Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased on behalf of the coalition, on behalf of the Progressive Conservative Party, to rise in support of this initiative, private member's bill, Bill S-14, which I think is significant as well as timely and is one that I almost feel very humbled by when speaking of these two individuals in the political context.
Mr. Speaker, as you would know, this bill came from the other place. I want to congratulate and commend the hon. senators, particularly John Lynch-Staunton of the other place for bringing this matter forward, as well as the hon. member for Don Valley West for his sponsorship here in the House of Commons.
It is a worthwhile initiative. In the spirit that it encompasses these two great men it has a bipartisan element to it and it honours two men who played a huge, fundamental role in founding our country. How fitting, how national, how correct and how positively politically correct that we should bring forward a bill in the names of Laurier and Macdonald, and how necessary at a time when our nation is casting its eyes inward and looking for symbols of identity and the symbols with which we define ourselves in troubled times.
My colleagues and I are extremely supportive and we are extremely pleased to see that the bill has made it to this point.
We already know that Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier have very much galvanized their place in history, their figures cast in bronze around these historic buildings. Yet I feel that this initiative would very much allow us to set aside two days of recognition, two days on which all Canadians could pause and reflect upon the contributions of these men in a truly Canadian way. This is an important recognition of men who displayed great vision, political passion and perseverance at a time when our nation was in its infancy.
At a time when some people suspect that Canadians have become isolated and have turned away from their history, I believe this bill may help Canadians to rediscover the origins of this great country, as well as the two men who helped to shape Canada into the country we know today.
Through Bill S-14 we are not honouring a Tory or a Liberal. This is not about partisanship, which so often takes precedence in this place. We are simply honouring two great Canadians who represent the two dominant languages, cultures and religions of their day. One was a founding father and the other was an equal contributor as the first francophone to lead the country.
Bill S-14 does not call for a national holiday, only to recognize their two birthdays.