Mr. Speaker, I will take full advantage of those two minutes.
I am pleased to rise to speak briefly about Bill S-201.
It seems that everyone is happy to see this bill to institute National Philanthropy Day before us today.
A little earlier, my colleague spoke about the importance of supporting the volunteer work that is done in Canada, in terms of the impact it has on people, the services that are provided and the economy. If we add up the hours of volunteer work that are done, we realize that it would cost a lot of money to pay all those people. Passion and conviction motivate people to volunteer, but in so doing they provide tangible services to the public.
Of course having a day to recognize philanthropy is wonderful, but what tangible results will that produce on the ground? I do not think that this question can be separated from Bill S-201. The two go hand in hand and cannot be separated.
What are we going to do to really encourage people to get involved? Are we going to get out our party hats and noisemakers once a year and tell them that they are doing a great job? I do not think that this is enough.
Let us move forward with Bill S-201, but let us ask more questions, delve deeper into the issue and see how we can really make a difference in terms of philanthropy in Canada.