Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to express my support for the appointment of Michel Bastarache to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Mr. Bastarache was a respected lawyer and judge of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal when he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
I am confident Mr. Bastarache will carry out his duties as justice of the supreme court competently and efficiently. He is recognized for his knowledge and his fairness. In addition, his devotion to language and minority issues is highly regarded.
As an Acadian and a New Brunswicker, I am extremely proud of his accomplishments and am confident he will do excellent work as a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
I am hugely disappointed at the refusal by the members of the Bloc Quebecois to set aside their political goals and support a francophone from outside Quebec. After all, Mr. Bastarache is a francophone—