Income Tax  Speaker, we said that we will reduce the deficit to 3 per cent of GDP by the end of the third year of our mandate and we will do it. He can make all the speeches he wants. We have a clear program. It is well documented, it will be met and it will be realized. He will see that we can do it.

Referendum On Quebec Sovereignty  The rest of Canada no longer wants to hear about the legitimate demands of Quebec. As for Quebecers, they have had enough of the status quo. The positions are clear. Why the false pretences? Quebecers will soon have to choose between sovereignty and fossilized federalism. We are confident of the outcome.

Supply  I would like to know if he can comment on this quote from page 181 of the book Straight from the Heart : ``The voice of Chief Justice Bora Laskin wasn't the only thing that wasn't clear; the majority judgment itself seemed rather ambiguous. It stated that the unilateral action of the federal government was legal but offensive to the traditional convention of getting provincial consent for constitutional amendments.''

Supply  I was under the impression that you had understood that there was no time left. Following comments from both sides of the House I came to a decision. My decision is clear. The Secretary of State has the floor. The issue is closed. The Secretary of State has the floor.

Supply  As I mentioned earlier, when Quebecers stood up, they rejected the Duplessis regime, they said no to dictatorship. I am convinced that Quebecers will make a sound decision when asked a clear-cut question, not one like this, which is only propaganda. I wish to tell the members of the Bloc that, even if they do not want me in Quebec, Madam Speaker, my roots are in Quebec, Quebec is part of Canada, and I will go there whenever I please.

Supply  Earlier, I was appalled to hear the hon. member for Hull, who is responsible for the federal government's referendum strategy, trying to discredit the initiative tabled by Mr. Parizeau's government a few days ago. One thing is clear. History tells us that very few nations have had a chance to write their own constitution. Consider George Washington, Jefferson, Madison and all the great thinkers who helped to draft constitutional texts, and who did so because they were members of the elite.

Supply  On September 12, 1994, in Quebec we finally did elect a separatist government which clearly puts its option on the table and asks all Quebecers to take part in a huge democratic operation. This is totally new! It is a clear, simple and open process where nothing is hidden. Liberals from the provincial and the federal levels have claimed that they will not take part in this process, which they consider illegitimate.

Supply  If tomorrow, from an Ontario point of view, you will have an independent Quebec, why are you planning to keep the Canadian currency? It may be a good idea, but then, it must made quite clear to the people of Quebec that the rest of Canada will insist on controlling its own currency, while Quebec, if an arrangement is negotiated, will hold only 25 per cent of the voting power under a possible arrangement on a common currency.

Supply  Madam Speaker, I thought I made myself clear as to what I consider democracy to be. The heart of it is the consent of the governed and democratic processes have to meet certain basic fundamental tests no matter where we talk about democracy in the world.

Supply  This means that Quebecers themselves have a favourable opinion of the way the federal government is working on their behalf. As for mandate, it is clear that Mr. Parizeau, and he said so himself dozens of times during the election campaign, was not elected with a mandate to achieve sovereignty: He was elected to provide a new government and, really, to create jobs, just like us.

Bankruptcy Act  The main question is: How can the minister allow the director of the bureau currently examining the possibility of releasing this hormone for market to "pressure" his colleagues or at least try to convince them of the merits of this hormone while on leave without pay? He is still the director even though he is on leave without pay. Let us be clear on the principle of leave without pay. The person on leave whithout pay does not lose his or her seniority, and continues to be entitled to his or her insurance plan, pension, disability insurance and everything else.

Bankruptcy Act  I asked him whether there would be any changes in the government's policy toward the Canadian Wheat Board. I asked this because during the election the Prime Minister was quite clear that the policy of the Liberals was to support the board. In the election that was quite important. There was a small group of farmers demanding a dual marketing system which would have had the effect of breaking the ability of the board to put prices on grain for western farmers.

Bankruptcy Act  They represent the interests of people acting in the marketplace over generations of litigation and thousands of cases of business relationships. I have stated adequately my clear opposition to this motion. It is not because I appreciate workers less than the member for Portneuf. The rules of business should maintain the overall efficiency of private enterprise because the security of private enterprise ensures job security for Canadian workers.

Bankruptcy Act  The proposed law does not envisage changing this condition. Therefore when an estate is to be dissolved and it is clear that if after the payment of labour there is no money left for funeral expenses and accounting services, who will do this work? I see only one answer to this question. A government will have to undertake the task or at least pay for it out of general tax revenue.

Bankruptcy Act  Undeniably, some social choices are at the basis of such a bill. Unfortunately, and we must be clear on this, each time it has been proposed, the idea of giving first priority to wage claims has always been defeated by the banking lobby. This is obvious in all the documents dealing with this sensitive issue.