Mr. Speaker, the annual report of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development will be tabled in this House today. This
public body, set up in 1988, truly reflects the traditional values that make Quebecers and Canadians proud.
However, since March 1996, when it was announced that Mr. Broadbent, the president of the Centre, would leave at the end of his term, on September 1, 1996, the government has not found the time to appoint a full time successor, preferring to give to the new chairperson of the board, Maureen O'Neil, the additional responsibility of serving as acting president for a period of three months. Moreover, five of the thirteen positions on the board are vacant, pending a government decision.
This obvious laxness truly shows how little this government cares about the protection of human rights and democracy. What is the government waiting for to fill these positions?