Next January, I will hold my first round tables in communities. As you know, it's not always easy for people from the regions to come testify before this committee. So some people are excluded. Many organizations, across the country, cannot take the time to visit Ottawa to share ideas about the 2017 celebrations with the members of a committee—whether we are talking about this committee or the Committee on Canadian Heritage. In order to come up with ideas and get people involved in this process, we have to leave Ottawa and go to the regions and out to the field. We have to go and talk to them in the places where they do their community work. The idea is not only to establish policies, but also to adopt an approach that takes into account the ideas of people from the regions.
On December 12th, 2012. See this statement in context.