He is arrogant, indeed, and a resolutely orange Orangemen. I would rather put my confidence in my colleague from the Reform Party who gave us the real reasons why the 1911 census records should be released.
Some people in our society claim that release should be allowed, while others push respect for confidentiality and privacy too far. Even if it became known 92 years later that, in 1911, my grandfather owned two horses instead of one, I wonder how this could bother him. He has, unfortunately, been dead for quite some time.
What I mean is that one should not be mean either as the member for Wentworth—Burlington usually is.
My colleague's initiative shows an obvious interest in history. At a time when we are talking about genetic diseases, to have a period of time, even if its only five years in our history to which one does not have access, is to deprive people of the opportunity to track down their roots and know their genealogy, going as far back as their forebears, beyond 1911, but somehow there is a link missing here in demographic and sociological data. This is something we have to respect, like anything else, and provide to those who are interested. I for one am interested.
If we were talking about butterflies, for instance, it might be different. I am not that keen on butterflies, even though I like my colleague Mr. Hanfield, who is a notary in Mont-Saint-Hilaire and an entomologist who wrote a manual on butterflies in Quebec.
My friend, the notary Louis Hanfield from Mont-Saint-Hilaire, whom I salute in passing, published Le Guide des papillons du Québec last summer. It is fantastic. I am interested in butterflies. If my friend Louis Hanfield had skipped one page, and three or four butterflies were missing from his guide, I would not mind because butterflies are not what I dream about.
On the other hand, I have a keen interest in genealogy. I know mine, I know Quebec's history. Quebecers, especially those sitting here, know their history very well. They know about their past, including the history of Acadia. We have a colleague here who comes from there. For the most part, Quebecers and Acadians share the same roots. We are proud, as he is proud too.
For some, history is an important field, if only for research into genetic defects. I know a lot of the history of Quebec and eastern Canada, but I know a lot less about western Canada or the context surrounding the development of the central and western provinces. There is information there.
I have been in Saskatchewan to visit my friend the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle. Qu'Appelle is a French sounding word. It comes from the French language. How is it there is a region, a city, a town with that name in Saskatchewan? For me, a marvelling visitor to Qu'Appelle, I wonder what that means. This is the sort of information that could interest me.
I in fact stopped in Qu'Appelle. They asked me what I was doing there. It was the French name Qu'Appelle that made me wonder. I was called to Qu'Appelle, a cappella, because Qu'Appelle called. I hope you understand. I am not sure I understand myself, but I follow what I am saying.
All that to say that we can laugh here too. We can take this motion with a hint of humour.
Because of the credibility of the member for Calgary Southeast, not so far from Qu'Appelle, who moved Motion No. 160, I will support it.
It is probably because he recalls that people in Qu'Appelle are of French descent that the member introduced his Motion no 160. Because of his credibility compared with the total lack of credibility, consideration and respect for his colleagues at all times of the member for Wentworth—Burlington, I favour the adage “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”.
At least I have the proposal for the motion of the member from Calgary Southeast, near Qu'Appelle, who calls his Motion No. 160. I call on my colleagues to support Motion No. 160 and to stand against the unspeakable assaults of the member for Wentworth—Burlington in an effort to get us to reject what I would call a fine motion.