, so long as both Houses are represented; That the Committee be empowered to appoint, from among its members, such sub-committees as may be deemed advisable, and to delegate to such sub-committees all or any of its powers except the power to report to the Senate and House of Commons; That the Committee be empowered to authorize television and radio broadcasting of any or all of its proceedings; That the Committee make its final report no later than November 7, 1997; That, notwithstanding usual practices, if the House or the Senate are not sitting when the final report of the Committee is completed, the report may be deposited with the Clerk of the House which is not sitting, or the Clerks of both Houses if neither House is then sitting, and the report shall thereupon be deemed to have been presented in that House, or both Houses, as the case may be; and That a Message be sent to the Senate to acquaint that House accordingly.

National Unity  Mr. Speaker, the root of the problem is that a provincial government does not have the authority to proclaim itself the government of a sovereign state. That has never been done. States have always recognized that the government of the existing state had its say in the matter. If I had more time, but I know you would interrupt me, I would give you a whole list of statements made by the French government in other circumstances involving other parts of the world.

National Unity  Mr. Speaker, this is getting annoying. One cannot have a special set of rules for Canada that do not apply to other countries. Canada is an independent state, recognized as such by the United Nations, and it has the same rights as other countries. I can quote, for instance, the Helsinki declaration, which states that “Participating states shall respect the principle of the equality in law of peoples and their right to self-determination, by acting at any given time in accordance with the goals and objectives of the Charter of the United Nations”.

National Unity  Mr. Speaker, yesterday, when asked by a journalist: “Would France bypass the Canadian government and recognize Quebec as being independent?”, the premier replied: “That is a detail”. This detail is the key to the whole question. And to this question, the French Prime Minister, yesterday and this morning, replied: “France is not indifferent, but does not wish to interfere.

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, what I do realize is that the very great majority of Quebecers want to stay in Canada. And I realize that the Bloc Quebec finds this continued and inescapable state of affairs annoying. That is why they are always trying to disguise their option. They know that if they put the question clearly their support would disappear.

Calgary Declaration  It is a pity, Mr. Speaker, that the Bloc leader cannot put the question to the leader of the official opposition. What I understand of the official opposition leader's position is that he wishes all principles, including the recognition of the unique character of the society in Quebec, to be discussed.

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, the Calgary declaration was very well received in Quebec. I can see how this would concern the Bloc leader. Quebecers regard it as a step in the right direction, but when asked if it is enough, of course they say it is not. Is the economic situation good enough right now?

Calgary Declaration  No, Mr. Speaker, the member has it all wrong. Mr. Johnson explained that it was a step in the right direction, that it was a good start and that he also had other demands. I know of no other province that does not have other demands. They all have demands for improvement. The Government of Canada also has demands, and we are working together, in partnership.

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult to have the same kind of process in Quebec as in the other provinces since the Premier of Quebec is not interested in consulting the people of Quebec about the Calgary declaration. We will continue to make the case for the Calgary declaration everywhere in the country including Quebec.

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, I may have shortcomings, but being intimidated by the premier of Quebec is certainly not one of them.

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, the Calgary declaration has been released widely by the media in Quebec, but the suggestion of the Leader of the Opposition is welcome and we will study it.

British Columbia  Mr. Speaker, it is a common practice of separatist leaders in Quebec to describe anyone who is fighting separation as someone who is fighting Quebec. If the hon. member is now starting to put forth the same kind of argument, she will receive from the Government of Canada the same answer we have always given to the PQ Government of Quebec.

British Columbia  Mr. Speaker, I think it would be very helpful if the hon. member were able to quote what I said.

British Columbia  Do we think it is so horrible, I do not know. To speak about separation and secession is irresponsible in Quebec. It is irresponsible in British Columbia. Each province has its problems and concerns and governments are not always as good as they should be. But what does this have to do with secession?

Speech From The Throne  Mr. Speaker, I will use my example of Wales another time. The announcement for students is excellent news. You know, the Natural Sciences Engineering and Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Medical Research Council of Canada offered, for the last year available, bursaries worth $175 million to 13,359 students.