But as a—
Evidence of meeting #47 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was veterans.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #47 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was veterans.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:55 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
As a special day of remembrance.... We believe it's a day when every Canadian should take the time to remember, not look at it as just another holiday.
4:55 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
The issue is not about “legal”; the issue is about the whole implication of what this bill would mean to us.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
If it's not about “legal”...because in French it says that they want to switch from
“holiday” by “legal holiday”.
You want “day” and not “fête”.
You want to say day of commemoration—
February 21st, 2017 / 5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
We don't want any mention of the word—
5 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
Okay. We're making progress.
Can we agree on changing the wording?
5 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
If we want to get through this, let's find a way. Let's work this out and make sure that we do pay tribute to the sacrifice.
5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
A quick answer from me would be that any bill that says Remembrance Day is a special day of Canadians for remembrance is fine by me. Just don't make it a holiday or a statutory holiday.
5 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC
So to stay out of this commentary and move into “what do we do”, would...?
5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
Recognizing to Canadians that it is a significant day in the life of the country, a day when we should commemorate the actions of the fallen and those who go to serve on our behalf.
5 p.m.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Larry Maguire
Mr. Nantel, I'm going to have to interrupt you. We may get a chance to come back to you.
I'll turn it over to Mr. O'Regan.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Seamus O'Regan Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. White.
I want to clarify something. You said that you don't want it to be a statutory holiday, but it has been a statutory holiday my whole life in Newfoundland.
5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
Some provinces do have it as a holiday, but for us it's not. We don't recognize it as a holiday.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Seamus O'Regan Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
How does your membership in Newfoundland feel about that?
5 p.m.
Dominion Secretary, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
I couldn't give you that poll because I'm not...you know, they're a block on the floor. Some probably support it, and some probably don't. That's the nicety of a democratic organization, to be able to debate these issues.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Seamus O'Regan Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Absolutely. As you probably know, we in fact have two holidays, because we've commemorated, I guess you could say—or celebrated, in some ways—Memorial Day since July 1, 1917.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Seamus O'Regan Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
It commemorates the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel.