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Results: 1636 - 1644 of 1644
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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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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