Evidence of meeting #45 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was countries.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
Peter Goldring Conservative Edmonton East, AB
It's Hansard, but I don't know what the books themselves were called. These books of Hansard were given to all parliamentarians. But they stopped doing that just after I came into Parliament in 1997, probably because of the complexity of it and maybe to save a few trees. Now they would give it to you in digital version. But the old books made for a good library, if you wanted to save them. You will probably see them on the wall of the Speaker's room. They included all the printed versions, in French and English, of all the debates from Hansard for the session. And you were actually able to get a section of that and—
10:30 a.m.
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Are you talking for posterity, for your great, great grandchildren about this meeting?
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
Peter Goldring Conservative Edmonton East, AB
Well, it was to fill up your library and have a record. It looked grand, but they stopped doing that. In the Speaker's chamber there you'll still see them on the wall, and you'll see the dates that they stopped. But they were thick bound books of all of the debates and things, yes.
But speaking of being published, this is where they were published in English and French, and it was grand to have those as a permanent record so that at some time in years ahead, if you wanted to look up something, you could actually crack open one of those and find maybe one of your very fine speeches from 15 years ago or whatever it was.
Again, it says the following:
The statutes, records and journals of the legislature of New Brunswick shall be printed and published in English and French and both language versions are equally authoritative.
Well, once again, I'm sure for the members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, it's much the same thing. It would be nice for them too, if they've made a speech in the legislature there, that they could have that on permanent record. Maybe they still print them out in bound book forms. Who knows? And that would be quite an addition to their library for their future generations to be able to leaf through.
10:30 a.m.
A voice
Very valuable.
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
Peter Goldring Conservative Edmonton East, AB
Well, very valuable. Not to have everything in electronic form—I think it's important to have it in printed form, and once again, in both official languages so that your future generations can have that option of reading it in either. I think it's important. But once again, it's peculiarly Canadian, I would think. I'm not sure whether that would be applicable in many of the countries around the world, and certainly in a lot of the countries around the world, it would be problematic for them to even have computer-generated versions of their debates.
Article 19(1) states this:
Either English or French may be used by any person in, or any pleading in or process issuing from, any court established by Parliament.
Well, once again we go back to the basis of this motion, and to say that any court established by our Parliament is going to imply that it can be in any foreign country, that's awfully presumptuous. Once again, I go article by article here of problematic areas. I can't find articles here that aren't really affronted by this motion. To order the Minister of Foreign Affairs to enter into a country on the basis that a statement in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms talks about any court established by the Canadian Parliament, into another country to address an issue that is established by Canada's Parliament, I think that's just an impossible thing to do.
Article 19(2) reads as follows:
Either English or French may be used by any person in, or any pleading in or process issuing from, any court of New Brunswick.
Well, that one is very specific, and it deals with New Brunswick, and once again it goes to the character of Canadians wishing to have a made-in-Canada constitution, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and certainly it's very specific about New Brunswick. But it would also imply that if there are other provinces or territories that wish to have that special designation, they could be applying to the specifics of a constitutional amendment or whatever to be able to add their names to that too.
Then we have article 20:
Any member of the public in Canada has the right to communicate with, and to receive available services from, any head or central office of an institution of the Parliament or government of Canada in English or French, and has the same right with respect to any other—
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Excuse me, Mr. Goldring.
Mr. Chair, I don't want to make any point of order. I just want to see if you can have unanimous consent so that we can end this meeting for this morning. I've learned enough from him for this morning. I'm very happy about the Constitution. I have never read it totally, but I think if you have unanimous consent...
Can you ask for unanimous consent?
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Actually, my understanding is that in order to adjourn a meeting, you need a majority, not unanimous consent.
10:35 a.m.
Liberal
Bernard Patry Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
I don't want just to go with a majority. I'd like to get all my colleagues to....
That's fine?
Can you ask, Mr. Chair?
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
10:35 a.m.
An hon. member
No.
10:35 a.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
10:35 a.m.
An hon. member
A motion is on the table.
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Yes.
All in favour of the motion by Mr. Patry?
(Motion agreed to)
We're adjourned.