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Justice

In question period, the Bloc Québécois asked about the Prime Minister’s comments that 50 percent plus one would not be enough to win a referendum, saying this disrespects democracy and noting the comment came up regarding an Alberta referendum even though the federal referendum rules do not apply there. The Liberal response pointed to economic announcements and jobs in Quebec, and said a Quebec election is coming this fall, that Quebec is far from independence, and that separation would hurt Quebec’s economy.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

4 statements

Yves Perron

Bloc Québécois
“The Prime Minister says that winning 50 percent plus one is not enough in a referendum. He is ignoring democracy and cheating because he does not like the idea of Quebec choosing its own future. Quebeckers accepted the 1995 vote result. I want to know why Canada will not play by the rules.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has shown his true colours by claiming that 50% of the vote plus one would not be enough to win a referendum. He has shown that he will flout democracy if he is not happy with a decision made by the people. He has shown that he adheres to a long tradition of federalism that tramples on peoples’ right to self-determination—a federalism prepared to cheat to win. Quebeckers, for their part, are deeply democratic. They proved this by accepting the result of the 1995 referendum. Why is Canada fundamentally incapable of playing by the rules?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“Our government is bringing jobs and economic growth to Quebec. The Bloc Québécois only wants to pick fights and talk about separating.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 32 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, let us look back at the last few weeks in Quebec. We saw the announcement of the largest aircraft order in Canadian history from Airbus, in Mirabel. We saw the start of construction at Nouveau Monde Graphite, in Saint-Michel-des-Saints. This represents thousands of jobs for Quebeckers. The Port of Québec has been designated as Canada’s primary port of entry. We are making progress in the economy, in jobs and in opportunities for Québec. What does the Bloc Québécois like talking about? It talks about separation, rupture, instability and a referendum. All they do is pick fights all the time.

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Yves Perron

Bloc Québécois

Linked statement

“The Prime Minister brought up rules for referendums when talking about Alberta, even though those rules do not apply there. He is showing that he will not respect democracy if he dislikes the result. I want to know why he is doing this.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it was the Prime Minister who started this debate, not the Bloc Québécois. He was the one who raised the issue of referendum clarity. What is more, he did so regarding a referendum in Alberta where the law does not even apply. He cannot help himself. He just had to demonstrate that he will not respect democracy if he is not happy with what the people choose. The fact that he was so eager to start this debate when it was not even necessary speaks volumes. Why is he so eager to prove that he is willing to cheat to win?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“Quebec will have an election this fall, and it is far from becoming an independent country. The Bloc Québécois is trying to separate Quebec from Canada, and that would hurt Quebec's economy.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 46 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about democracy. Let us talk about the democratic process. There will be an election in Quebec this fall. It has not even yet begun. The fate of my colleague’s parent party has not yet been decided. Quebec is still a long way from achieving independence, even though the Bloc Québécois is working hard to cause this break, this separation, this split within Canada that would destabilize Quebec’s economy.

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