Canadian Heritage Committee on Nov. 30th, 2010

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

The Bloc Québécois supports motions like this one. I had actually moved this motion last year and, with the two or three other motions involving digital issues, it was modified to allow us to go ahead with the recently-conducted digital study. So, we couldn't agree more. This is an issue of great concern for me. I also know that the CRTC is conducting several studies on the subject. Some committees have made suggestions about digital transition because the current situation in broadcasting is very worrisome. It's also worrisome for the consumers. Those who still have “rabbit ears” at home are often poorly educated elderly people of a lower socio-economic status. Those people will need help in making the transition.

These are all reasons why we need to know in which direction we're headed. By the way, France has a terrific digital transition plan that includes a communications plan for all French citizens, intended to include them in the process and keep them informed. We need to have a look at what the Minister of Canadian Heritage has planned when it comes to digital transfer.

For all these worthy reasons, my colleague and I will support Mr. Angus' motion. However, we would first like to have a meeting with the Minister of International Trade. After that, we could begin the study and proceed in the correct order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Seeing no further debate on this motion, I will call the question.

All those in favour of the motion?

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

We will now go to the third motion we've received notice for, and that is from Mr. Del Mastro.

Would you care to move and speak to your motion?

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

Very briefly, this would provide the opposition members an opportunity to meet with groups that are planning celebrations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. The minister and I, members of the department, and members of Parks Canada have been conducting consultations with interested stakeholder groups.

I have tried to get this before the committee before. It's been rejected every time. I really think, given that the government has budgeted a significant amount of money, that members of the committee might want to know about this important historical event that will be celebrated not just in Quebec and Ontario but right across Canada, and what the efforts are that we're undertaking.

To me, this is a quintessential type of focus for a committee like this to review. I hope opposition members support it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you very much, Mr. Del Mastro.

Madame Lavallée, and then Mr. Angus.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

I can tell you that the Bloc Québécois is not very supportive of battle commemorations. If you want us to fire up the debate on the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and its commemoration again, we will oblige, but, just so you know, we will bring out our heavy artillery once again, and Quebeckers will once again show that they don't like battle commemorations. First and foremost, we are pacifists and we do not enjoy glorifying such things as battles.

Second, the War of 1812 was a battle between Great Britain and the United States. It took place on Quebec and Canadian soil, but the fact remains that it was not a great battle and there is really nothing to celebrate about it. However, if you want to be proud of it, that's your prerogative. I'm not sure what your intentions are.

In addition, if I understood correctly, you want us to go meet with people, right? No. If we are to travel around, we will do it for other reasons, but certainly not for this. No thanks.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Ms. Lavallée.

Mr. Angus.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Thank you.

I guess I was a little confused there, because I thought there was a motion last year to study the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, and it came under intense fire from my colleagues from the Bloc, who were definitely opposed to that study.

I don't have a problem with this; my only concern is if we could hear some...or maybe Mr. Del Mastro could come back with some specifics.

I'm not interested in a long cross-Canada tour visiting battle sites. I'd love to do that in my summer. But if there are a few events we could go to—certainly Queenston Heights isn't all that far from here—we could probably do that. I think it would be good for us. We could put a couple of days into this and just get an overview.

I think that would be a good use of our time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

If I could just put a plug in for this motion—I'm not going to be voting on this, obviously—the government has set aside significant money. I don't know how much it is.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

It's significant.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

There is a significant amount of money—

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

If it were a 6/49 prize, there would be a lot of tickets sold.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

—to commemorate this 200th anniversary. It's not as big an anniversary as the 400th was, but it is a significant one nonetheless. The government has not yet decided exactly how it is going to spend that money. So I think a parliamentary committee, doing a study on it that would be reported to the House, could provide some valuable input on how that money should be spent.

For those members from the GTA, myself included, the oldest building in the city of Toronto is Fort York, and there are significant demands for commemorative exercises around that as well. There's also the Battle of Châteauguay in Quebec and the like.

So I think there's an opportunity to do this. Obviously we would undertake something like this after the two studies that have just been adopted, from Mr. Angus and Madame Lavallée, but I do think it's something the government might find useful.

Mr. Simms.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Very briefly, I'm going to speak on this from a very personal perspective.

I want to congratulate Mr. Del Mastro for bringing this forward, and here's why. There is significant evidence that a substantial force known as the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was actually involved in the War of 1812. In the major burial, there's actually one person recognized as being part of the Newfoundland regiment. We were our own nation at the time.

I won't put it as an amendment in this motion, but I will say this: I hope and I plead that this will be part of the report, where we do get final recognition of a regiment that was involved.

So I wholeheartedly support this.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Seeing no further debate on this motion, I will call the question, unless there's further debate.

Mr. Angus.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I'm not debating, I'm clarifying, because I just want to go back a bit.

My colleague Madame Lavallée is a tigress when it comes to defending her interests, but I am uncomfortable with the continual statement “my thing goes first because my motion comes in first”. We've always had a tradition at this committee that we sit down and plan out a schedule.

So if we're going to look at this, we might do this over a couple of months, because leaving the House might be difficult. I'm not averse to saying let's come back in February, let's have a plan, we'll have other issues, and we'll set up times to do it--as opposed to locking ourselves down and then we're all going to be out in the fields of Kingston in the first week of February in the snow, cursing Mr. Del Mastro.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

So I'm open, but I'd like to work it within our schedule.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

That's my understanding as chair.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Okay.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

The feedback I've received is the understanding you have.

Seeing no further debate on this motion, I'll call the question.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Thank you for your cooperation.

This meeting is adjourned.