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Results: 1621 - 1644 of 1644
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, could the Minister of State for ACOA explain to us how Atlantic Canada is attracting new investment and why the Alliance members are so wrong when they claim that the defeatist attitude in Atlantic Canada impedes economic growth?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to Motion No. 367, brought forward by my our colleague, the member for Longueuil.
The motion before the House today asks the federal government to, and I quote:
(a) take all measures necessary to encourage, facilitate and actively support the right to communications of the deaf and hearing impaired;
Closed captioning involves printing on the screen, in sub-title format, the oral part of a television program, that is the dialogues and the narrative. This allows hearing impaired viewers to read what they cannot hear.
To access closed captioning, they have to decode a broadcasting signal known as “line 21”. To that end, the television receiver has to be equipped with an integrated closed captioning decoder for the hearing impaired or be upgraded by the installation of an external decoder.
I think that it is important to specify that parliament has made the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission the independent public authority responsible for regulating and monitoring the Canadian broadcasting system.
The CRTC has already issued specific requirements for closed captioning because it is convinced, just like you and me, that television has a fundamental role to play in the public debates and the free circulation of ideas that enrich a democratic society.
Under the Broadcasting Act, and I quote:
Programming accessible by disabled persons should be provided within the Canadian broadcasting system as resources become available for the purpose.
I believe it is important to remind the House that because of the higher cost to closed caption French language programming, private sector French language broadcasters do not provide the same level of closed captioned programs as English broadcasters. Even though they do not have the same requirements as English language television stations, they have always been encouraged to increase the number of hours of closed captioned programming that their station airs per year.
Allow me to explain the reasons behind the difference between English and French broadcasters.
Unlike their English counterparts, French broadcasters cannot purchase foreign programs that have already been closed captioned, because the closed captioning technology used in many French speaking countries is incompatible with the technology used in Canada. Furthermore, the cost of closed captioning in French is approximately 2.5 times greater than the cost of closed captioning in English.
As well, given the small size of the French market, the limited use of the service generates very few sponsors, and as a result, a weak return on investment.
According to many broadcasting specialists, these numerous obstacles mean that this type of service, despite its benefits for the hard of hearing, does little to benefit the competitiveness of French broadcasters.
I would like to draw attention to the fact that the member for Longueuil, in the press release she issued on the day the motion was brought forward, said, and I quote:
--French networks, which are not required by the CRTC to meet the same closed captioning criteria as English networks--
In its 1999 television policy, the CRTC recognizes explicitly that the closed captioning requirements should be the same for both French and English broadcasters and is now applying this principle when renewing licences for French broadcasters.
Since 1999, the CRTC expects French broadcasters to gradually reach closed captioning levels similar to those of English broadcasters.
In developing its overall strategy with regard to closed captioning, the CRTC considered the fact that all licensees do not have the same financial resources.
Indeed, the requirements that may be just fine for a large station in an urban market could be a heavy financial burden for a station in a smaller market. So equality with regard to closed captioning will come gradually, slowly but surely.
For example, since 2001, the largest French private television network, TVA, knows that it will have to raise its closed captioning levels to 100% for its news programming by September 2004 and to 90% for all its programming by 2007.
Among the requirements of the Canadian Television Fund, closed captioning is compulsory for a production that includes narration, dialogues and songs, unless the program is intended for children under five, or is in an aboriginal language that does not use the roman alphabet.
The Government of Canada is committed to social inclusion and access for all Canadians to a broadcasting system that meets their needs. The principles underlying Motion No. 367 are unquestionably very laudable, but they do not, in the opinion of this government, require additional legislation or an amendment to the existing act.
In conclusion, I would invite the hon. member for Longueuil to inform the members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage of this important issue. It would be very appropriate for the author of Motion No. 367, to make representations and present her arguments to this committee.
I want to congratulate the hon. member for Longueuil. I get the impression that a number of members of parliament have family members who are hard of hearing.
For example, many people know that, in his last years as governor general, my father had a lot of problems hearing from his right ear. When I go home, to New Brunswick, and my father is there, the volume of the television set is turned quite high.
I believe, like many of us, that Canadians who live with these difficulties and handicaps must have access to television and be able to learn from, to hear and to enjoy a society that they are also a part of.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Chairman, I would like to join my colleagues in congratulating the new minister on his portfolio and on the outstanding job that he is doing in it.
I am very fortunate to have in my constituency the superannuation directorate of the Department of Public Works and Government Services. This directorate of the minister's department manages the pension plan and pays pension benefits to almost a quarter of a million retired public servants and their survivors.
The superannuation directorate, as one can imagine in a small community in Atlantic Canada with 410 employees, is a major source of economic prosperity for that community. I had a chance to visit this directorate of the department on two occasions. The directorate has a new director general. She is an outstanding public servant and a very dynamic new director. The employees are very pleased with her energy, dedication and desire to motivate them to continue to do the excellent work they have done.
This directorate of the Department of Public Works and Government Services serves as an excellent example of a decentralization policy of a previous Liberal government. I can tell everyone that Atlantic Canada communities like Shediac, where this unit is located, have benefited enormously from the presence of these public service jobs.
I said I had the opportunity to visit that unit of the department on two occasions and the second time it was with the minister's predecessor.
Two months ago the former minister came with me to Shediac. We met all the employees and I must say that their enthusiasm resulting from the presence of the minister in their community did a lot of good.
I hope I will have the opportunity to invite the new minister to visit this unit at the appropriate time.
The minister's predecessor had indicated to me that the department was looking at a modernization initiative for the superannuation directorate. When we visited the unit and spoke to many of the employees we were struck by the need to upgrade and improve many of the information systems and some of the technology that these dedicated public servants were using to serve their clients so well.
The objective of the Department of Public Works and Government Services and the superannuation division, our directorate in Shediac, would be greatly improved if the government proceeded with this modernization study to see how, for example, new technology, new information systems and perhaps, in some cases, additions to the current building and infrastructure that exists in Shediac might better serve the clients of this directorate.
I am wondering if the minister might be able to inform us on his department's plans for the superannuation directorate. I had a discussion with his predecessor about some of the concerns that employees would have. For example, the word out-sourcing for public servants in a community like Shediac, New Brunswick, obviously leads to some concern about their jobs either being downsized or eliminated. There is also a real concern that in some cases some functions are being pulled back to Ottawa, repatriated back to headquarters, and the important work done by these dedicated public servants in Shediac, New Brunswick would somehow be diminished.
I would be interested to know if the minister could update us and reassure the employees who work in Shediac and who contribute enormously to their communities that the work they do is valued by the government, as I know it is, and that they can continue to provide the excellent service they do to the many clients they serve.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, Exchanges Canada programs run by the Department of Canadian Heritage aim to help young Canadians gain knowledge and understanding of Canada.
This weekend Exchanges Canada brings together 270 young musicians in Ottawa for the Canadian Youth Orchestra Festival. When all nine youth orchestras perform this weekend, it will truly be an example of the unifying role music can play. These young musicians have travelled from British Columbia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and all across Ontario to learn from each other and share their mutual love of music.
In its second year the Youth Orchestra Festival is dedicated to stimulating, challenging and supporting the musical talent of young Canadians. I welcome these outstanding young people to the nation's capital and wish them and the organizers of this special event an exciting and rewarding weekend.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee has completed it study of the management of Little Harbour causeway issue.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has taken a strong position with respect to foreign overfishing outside Canada's 200 mile limit. We are aware of serious violations by vessels from Russia and the Faroe Islands.
Could the minister give us an update as to what specific steps he has taken to combat this serious abuse?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day of la Francophonie.
In 1999, New Brunswick and the Acadian community welcomed leaders from the 55 members and participating governments to the 8th Francophone Summit.
The theme for that summit was youth, and young Acadians left a lasting impression with their warm welcome and their strong attachment to the French language. We dazzled the entire Francophonie, demonstrating once again the vitality of Acadian culture and the French language in New Brunswick.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Canadians an excellent Journée internationale de la Francophonie, and congratulate French language minority communities, which continue to celebrate and promote our beautiful language.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, it was vital that minority language communities in Canada be able to develop.
Can the Minister of Human Resources Development tell us what measures she has taken to ensure that these rights are respected by her department?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, it gives me pleasure to take part in the debate on Bill C-5.
The people of Atlantic Canada understand what can happen to fish and wildlife. Many have lived through the dwindling cod stocks and the devastating economic and social costs this represented for many small communities in my region. We have adapted our practices to limit unintentional bycatch of vulnerable species. We have also adapted our land practices so as not to unintentionally harm wildlife.
For example, fishermen from the east coast, with the help of the federal government, are modifying their gill nets to avoid unintentionally entangling right whales and leatherback turtles. Citizens in New Brunswick are volunteering their time and energy to raise awareness about nesting sites of piping plovers on our many beaches.
We are committed to being active stewards of our natural legacy. We want to help find ways to not jeopardize species already at risk. We understand that this contributes to our quality of life and it is the responsible approach to take. Playing the role of stewards of our fish stocks, our wildlife and the lands and waters where they exist is important to Atlantic Canadians. It is essential to preserve many of the natural resources on which we depend for our economic future.
This is why I am speaking today in favour of the motions on the species at risk act that ensure there is a solid, science based process to listing species at risk. I am also speaking in favour of government accountability for the decisions to protect these species.
The scientific listing process ensures two very basic things that are important to me. First, it is scientists who will determine the status of species through a transparent and thorough assessment process. They are the ones best placed to do it. They are the ones with the expertise and the knowledge. I have no doubt that they will do this well.
The assessment process will be at arm's length from government, as COSEWIC maintains an impartial, scientific and expert judgment. These assessments are then presented to the Minister of the Environment and the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council. The COSEWIC list will also be placed on the public registry. The minister will use these scientific assessments as the basis for recommendations to cabinet to add species to the list for legal protection.
If an endangered or threatened species is listed under Bill C-5, then things start to happen. There are automatic prohibitions, for example, against killing or harming residences like nests and dens. If this occurs, mandatory recovery planning proceeds. The government gains the authority to take emergency action to protect habitat.
However, there could be significant social and economic impacts resulting from this protection. I feel strongly that scientists should not make socioeconomic decisions. They are specialists in science and their contribution to this process must be highly valued, but if protection affects people's lives and livelihoods, then elected ministers need to be accountable. That is how the democratic process works and we should not accept legislation that alters this fundamental principle.
For that reason the government must have the ultimate responsibility for making decisions on which species to add to the legal list should the situation arise where there would be serious economic or social implications.
It is not because the government does not want scientists to make decisions. It is because the government has a different role to play. It is responsible to Canadians for its decisions.
I know that the residents of Beauséjour--Petitcodiac want me, as their elected member of parliament, to raise their perspectives on listing decisions. This is the job they sent me to Ottawa to do and I think it would be unwise to hide behind unelected scientific panels. I also know that we should not rush or delay these decisions to fit into an arbitrary timetable. Each species is different and affects different interests. We need to ensure that our decision making process does not restrict unnecessarily our flexibility to make timely decisions but also the right decisions.
I support the government motion that removes the artificial six month timeline on cabinet decisions. In my view, cabinet decisions need to be made in whatever time is necessary to consider all the relevant factors, including science, and the social and economic consequences as well. The new requirement for the minister to respond to each and every COSEWIC assessment within 90 days provides, I believe, the required accountability for the scientific recommendations.
The scientists have their job to do and we, as elected members of parliament, have our jobs to do. Scientists must be responsible for scientific evidence and be accountable to their peer review, but elected ministers must be responsible to Canadians for decisions that could affect their social and economic well-being. That is exactly the balance that this bill achieves.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, today the President of the Treasury Board announced a new policy to create alternative service delivery arrangements.
Could she explain to the House what kind of impact this new policy will have on Canadians, and on linguistic minorities in particular?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, last Friday, the President of the Privy Council was at the Université de Moncton to announce the creation of the National Research Institute on Linguistic Minorities, thanks to a $10 million investment by the Government of Canada.
Will the minister tell us how this will benefit official language communities in Canada?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, since September 11, Canadians have been asking more questions about the coast guard's ability to monitor marine traffic.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans explain the role that the coast guard plays in the government's security program and indicate what tools they have been given?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, in the House all members are protected from harassment for their beliefs by parliamentary privilege, but judging by the personal smears that have been launched by the opposition it is clear that some of us are abusing that privilege to harass a private citizen.
I refer to the disgraceful treatment of Mr. Jean Carle and his family. I know Jean Carle.
I have worked very closely with him. Jean has a great deal of talent and I am privileged to call him a friend.
For the sin of having worked for the Prime Minister he has become the victim of an opposition witch hunt that would make Senator McCarthy proud. He has been the subject of baseless allegations of wrongdoing, allegations that have been refuted time and time again including in the National Post this morning. His every career move is fodder for snide comment and gross innuendo with no regard for fairness or for the effect on his reputation and his family.
The opposition may be doing this just for laughs but it is no joke.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, I rise to extend my best wishes to the hon. member for Calgary East who underwent successful heart surgery yesterday.
I had the privilege of getting to know the member for Calgary East before my election to the House when we were on the same trip to Africa in 1999. I was with him when he made a triumphant return to his old high school in Arusha, Tanzania. I learned much about this country from him.
I am sure all hon. members join me in wishing the member for Calgary East a speedy and full recovery, and a quick return to the House.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, today the Canadian Coast Guard is celebrating its 40th anniversary. I wish to thank the new Minister of Fisheries and Oceans for marking this occasion. The coast guard has made a significant contribution to marine safety and the protection of the environment.
I congratulate the men and women of the coast guard for the extraordinary work they are doing for Canada.
Many of the symbols that are taken for granted by mariners and fishermen are the result of the activities of the Canadian Coast Guard. Lighthouses and buoys mark hazards to avoid, ice breakers facilitate international trade, and the great efforts of the coast guard in search and rescue have saved many lives.
Let us congratulate the Canadian Coast Guard on its 40th anniversary.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, in 1981 Raoul Léger of Kent County, New Brunswick, died under tragic circumstances in Guatemala. His family is today calling for an autopsy to help them discover the facts surrounding his death.
Could the minister tell us how his department can help the Léger family?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, during the vote on Motion No. 241, the member for Bas-Richelieu--Nicolet--Bécancour used words which I dare not repeat in the House and which were offensive to me. I ask that he withdraw them immediately.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, Équipe Francophonie 2001, a coalition of French-speaking and Acadian communities, is in Ottawa today.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind hon. members of the federal government's commitment to Canada's francophones.
To cite a few examples, along with the provinces and the territories, the federal government guarantees minority communities access to education in their language. It has helped the University of Ottawa to set up its Centre national de formation en santé. It has renewed its official language support programs and allocated additional funding to them. The Prime Minister has created a position responsible for co-ordinating everything relating to official languages.
One thing is certain; the Government of Canada is working hard for the preservation and expansion of the culture, traditions and language of Canada's 6.6 million francophones.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, I represent the riding of Beauséjour--Petitcodiac, and those two words are fraught with significance in the history of Acadia.
Beauséjour is the name of the fort where many Acadians were detained during the expulsion. Also in my riding is the village of Memramcook, where my father was born and where, last century, began what was called the Acadian Renaissance, when Acadians started going to Saint-Joseph College and building the modern Acadia I am proud to be part of.
I am proud to be an Acadian, proud of the courage shown by my ancestors, but most of all proud to be part of this new Acadia which, instead of brooding about the past, puts its faith in the future, a future made of sharing, dynamism and openness to the world.
Motion No. 241 would force us to change this attitude. It would bring us back to the 18th century and back on the warpath. The colonial wars issue would be raised again and old wounds would be re-opened.
We would ask the Queen to apologize for an action which she certainly did not sanction herself. Besides, we now know that the expulsion was mainly organized in North America.
In that sense, should we also ask for an apology from the American government, since the troops and the ships came from Boston and were chartered by William Shirley, then governor of Massachusetts?
Should we ask the government of Nova Scotia to apologize since Justice Belcher from that province was the one who signed the document approving the expulsion?
Should we ask the French government to apologize for not having provided the guns the Acadians asked the marquis de Vaudreuil for in 1758, when he was governor of New France in Quebec City?
It would be a nonsense to deny the fact that the expulsion was the most tragic event in Acadian history. But we overcame it. We all know that it is not possible to rewrite history. However, we can draw great lessons from it. The lesson we can draw today is one of generosity, sharing and cohabitation with our former enemies, who have become our compatriots.
Vengeance only breeds vengeance.
Acadians harbour no bitterness about our past, rather a serene determination to take our place in the ranks of Canadians who want to build an open, generous and bilingual country. Canada has given us that chance.
No one believed more in the rights of francophone minorities in Canada than the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Few people did more on the national stage to advance the interests of Acadians than did Mr. Trudeau. The late Prime Minister was right when he said in the House on June 29, 1984:
I do not think it is the purpose of a government to right the past. It cannot re-write history. It is our purpose to be just in our time...
I am proud of our artists such as Herménégilde Chiasson, who won the Governor General's Award two years ago. I am proud of our thinkers, our professionals, entrepreneurs, teachers, athletes, and workers who affirm their commitment to this future on a daily basis and who let Canada and the world know that we survived 1755 and that we do not want to return to the past.
The Government of Canada provides extraordinary support to the Acadian community. We know that there is no other solution than building a dynamic francophone community outside of Quebec that is proud of its origins. That is exactly what we are doing in Acadia today.
I agree with the member for Laval Centre that the debate on this must not be a partisan one. There are people who support this motion because of their personal convictions and I respect them, but I do not share their conclusions. Instead, I agree with my Acadian colleagues and the Conservative premier of New Brunswick who think we must look to the future instead of trying to revisit the past.
In 1955, during the 200th anniversary of the deportation, all the Acadian leaders and the Société nationale l'Assomption—now known as the Société nationale de l'Acadie—focused on the future in commemorating this tragic event from their past.
In an important speech on this very issue, Claude Bourque, a well-known reporter and writer concluded that, in 1955, the SNA ensured healing for all Acadians by forgiving those who organized the deportation.
At the time, the chief organizer of the festivities, Archbishop Adélard Savoie, who would later become the rector of the Université de Moncton, said, and I quote:
Evoking this period should elicit the profound joy of resurrection rather than the overwhelming sorrow of annihilation. Acadians should feel no resentment or bitterness at such a time. This is the generous offer of Christian forgiveness and the expression of a firm desire to continue our forefathers' work on this beloved Earth and carry out to their fullest the designs of Providence.
The words spoken by Adélard Savoie in 1955 are still relevant today, in 2001.
We do not need apologies to carry out the work that needs to be done. We do not need apologies to understand that Acadians are now mature enough to decide what they want to fight for and to live with the choices they make.
We do not need apologies. What we need are people respectful enough to understand that we no longer need to constantly relive our past.
Acadia's history is 400 years old. Our fight has been long and neverending. Only those who have lived under such circumstances can understand that our dignity is not based on apologies. It is based on the voice, the courage and the determination of all those who stayed behind and who fought and are still fighting for Acadia to continue to live not in the past, but in the present and, most importantly, in a future that holds so much promise
Long live Acadia and long live Canada.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, this week in Belgium a Canadian delegation attended the burial of two second world war soldiers, Private Charles Joseph Beaudry and Private George Robert Barritt. It was a moving event. These two young soldiers who gave their lives for Canada will finally lie with their comrades in arms.
Private Beaudry was from Dalhousie, a small town in northern New Brunswick. Private Barritt was from Runciman, Saskatchewan. These two young Canadians were brought together in terrible circumstances and are now laid to rest with all the honours that were due.
It is fitting as we prepare for Veterans Week 2001 to remember them and all those who sacrificed so much that we may live in peace and freedom.
We are greatly in their debt, and our country is better and more just because of the sacrifice they made.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, today, October 31, is national UNICEF Day. On this occasion the United Nations Children's Fund is taking part in Halloween.
Since 1955, children have been collecting pennies for the poor. So far, over $75 million have been collected.
Last year Canadian children collected more than $3 million. This money makes it possible to improve the living conditions of children in more than 150 developing countries. It goes to protecting children from exploitation and provides them with an education, vaccines and safe drinking water.
Tonight is Halloween. When a princess or a wizard, a ladybug or an astronaut knocks on the door and holds out an orange and black piggy bank, be generous.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, next Sunday will be International Translation Day. This year's theme is “Translation and Ethics--The ethical commitment of professional translators”.
International Translation Day was inaugurated by UNESCO and the International Federation of Translators. In today's global society there is a growing demand for language professionals.
Personally, I would like to point out the importance of the work done by the House of Commons translators.
Given this year's theme of translation and ethics, we particularly recognize and appreciate the confidentiality and impartiality of the House of Commons translators. Please join me in thanking all our language professionals for their good work.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, since meetings with U.S. trade representative Zoellick and commerce secretary Evans two weeks ago, what has the government done to defend Canada's softwood lumber industry from U.S. trade actions and protectionist American lumber industries?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence.
Canadian forces were on standby last week to offer humanitarian assistance to the Americans during that terrible crisis. Can the minister elaborate on the resources made available to the Americans by the Canadian forces?
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