So you understand French very well. Perfect.
I'm fully aware of the importance of this. Observing a minute of silence or periods of 11 seconds of silence throughout isn't too much to ask, and is feasible.
My question isn't for you, but for our analysts. Is the translation of the paragraph from English into French optimal? I don't want to put you on the spot, but that's what I'm doing anyway. I'm sorry.
It constantly fascinates me. We voted on the motion earlier. We changed the wording in French because it wasn't correct. The wording the Conservatives used wasn't at all the same in French as in English.
It's very different for the bill we're studying. I'm not bilingual enough to see exactly what the difference is between “kept and observed” and “célébré”. When I see the word “célébration”, I think of Loto-Québec and balloons. It adds a festive aspect to the thing.
Here's what I think your main motivation is. You want this to be a time when people become aware of the sacrifices that have been made in the course of history. You don't want people to go out and drink beer in a park and sit around. I understand that. I don't know how we can word all of this.
Maybe I'm dreaming in technicolour, or maybe I'm coming at it with a sledgehammer, but I would take away the aspect of the holiday that is mentioned when it says “November 11 falls on a Saturday or a Sunday” because it looks like an extended weekend. If I were you, I wouldn't include that sentence. Ideally, you want schools to be involved. I think that's what the veterans want. You want the younger generations and the whole population to be aware of this.
It would be desirable for November 11 to fall on a weekday, so that children are at school, but if it falls on the weekend, it would be okay too. This may not be the case next year. Perhaps we can live with this more easily.
Your concern is to keep things as simple as possible. I suggest that the proposed subclause 3(2) be removed from the bill. Subclause 3(3) provides for the Canadian flag at half-mast on the Peace Tower. That seems manageable. Probably for stylistic reasons, the wording of proposed subclause 3(1) is reversed from the English version.
Mr. White, I'm coming back to you because surely you are more bilingual than I am. Is there a difference in intention between the words “célébré” and “kept and observed”?