Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Between June 30 and July 3 Vancouver will be hosting the Writers' Union of Canada conference "Writing through Race" which is receiving $10,000 from the federal government, as a matter of fact from the Canada Council.
Recently this conference has come under widespread criticism because participation will be restricted on the basis of race. Even the founder of the union and its former chairman, Pierre Berton, has argued the union should not support something "which excludes any people because of the colour of their skin".
Can the minister tell Canadians if it is the policy of the government to support organizations and conferences which discriminate on the basis of race?