Good morning.
My name is Michael Blais and I'm the president and founder of the Canadian Veterans Advocacy.
Thank you for inviting me to Ottawa to speak to Bill C-597 and the sacred obligation that I believe this legislation represents. I welcome the opportunity and encourage you as parliamentarians to demonstrate apolitical respect for those who serve today in the veterans' community by ensuring Remembrance Day is accorded federal equality to other federal holidays.
As you are aware, I testified last week beside Dominion Secretary White before the heritage committee, and I should like to ensure that a copy of this testimony is included as a written submission by the clerk, because I think it is counterproductive to repeat what I have said last week in lieu of the extensive consultation process we have conducted since my appearance before the committee.
I would remind committee that we have had just over a month to formally consult and that Bill C-597 is unique in the the sense that, while we have been supporting Wilma McNeill's quest to convince the Ontario legislature to embrace their sacred obligation to veterans of Ontario in the provision of a statutory holiday for some time now, this bill is different. It seeks only a legal holiday without legislated day-off status. I have endeavoured to speak to as many veterans and serving members as possible since being invited, from a chance encounter with the CDS in the hallway last week prior to testimony, to purposely speaking to non-commissioned officers currently standing sentinel at the National War Memorial.
I have also attempted to expand our consultation to my community in response to a medical emergency in my family in the expansive time I have spent in Niagara hospitals over the past month. The issue is a fine discussion point, and there was ample opportunity to speak to many Canadians of all professions and all areas in lobbies or waiting rooms. Of course, there's our engagement through the CVA social network, which has grown substantially since our last encounter, and our effort to work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that updated and accurate information, particularly in this era of change, is provided to veterans who use the Internet as their primary source of news gathering or consultation.
As it stands now, through consultation with serving members, veterans, families, and the civilian population we have engaged we find there is universal support for the legal holiday that Bill C-597 presents. Once the bill is defined, once it has been clarified that no days off would be accorded, support has been universal. It is vital that our discussions today focus on the opportunity Parliament has been provided through this bill to honour and respect national sacrifice in a meaningful and effective manner.
We must understand that Bill C-597 neither imposes or mandates a federal day-off holiday such as the oft-quoted comparative Victoria Day and the insinuation that Remembrance Day would become just another holiday. This argument has no foundation in these discussions. There is no day off. For the schoolchildren, if there was no school, they would simply go to the mall and ignore the reason that Remembrance Day exists. Again, this is not a day-off holiday. These arguments have no bearing with the content of Bill C-597. Accordingly, our collective focus must be on the context of the bill, the acknowledgement that it presents only equality to other federal holidays, and that it does not impose on or mandate provinces to provide a statutory holiday.
Accordingly, I would encourage all parliamentarians to set aside political agendas and embrace the opportunity Bill C-597 provides for them to fulfill their obligation to the spirit of the nation. I would encourage you to work together, united in respect for the national sacrifice of Canada's sons and daughters, and to pass this bill before the next election. I am aware that no private member's bill has passed to fruition, and that the potential delays incurred by this committee's late stage involvement may jeopardize the bill's passing. To that end, again, I would encourage you to move swiftly with unity and with understanding that you are according equality not only to other federal holidays, but acknowledging recognition of the sacrifice of all generations and the valorous service of those who serve today.
I often speak to equality for veterans, whether it may be the equality of the Pension Act for those disabled and wounded who have been subject to the new veterans charter; equality to the anti-poverty provision established in the new veterans charter for Memorial Cross widows currently living in poverty; or in this instance, recognition and equality of Remembrance Day to other federal holidays.
Ultimately this bill is about respect, about ensuring equality and stature for our most important time, the day we reserve to recognize and honour national sacrifice, our wounded and disabled veterans, our serving members' selfless service, and their families' commitment to this nation.
Bill C-597 fulfills this obligation and I would encourage you to embrace this opportunity to apolitically approve legislation at your earliest convenience so that we may resolve this issue under this government, not the next one. The process will undoubtedly, at additional cost, be repeated. We can do this in the now. We can affirmatively demonstrate tangible support and recognition of sacrifice by ensuring that Remembrance Day is not a lesser holiday and that it is legislatively enshrined as a legal holiday.
Thank you for inviting me to speak to this issue. It is always a pleasure for me to be here. I am hopeful that we can explore this issue with constructive, bill-focused dialogue. I welcome your questions and shall endeavour to answer to the best of my ability.