Evidence of meeting #37 for Canadian Heritage in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was process.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
I am not very familiar with you, although I know all the major committees. What is your role? For how long has your committee existed?
12:15 p.m.
Vice-Chair, Italian-Canadian Advisory Committee
The committee was established last year. It has three members. We have had two meetings so far.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Do you work together with the CIBPA and with the Congress?
12:15 p.m.
Vice-Chair, Italian-Canadian Advisory Committee
But Mr. Di Iulio is heavily involved in a major Italian-Canadian organization in Toronto.
12:15 p.m.
Vice-Chair, Italian-Canadian Advisory Committee
The Columbus Centre. Mr. Papa is well known in the Italian community in Montreal.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
12:15 p.m.
President, National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations
Sorry, but I don't speak French.
12:15 p.m.
President, National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations
Oh, I'm sorry.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
That's why we have the earpiece. We can do it in Italian, if you want, or Spanish.
You said you want to be part of the negotiations.
What motivates your desire to be part of the negotiations?
12:15 p.m.
President, National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations
I'm going to ask Sal to speak to this part of it.
12:15 p.m.
Salvatore Mariani Immediate Past President, National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations
Thank you very much.
As the president mentioned, CIBPA, or the National Federation of CIBPA, has been in the forefront of this redress issue since the late 1980s and early 1990s. We have been part of the process along with other associations, such as the national congress and, à l'époque, the CIAO.
Since that period of time, we've participated in all processes, both for redress and as one of the signatories to the ACE program. So the national federation and other associations were part of the ACE program and the signing of that document.
So the national federation has been part of the process.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
I know you well and have a lot of respect for what you do.
In 2005 under Paul Martin, we had this important agreement...I don't know what you call it. What happened to it afterwards?
12:15 p.m.
Immediate Past President, National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations
Well, the ACE program, and it was a program, had an agreement in principle that allotted for an initial $2.5 million with the spirit...and the whole process to reach up to $12.5 million. It was evident in a lot of the messages back then that the Government of Canada was promoting it during the months of December and January and right up until the election period. We were there as part of the co-signatories of the agreement.
12:20 p.m.
Immediate Past President, National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations
I was there--
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
You were a co-signatory with the congres italiano and...?
12:20 p.m.
Immediate Past President, National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations
Well, there was the Order Sons of Italy, there was the national congress, and there was the Fondation Communautaire Canadienne-Italienne du Québec.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
That was a good agreement at the time, which reserved $2.5 million at the beginning, as you said, but was it killed after the Liberals lost power?
12:20 p.m.
Immediate Past President, National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations
At that time, the government in question changed power, so we had a new government in a place and we allowed the process.... Because when a new government comes into place, there is the usual learning curve of a new government. It took place, and we started discussions with—
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Your time's up, Mr. Rodriguez.
We'll move on now to Madame Lavallée, please.
12:20 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First, I would like to understand this constellation of organizations, so to speak. Is your federation a member of the advisory committee?
12:20 p.m.
Immediate Past President, National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations
No. The federation is not a member. Neither am I.