Mr. Speaker, Quebec's Greek community is a proud community. On Saturday, October 27, despite the rain, thousands of people took part in a rally, here on Parliament Hill, to let the government know that they will never be in agreement with Canada giving the name “Macedonia” to the country run by the Skopje government, as the Conservative government did, in September. Moreover, a large number of demonstrators condemned the introduction of a bill, on May 17, 2007, by a Liberal member, with the support of his party, recognizing the name Macedonia for this new country.
There is a dispute going on between the government in Athens and the Skopje government, regarding the use of the name “Macedonia”. For the Greeks, this name is part of their national identity. Until a negotiated settlement is reached between these two countries, the UN is referring to this new state as the “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.
As far as the Bloc Québécois is concerned, it is not up to Canada to rule on a dispute between these two states. Since this dispute is still—