But as a—
Evidence of meeting #47 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was veterans.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #47 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was veterans.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:55 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
As a special day of remembrance.... We believe it's a day when every Canadian should take the time to remember, not look at it as just another holiday.
4:55 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
The issue is not about “legal”; the issue is about the whole implication of what this bill would mean to us.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
If it's not about “legal”...because in French it says that they want to switch from
“holiday” by “legal holiday”.
You want “day” and not “fête”.
You want to say day of commemoration—
5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
We don't want any mention of the word—
5 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Okay. We're making progress.
Can we agree on changing the wording?
5 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
If we want to get through this, let's find a way. Let's work this out and make sure that we do pay tribute to the sacrifice.
5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
A quick answer from me would be that any bill that says Remembrance Day is a special day of Canadians for remembrance is fine by me. Just don't make it a holiday or a statutory holiday.
5 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
So to stay out of this commentary and move into “what do we do”, would...?
5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
Recognizing to Canadians that it is a significant day in the life of the country, a day when we should commemorate the actions of the fallen and those who go to serve on our behalf.
5 p.m.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Larry Maguire
Mr. Nantel, I'm going to have to interrupt you. We may get a chance to come back to you.
I'll turn it over to Mr. O'Regan.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Seamus O'Regan Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. White.
I want to clarify something. You said that you don't want it to be a statutory holiday, but it has been a statutory holiday my whole life in Newfoundland.
5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
Some provinces do have it as a holiday, but for us it's not. We don't recognize it as a holiday.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Seamus O'Regan Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
How does your membership in Newfoundland feel about that?
5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
I couldn't give you that poll because I'm not...you know, they're a block on the floor. Some probably support it, and some probably don't. That's the nicety of a democratic organization, to be able to debate these issues.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Seamus O'Regan Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Absolutely. As you probably know, we in fact have two holidays, because we've commemorated, I guess you could say—or celebrated, in some ways—Memorial Day since July 1, 1917.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Seamus O'Regan Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
It commemorates the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel.