MINISTER DION EXPLAINS WHY A QUEBECER
WANTS TO KEEP B.C. AS PART OF HIS COUNTRY


VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, October 17, 1997 – Stéphane Dion, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, today told a Canadian Club audience in Vancouver why he feels, as a Quebecer, that it is important British Columbia remain part of his country.

Mr. Dion stated that he knows "there is no serious support for the idea of separatism" in British Columbia. However, the Minister stressed that he entered politics not only to fight separatism, but also to combat the idea that it is acceptable to use the threat of secession as a bargaining chip. "In a country as democratic, as tolerant, as rich, and as successful as Canada, there is nothing to justify either secession or the threat of secession. Nothing in Quebec, or in any other province or territory of Canada."

Noting the creativity that B.C. has shown in a number of public policy areas, the Minister said that the province should "continue to bring its own perspectives to bear on the challenges we face together." Among these challenges, he highlighted the future of the salmon fisheries, an issue that involves not only the loss of jobs, but of a way of life. Mr. Dion underscored the importance of the fisheries for British Columbia and Canada, remarking that, for British Columbians, "salmon swim not only in your ocean and rivers, but also in the very soul of your province."

We must make sure that the fishermen of British Columbia get a fair share of the salmon catch compared to their American counterparts -- and ensure that there will still be enough salmon around to sustain the fishery twenty, fifty, a hundred years from now," Mr. Dion stated. The Minister noted that while this is a shared goal, there is no clear consensus on how to attain it. "Tough talk and threats may make waves, but they don’t make progress," he stressed.

The Minister pointed to a number of fields in which the governments of B.C. and Canada have been able to work together constructively, including cementing Vancouver’s role as a transportation hub and that of B.C. as Canada’s gateway to Asia. He also pointed to important agreements signed in the spheres of immigration and the fisheries.

"Your history, your culture, your innovative solutions to our national problems, the potential you represent for the future. These are all aspects of my country that I value . . . . We must all work together for a stronger Canada and a stronger B.C.," Mr. Dion said.

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For information: André Lamarre
Press Secretary
(613) 943-1838


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