Discussion · Oral Questions
Mario Simard Bloc Québécois
“Quebec has the right to handle its own international relations in areas under its control. The federal government is not showing respect for Quebec. I want the Prime Minister to respect Quebec and invite its Premier to speak at the summit.”
“Mr. Speaker, there is a fourth certainty: the federal government’s lack of respect for Quebec. Whether a certain minister likes it or not, geopolitics is not a matter of federal jurisdiction. Quebec has the right to conduct its own international relations in all areas that fall wholly or partly under its jurisdiction. That is the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine. The Prime Minister’s insulting attitude and his Minister of Industry’s outlandish statements undermine decades of Quebec and Canadian foreign policy. Will the Prime Minister reconsider, respect the Quebec nation and invite the Premier of Quebec to speak at the summit?”
Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, there is a fourth certainty: the federal government’s lack of respect for Quebec. Whether a certain minister likes it or not, geopolitics is not a matter of federal jurisdiction. Quebec has the right to conduct its own international relations in all areas that fall wholly or partly under its jurisdiction. That is the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine. The Prime Minister’s insulting attitude and his Minister of Industry’s outlandish statements undermine decades of Quebec and Canadian foreign policy. Will the Prime Minister reconsider, respect the Quebec nation and invite the Premier of Quebec to speak at the summit?