Mr. Speaker, while I was the president of the National Congress of Italian-Canadians, I spent a great deal of time trying to get the Government of Canada, at the time and subsequently, to address these issues.
I must say that when the previous government decided to apologize to the Japanese community, and then the current government to the Chinese-Canadian community, I was angry and hurt. When I asked a member why, on the day when the government chose to apologize to the people on the ship, Komagata Maru, and others, that it did not include the Italian Canadians and the member looked blank.
I want to ask my colleague a question. Last week the government announced that it would be setting up an advisory committee with members of the Italian community for historical recognition and to set up some projects. It has chosen three members of the community and so on but none of it has to do with apologies. Is this belated action on the part of the government as a result of his private member's bill, which I think it is? Also, what good does it do when—