Jeannot Castonguay

[The Environment, April 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, in December of last year the Minister of the Environment announced the ozone annex to the Canada-United States air quality agreement. As well in February he announced $120 million in new funding to help meet the commitments in the annex.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment update the House today on the status of this initiative?

[New Homes Month, April 4th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that April is New Homes Month.

This is an annual opportunity for the Canadian Home Builders' Association to pass on to consumers information about buying a new home, and to showcase building industry specialists and the products and services they provide.

Since April is one of the busiest months of the year for Canadians wishing to buy or sell a home, it is a good time for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to inform them about the main products and services it offers to assist them in making their decision: products such as a free step-by-step homebuying guide, and services such as mortgage loan insurance, which is available from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation under the National Housing Act and which makes home ownership possible for a downpayment as low as 5%.

As the national organization responsible for housing in Canada, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation plays a vital role in helping Canadians find information that will help them make the best decisions with respect to—

[The Acadians, March 27th, 2001]

To be recognized, to reach the top, in other words to succeed, every Acadian artist must pack up and move to Montreal. This reasoning is simplistic but not new. Outside Quebec, there is no salvation. We have heard that one before.

But what we had never heard is what the Bloc Quebecois leader added at the time. He said, in reference to Acadian artists that “they themselves were proof that it simply does not work outside Quebec”. Allow me to be sceptical as to the real intentions of the Bloc Quebecois in bringing this motion forward in the House.

Bloc Quebecois members are interested in our history or our existence to the extent that it serves their interests and their objective. They want people to believe that they are trying to correct the mistakes of the past, to shed light on a dark episode of our history. One would think that such an initiative would be made in consultation with those concerned, namely the Acadians. That is the least the Bloc Quebecois could do. But its logic does not work like that.

The Bloc Quebecois' logic is based on an out of date and disrespectful paternalism toward Canada's francophone and Acadian communities. Again, this is nothing new. In 1994, the member for Rimouski—Neigette-et-la Mitis, whose riding is close to Acadia, told the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne to mind its own business, because that organization had dared get involved in the debate on sovereignty. Now, they are telling us not only to mind our own business, but that they will meddle in our affairs, with or without our agreement. Let me make one thing very clear: Acadians are not the wards of the Bloc Quebecois. Acadians form a thriving community that is proud of its roots and that is looking to the future. We do not need a self-appointed guardian.

The average observer of the Canadian political landscape can easily be led to confuse the logic of the Bloc Quebecois with that of the Parti Quebecois. This is perfectly normal, since one complements the other. It is particularly easy to illustrate. Again, not so long ago, the PQ government refused to take part in the Year of La Francophonie in Canada. That was not long ago, that was in April 1999.

The Quebec minister responsible for Canadian intergovernmental affairs, Joseph Facal, explained his government's refusal by pointing out that “Quebec cannot, within the Canadian Francophonie, be put on the same level as francophone minorities in the rest of Canada”. So it all comes down to the statement by the Bloc leader: there are those who are saved, who live in Quebec, and those who are lost, who live outside of the promised land.

It is not easy for Acadians to listen to such remarks. Remarks inspired, as I said, by the offensive, insulting and hurtful paternalistic attitude of the Bloc Quebecois separatists. Who has forgotten the now famous words of the member for Rimouski—Neigette-et-la Mitis “They have been assimilated—the francophones—poof.”

The Acadians helped build this country. They worked hard and with determination for the conservation and protection of their culture and of their identity.

The Acadians have founded schools, colleges and universities. They have created playhouses, newspapers and publishing houses. They have made exceptional breakthroughs in the areas of culture, such as theatre, movies, visual arts, music and literature. They have given the world writers, poets, artists, dancers, musicians and singers. They have set up an impressive network of businesses and have created jobs. They did not wait for anyone to take them by the hand and decide for them.

The Acadian community in Canada is not comprised of one, but several communities spread out across the whole Atlantic region and elsewhere. In New Brunswick, the Acadians are concentrated in the southeast, the northeast and the northwest of the province, and there are also Acadian groups in Fredericton and Saint John.

In Nova Scotia, there are vibrant Acadian communities in St. Mary's Bay, on the southwest shore, on Madame Island and in the Chéticamp area, in Cape Breton.

In Prince Edward Island, the Acadians live in the Évangéline region. In Newfoundland, they are concentrated near Cape St. George, in St. John's and in Labrador City. Many also live on the Magdalen Islands, in Gaspé, in the Montreal area and in western Canada. All of these communities, some of them large and others not so large, illustrate the vitality of the Canadian people and of its two official languages.

The Acadians take part in the success and prosperity of our country. The Government of Canada recognizes their vitality and their essential contribution to Canadian society. They are part of the seven million people in Canada who speak, sing, write, work and live in French. These francophones are evidence of the vitality and the extraordinary determination to move ahead and to flourish in a continent where the majority is anglophone.

The English and French languages and the people who speak these languages have shaped Canada and helped define its identity. Canada's linguistic duality has its source in the very roots of our country. It is impossible to be interested in today's Canada without acknowledging the importance of these two languages and these two linguistic communities in Canadian society.

I will get back to the main subject of this debate. While Bloc Quebecois members claim the opposite, recent history has taught us that the interest this party shows for francophone and Acadian communities in Canada is always motivated by a hidden political agenda. This motion hides the real intentions of the mover, and we cannot accept it. In this sense, intellectual honesty demands that we refuse to support this motion and this is why I invite members of this House to oppose it.

[The Acadians, March 27th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer the member for Verchères—Les Patriotes and his motion asking the Governor General to intercede with Her Majesty the Queen of England to cause the British crown to present an official apology to the Acadian people for the wrongs done to them between 1755 and 1763.

The history of Canada, like that of any other country, has its sad moments of which we all agree we have no reason to be proud.

These moments are made up of events sometimes centuries old. This is the case with the deportation of the Acadians. History is sometimes cruel. However, the history of Canada is not made up of injustices only. It is, for the most part, based on progress, advancement and growth. Today, we must look toward the future.

The least we can say today is that the sudden interest of the member for Verchères—Les-Patriotes is surprising. Surprising, indeed, because if we go back a little in time, it is quite obvious that this initiative goes against the logic of the Bloc Quebecois. I know that the Bloc's logic may sometimes remind us of the Twilight Zone . Nevertheless, the colleagues of the member of Verchères—Les-Patriotes and even the leader of his party have rarely shown a true and honest open-mindedness regarding the fate of Acadians and of francophones outside of Quebec.

Not so long ago, in October 1997, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois said in an interview to the Fredericton Telegraph Journal that the salvation of Acadian artists was conditional upon their exiling themselves to Montreal.

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, March 19th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, as Canada's national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has a long and proud history of serving Canadian communities from coast to coast to coast.

In its function as a national, provincial and municipal police force, the 15,000 uniformed members of the RCMP serve hundreds of communities in a manner that is respectful of their heritage, culture and language.

Given that long tradition, I wish to express a sincere wish that the RCMP will continue to take into consideration the linguistic diversity of our communities.

I am sure hon. members know that the RCMP has a policy of diversity and inclusion that it strives to meet wherever it serves. That should include a capacity of providing services in both official languages.

I am sure I am not alone in my hope that the RCMP will continue not only to meet but to exceed the requirements of the Official Languages Act, because while benefiting from a police service that is second to none in the world, Canadians deserve to continue receiving this service in the official language of their choice.

[Student Jobs, March 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, now is the time for Canadian students to explore the avenues open to them in the labour market for the coming summer and for businesses to analyze their staffing needs.

In order to give both students and businesses support, Minister of Human Resources Development and the Secretary of State for Children and Youth have launched the student summer job action 2001 program.

Under this program, the federal government provides salary support to businesses hiring students during the summer. It grants loans to students establishing businesses and it gives a number of young people the opportunity to work in the federal public service.

The summer career placements program is also very popular with business and students. It gives students an opportunity to work in their field of study.

I invite students and businesses to take part in these programs. They will find them very useful.

[Université De Moncton, March 14th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Université de Moncton, which this past Monday inaugurated its master of forestry program at its Edmunston, New Brunswick, campus.

This long-awaited master's program will equip local young people, as well as students from elsewhere, to work in a field that is essential for the survival of our planet. Forests are a resource that disappears if mismanaged, hence the importance of training in this field.

What is more, this program represents a feather in the cap of the francophones of New Brunswick and of francophones throughout Canada. This young French language university, a mere 38 years old, and its 15 year old faculty of forestry have every reason to be proud of this accomplishment, and I congratulate them on it.

To all those who had a hand in it, my congratulations, and to all the future graduates, my best wishes for success.

[Amateur Sport, February 13th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport.

Can the hon. member can tell us what the Government of Canada is planning to do to help our athletes prepare for the 2002 winter games in Salt Lake City?

[Speech From The Throne, February 9th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate you and wish you good luck in your new duties.

The Liberal Speech from the Throne proposes a project that will make Canada a country rich in possibilities, a country where excellence is acknowledged, a country in which everyone can participate fully in the economy and in society.

We are going to focus our efforts on ensuring that everyone benefits from the fruits of our economy. The unemployment rate is at its lowest, there is strong growth and workers are prepared to respond to the requirements of globalization within the context of a knowledge-based economy.

All Canadians can be proud of the country they have built together. We are going to build a future in which all of us, from the weakest to the strongest, have access to the programs and services they require.

These are some of the salient points of the intentions expressed in the latest Speech from the Throne.

[Population Of Madawaska—Restigouche, January 31st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, as the new member for Madawaska—Restigouche, it is with great pleasure that I thank my constituents for their trust. I pledge to do my best to represent them well at all times.

I stand here today to thank my constituents of Madawaska—Restigouche who have given me the mandate to represent them in parliament. It is an honour to serve my constituents and the country and it is a duty I take seriously.