Mr. Speaker, I was not intending to speak to this bill, but in listening to the NDP, the Liberals and the Tories talk about a national cultural policy, it just sounds like something I would hear from some socialist communist regime.
Canadians do not want government telling them what our culture is or government shaping and moulding it. Government will promote and foster what it values and it will unlikely reflect the values and culture of its people.
In my own view I see this as just a means of social engineering society. When I hear words like tolerance and values, I believe they are code words for “see things the way I see them or you are wrong in your views”. I am very apprehensive about government trying to shape and mould culture. That smacks of a government which thinks it knows more than the ordinary people. It is telling us what to think, filtering what we will hear and telling us what we are going to say. Generally this is a huge waste of money.
How would a cultural policy reflect the views of Canadians when the government that would implement it was elected by 38% of the vote? The hon. member talks about how dangerous it is to not bring in some strong bill like this. I think it is much more dangerous to get government into moulding culture.