The member opposite just tried to correct me. He says that it is the feast of Quebecers. Yes, in part, it is true that June 24 is the feast of Quebecers.
But it is not exclusively the feast of Quebecers and even less exclusively the feast of the separatists, although some of them say so. It is the feast of French Canadians. I am sure that the member opposite-knowing his history-is well aware of that.
In my riding, every year, we celebrate Saint John the Baptist's Day, as you probably do in your riding, Madam Speaker. In our area, this decision is considered to be highly important. Every year, each village approaches the county council, or the regional county municipality as it is called in Quebec, with a proposal to organize festivities surrounding Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. The issue of which municipality is chosen each year is settled by a government decision. That choice has become an annual government decision. The council has to decide which municipality will have the honour of organizing these festivities for us, French speaking Canadians in Ontario.
I would like to know if that issue is discussed in the ridings represented by members of the Bloc Quebecois. They probably do not brag about it. This is how things are done in my riding.
This year, for example, the village of Alfred, which was given this honour, will be celebrating the 125th anniversary of the parish on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. By the way, the village of Alfred, located in my riding, is 99 per cent francophone. We will celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day elsewhere in the years to come.
The byelection in Hamilton East is just four days away, and I hope Ms. Copps-soon to be called the hon. member-will be chosen by her constituents-I wish her the best-to represent them in the House of Commons. She is the one who told the House not so long ago that Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day was the official holiday of all French speaking Canadians and that Canadians of other linguistic groups should join the francophones, wherever they are, to celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and honour the francophones of our country. Some members opposite laughed at that proposal; they scorned it.
On June 23-the Sunday before Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day when we will celebrate in my region, in Alfred-I hope Ms. Copps will have been elected and will be my guest, if her constituents have chosen her, and I hope she, an anglophone from Ontario, will join me in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, in Alfred, to celebrate with the francophones from my area Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, the official holiday of French speaking Canadians, as it was known originally and as it is still known where I come from.
In my region, anglophones celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day alongside francophones, because it is an expression of national unity. The Franco-Ontarian flag and the Canadian flag fly side by side, evidence of the contribution made by French speaking Canadians and of the wish of all Canadians to join with francophones to celebrate this great country, Canada.