Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would also like to say a few words. I will not be supporting the motion. It has nothing to do with Mr. Bélanger. This is how I see the situation. The government has shown no respect for this committee. After all of the studies that we have done and all of the data that minority communities in Canada have provided, the government—and I call it the “new” government, even if it has been in office for two years now — appointed someone from New Brunswick.
Even though I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Lord, in my opinion, the Francophonie lost a great deal of ground in New Brunswick when he was the Premier. I have no intention of asking him to help me or the francophone communities. I think that appointing a former premier with a specific agenda to meet with communities behind closed doors is an insult to Canadians and to the Francophonie.
From the very outset of these meetings, I have been in touch with some members of francophone communities. At each meeting, they ask me about the Court Challenges Program. The content of these meetings chaired by Mr. Lord will not be made public. The Prime Minister gave Mr. Lord a specific mandate. It isn't a commission or a committee: it is simply an individual criss-crossing the country. I don't think that carries very much weight.
If there is a motion that I would be prepared to support, it would be to ask Mr. Lord to appear before parliamentarians who have been elected by the Canadian people. He could appear before us. Then, we could ask him about the meetings that he has held and the reasons why he was appointed. I would be prepared to ask him to appear before the committee under those conditions. We must not forget that we have been elected, whereas he has been appointed by the Prime Minister. I have spoken to representatives of groups who have stated publicly that they would agree to meet with Mr. Lord, and that it was a good thing. They knew that if they were to say the opposite, the government would come down hard on them. They are somewhat reluctant to attend these meetings. I am not prepared to lower myself to that level.
Thank you.