Speech From The Throne  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear that the member understands our federation is flexible and accommodates various mechanisms. The ones actually used with this program will have to be discussed with our partners.

Speech From The Throne  Mr. Speaker, Quebecers are visibly losing faith in the Bloc Quebecois. This is clear from the recent election. The very great majority of Quebecers want to remain in Canada. This is clear not just from the polls, but from speaking to average citizens. And the more they could be convinced that they do not have to choose between Quebec and Canada, that these two formidable entities can join forces and make them stronger and will be more indispensable to them than ever in the next millennium, the more they will turn away from the Bloc Quebecois in mistrust.

Speech From The Throne  Mr. Speaker, far from making any threats, the government is calling for calm and democratic debate of very serious matters: How does secession square with democracy? There is no model for it anywhere. Let me illustrate. The leader of the Bloc Quebecois and the Premier of Quebec gave the example of the recent referendum in Wales, noting that 50% plus one was enough.

Calgary Declaration  —if ever the Calgary declaration were to become an interpretive clause, which is possible, although it has not happened yet, of course, as it is under discussion, the interpretation given would guarantee Quebecers that the courts would take into account today's unique, as opposed to yesterday's distinct, character of Quebec society.

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, in fact—

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, if we are to have quality debates in this House, members would do well not to distort what has been said. The Prime Minister never said that it was a huge step forward on which we could pin all our hopes.

Calgary Declaration  We can pin our hopes on the fact that Canada is a country Quebecers want to keep. And that is why the Bloc Quebecois finds the Calgary declaration so annoying. It is annoying because Quebecers want to remain in Canada.

Calgary Declaration  And that is why they far prefer anything advancing Canadian unity to anything calculated to destroy the country, as one of the Bloc Quebecois members put it, and I am not distorting his words.

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, the premiers will use the means they deem appropriate to consult the public about the seven principles set out in the Calgary declaration, which the government of Canada fully supports.

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, premiers will choose the appropriate means to consult the public.

Calgary Declaration  Mr. Speaker, there is of course no connection. I believe the hon. member is saying that the procedure relating to a referendum on secession should only be determined by the secessionist government. This is probably what the member has in mind, but he certainly cannot name one country in the world which would accept such a thing.

Throne Speech  Mr. Speaker, Canada happens to be one of the most decentralized federations in the world, and together we have built a federation that has provided us with the best quality of life of any country. And we managed to do this because both levels of government, federal and provincial, are learning to work together and to concentrate on the areas for which they are responsible.

Linguistic School Boards  Mr. Speaker, the government's objective is of course to help Quebec society modernize its school system. That has been our objective from the beginning. The Bloc Quebecois has given vent to all sorts of insults and accusations since this issue first came up. The question is why, and the answer is crystal clear: from the beginning, the Bloc has tried to create antagonism between anglophones and francophones with respect to the school issue, because the Bloc wants to make the Liberals out to be a pro-English, anti-French party.

Linguistic School Boards  Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has said it was very happy to sponsor the proposal submitted to us by the National Assembly and thus to help modernize the school system. We are going to do this with full respect for the democratic values of Quebecers and of other Canadians.

Montfort Hospital  Mr. Speaker, the position of the government is that linguistic minorities all across Canada should not only be entitled to basic services in their own language but should also have the right to control as many institutions as possible which are essential to any community, such as schools, colleges, hospitals, co-operatives.