Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify the situation.
Last Friday, in the House of Commons, I was commending a group that introduced soccer to Quebec and have been playing at the Notre-Dame-de-Foy campus in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures.
I wanted to pay tribute to Canada's soccer players and to this group of soccer enthusiasts in particular. I also wanted to point out that some of them have come from all over the world and made Canada their adoptive home. They have enriched our country and have led us to a better appreciation of soccer. During my speech, I wanted to say that since the introduction of soccer, more than 25,000 people in Quebec City now play the game. I wish to apologize to all those I may have offended and or who may have taken offence.
It is unfortunate that the opposition seems to wish to take advantage of a language error that I sincerely regret. Canada is a great country because of its diverse cultural communities. I had no intention of offending them and I wish to give them my heartfelt thanks for their important contribution to the Canadian mosaic.
In closing, I would like to thank Mr. Edgardo Sanchez and his soccer friends for giving me the opportunity to present him with my riding's recognition medal for his contribution to the community. I would like to add that I will proudly wear the same uniform as Mr. Sanchez for the game.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite all members of the House of Commons to come and play in this friendly game on Sunday.