Evidence of meeting #5 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 event.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:15 p.m.
Chair, National Battlefields Commission
No, none of them contained physical threats to me. Rather, people threatened to disrupt the event, to throw things, to set fires, and so on.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
I hope that these approximately 150 emails were given to the police.
4:15 p.m.
Chair, National Battlefields Commission
Indeed, they were handed over to the police, who recognized the need to do a more in-depth investigation of one or two things that truly seemed to be threats.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Pomerleau Bloc Drummond, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good afternoon, Mr. Juneau.
This re-enactment is unacceptable for one fundamental reason: conquerers never celebrate their victory on the land of those who met with defeat. That is the way of history.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Pomerleau Bloc Drummond, QC
Exactly. The Germans never asked the Parisians to re-enact Germany's entrance into Paris in order to celebrate the German victory. If ever they made such a request, the Germans would get what was coming to them, even if they promised to respect the historical accounts faithfully, the length of the guns, the time periods and any other historical detail. The Japanese will never ask the Americans if they could re-enact the attack on Pearl Harbour to celebrate their victory. This is what is unacceptable in this entire affair, but there is even more.
You have abandoned the idea of re-enacting these events. I congratulate you, because this was the right decision. Fundamentally, the original idea was a mistake. However, some other things will have to be abandoned as well.
I just found out about one thing. On your Internet site, you invite young schoolchildren to take part in battles on the Plains of Abraham. And you say that this is not a festive activity? I have found a few words and expressions on the site. You invite them to take part in entertaining activities and to enrol so that they can participate in thrilling military maneuvers. And if that's not festive, what is? These activities are offered as some kind of reward for the best students from elementary schools. This should be banned.
There is no method to invite young people to come re-enact battles on a battlefield. How can you justify something like this?
4:15 p.m.
Chair, National Battlefields Commission
I think we are straying from the topic somewhat.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Pomerleau Bloc Drummond, QC
No, this is related to the re-enactment. It's on your website, Mr. Juneau.
4:15 p.m.
Chair, National Battlefields Commission
These activities have been around for 15 years or so.
4:15 p.m.
Chair, National Battlefields Commission
They are very popular. They draw approximately 60,000 students per year.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
4:15 p.m.
Chair, National Battlefields Commission
These activities are offered as part of students' field trips. That's why they are considered festive.
These activities are not re-enactments of battles. They allow the children to look at the strategies. We show them a large chart made of velcro. The young people learned about the events at school. So they come with their teacher or their parents. They experience this page taken out of history in a lighter way, on the actual site of the battle. We do not show them how to use a gun or how to wage war; we explain history to them.
4:15 p.m.
Some voices
Oh, oh!
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Pomerleau Bloc Drummond, QC
I can ask questions, Mr. Chairman? In that case, I would like to do so.
In the description on that site, you talk about re-enactments, thrilling military manoeuvres with flags, drums, cannons, and military artifacts such as period firearms.
4:15 p.m.
Chair, National Battlefields Commission
There are some cannons that are made with wood and can be opened up. We show young people how they worked at the time. Gunpowder was inserted here, someone had to clean the cannon, etc. That is what they see. It is the same thing for muskets. We explain how they worked and that soldiers stayed close to one another because bullets did not fall very far from the muskets.
The purpose is not to show people how to wage war, but rather give them a visual demonstration of how things were done at the time, on the very site where the events took place.
4:15 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Pomerleau Bloc Drummond, QC
We can teach history without having to do what you have just described. I have taken history courses my entire life and I have never had to practise on a battlefield to know whether Waterloo was won in this or that way.
4:15 p.m.
Chair, National Battlefields Commission
I do not want to get into that, sir. We receive an increasing number of annual requests. Regardless, it is a political...
4:20 p.m.
Chair, National Battlefields Commission
It has to do with work-life balance. Students go on outings. We even get requests to organize day-long activities. We signed agreements with the National Capital Commission, for instance. They take students for half a day and we take them for the other half. There are more students on the plains and in the national parks at some times during the season than there are attending classes. I did not decide that.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
4:20 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
You said to the Globe and Mail in an article dated January 16, 2009, that Ottawa was telling you to be very careful, they did not want to offend anyone. That there should be no political confrontation. When you say Ottawa, who are you referring to? Ms. Verner's office, Mr. Moore's or the minister's aides?
