Maka Kotto

[UNESCO, October 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, a letter from Quebec's minister of international relations to the leader of the Bloc Québécois indicates that, in the event of disagreement between the two governments, Quebec cannot make its opinion known to the public. The letter says, and I quote:

The Government of Canada will provide the Government of Quebec with an explanatory note regarding its decision.

Will the minister admit that Quebec's only gain since being granted a seat at UNESCO is that, from now on, Quebec will be given a little note explaining the federal government's unilateral decisions? Is this Quebec's so-called historical gain?

[Georges Thurston, June 18th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, Georges Thurston, known as Boule Noire, died last night at age 55, after a rich artistic career spanning 30 years.

He did not have an easy life. Abandoned at birth, he was raised in an orphanage, then went from one foster home to another, only to become a drifter for years. In his autobiography, published only a few days ago, he admits that music is what saved him.

He worked as a musician or music arranger for artists such as Charlebois, Roman, Dubois, Lautrec, Pagliaro and Workman, in addition to producing his own songs, many of which were recorded by the group Toulouse.

I would like to commend Georges Thurston's courage and determination in his battle with cancer, which he fought very publicly, in order to inspire others who are also battling incurable diseases.

He will be sadly missed.

[Saint-Lambert Sesquicentennial, June 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, on July 1, 2007, the municipality of Saint-Lambert will celebrate its 150th anniversary.

Everyone, including the 22,000 residents of the municipality, is invited to participate in various events organized by the Saint-Lambert 150th anniversary committee, a group of volunteers who have spent the last several months organizing the festivities.

Among the upcoming events of note, I would like to highlight the publication of Saint-Lambert au fil des ans / Saint- Lambert Through the Years, edited by the Mouillepied Historical Society, which recounts the great events in the lives of residents of Saint-Lambert since 1857.

The Bloc Québécois and I would like to congratulate the Saint-Lambert municipal authorities and all of the artisans who will be taking part in the 150th anniversary celebration for their contribution to this vibrant display of our collective memory.

[Plein Soleil School, June 6th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, hundreds of children and their parents recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of Plein Soleil school, a public alternative school located in the heart of my riding in Longueuil.

The school was founded by a group of engaged parents and enlightened educators in the Marie-Victorin school board. Plein Soleil primary school is an open concept school focused on the overall development of the child and espousing basic values such as autonomy, interdependence, freedom, accountability, participation and democracy. This school also accords an important place to culture and is completely open, with the support of parents, to community life.

The Bloc Québécois and I would like to congratulate the principal, Nathalie Ouellet, the teaching staff, and parents as well as students, present and past, for this important milestone in the life of Plein Soleil school, and by extension, that of an entire community.

[Festivals and Special Events, June 5th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec's request is not a fantasy, it is a reality.

After our film industry, museums, tours and the Canada Council, this means the end of a number of our festivals in Quebec.

Why is the Minister of Canadian Heritage so intent on gradually destroying culture, the arts and tourism in Quebec, given the substantial economic spinoffs they generate?

[Festivals and Special Events, June 5th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, instead of ignoring Quebec, which is asking for a transfer of its share of the new funding for festivals, the minister must understand that the sponsorship program, which is making her a little paranoid, lined the pockets of middlemen, friends of the government, but did not make the festivals rich.

How can she refuse to provide the funding that is necessary for Quebec festivals to survive and grow?

[Festivals and Special Events, June 4th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, in Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, Laurentides—Labelle, Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Quebec City, just to mention these areas, festivals are in serious trouble because of the minister's incompetence.

When will the Conservative members and ministers from Quebec join with us and the Government of Quebec to convince the Minister of Canadian Heritage to provide, very, very quickly, the money needed to save these festivals before they are all endangered?

[Festivals and Special Events, June 4th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage has confirmed that the new festivals program will not be ready before the fall and that nothing will be done about festival financing this summer.

Does the minister realize that her stubborn refusal to transfer monies to the Government of Quebec is jeopardizing, in the opinion of the organizers, the future of the Montreal Tour de l'Île, which is facing a deficit of more than $200,000?

[Festivals and Special Events, May 31st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, instead of threatening Mr. Bachand as some Conservative members have done, which of them will dare to put pressure on the minister to transfer the money? Who will dare? If no one will stand up, they had better sink into their natural torpor and inertia and follow Mr. Bachand's advice to stay home and avoid all festivals in Quebec this summer.

[Festivals and Special Events, May 31st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Quebec's Minister of Tourism, Raymond Bachand, urged Conservative members from Quebec to “rise up and get the emergency funding that Quebec's festivals need”. The response from the Minister of the Economic Development Agency was nonsense. This is about the budget of the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

So which Conservative member or minister from Quebec is going to rise and demand that the minister accept her responsibility and hand out the $30 million that festivals are waiting for as soon as possible?