Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I do not agree that members of Parliament should be in the penalty box. We are not playing hockey; we are here to represent our country, and we will do it the best we can. You want the National Hockey League to represent our country, and we must respect your wishes. However, no one will send me to the penalty box.
If the Conservatives think that way, there should be an election, and they would be the ones who would be in the penalty box. When the members from the governing party say that they respect official languages, we really have to wonder. They have just appointed a Canadian ombudsman who does not speak French and will be dealing with victims of crime. Then they say that they support our official languages. I am sorry, but why is there a Standing Committee on Official Languages? Why is there a Commissioner of Official Languages? It is because there are problems with official languages in Canada. That is the answer.
I think that this is the question, and it is what I am trying to tell you. He is a good player, but did the NHL put pressure on Hockey Canada to have him lose his captaincy? Do you think that this was the right decision to make, knowing that there was controversy?
In closing, the Conservatives claim that they support our team over there, when in fact all Canadians support our teams. It is the same thing as when they say that if people do not support our soldiers in Afghanistan, it means that they are against them. That is small-minded talk, and we do not want to go there. We support our team, and that has nothing to do with the issue here. If there are questions that need to be asked, we will assume our responsibilities and do it.