Benoît Sauvageau

[The Acadians, September 24th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs said, on the weekend, in Bathurst, that the government would probably not support Motion M-241, which calls for an apology from the British crown for its treatment of the Acadians.

How can the minister subordinate the importance of such a motion for the Acadians to the affiliation of its mover, my colleague from Verchères-les-Patriotes?

[Allotted Day--Anti-Terrorism Legislation, September 18th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I have a few comments and some questions for the member who just made a good speech.

In his comments, he mentioned that it was a complex situation. Alliance members, however, are trying to come up with simple solutions to a very complex situation.

When they state that they are basing their motion on a text that is “similar in principle to the United Kingdom's Terrorism Act, 2000”, I would like to ask the member if this act contains the provision regarding the prompt extradition of foreign nationals charged with acts of terrorism. As far as we know, the answer is no.

I would therefore like to ask him if their motion is modeled on a bill, and if it takes inspiration from it, or if they are simply tinkering with words from another country's legislation.

[Attack on the United States, September 17th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I too wish to offer sincere condolences, on behalf of myself and all the people in the riding of Repentigny, to the family and friends of the victims of the horrible terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. I also wish to add my voice to those calling for justice, speaking out against these terrible crimes, and wishing to see the guilty punished.

I do, however, hope that reflection and wisdom will be used in the reprisals. What is involved is not simple revenge against a people or a religion, but rather against terrorism. That is what the new faceless enemy is, one that knows no boundaries. A new kind of reprisal is required for a new kind of enemy, an enemy that is not a state but a state of mind.

Given that these terrorist attacks were committed by people who, if they lack a reason to live, have a number of reasons to die for their cause, I wish to ask the following question of the minister.

Do the Canadian government and the minister intend to attack the evil at its roots, in other words the inequalities of this world, and more specifically the poverty that exists in the world?

[Official Languages, May 31st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the minister should stop following.

If he is serious about settling this matter, what is he waiting for to table a concrete plan of action to bring permanent solutions and put an end to a problem that has been dragging on for over 30 years?

[Official Languages, May 31st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, the minister responsible for official languages told us that he was closely monitoring the situation at Air Canada and Nav Canada, and that the government was very concerned by it. But, through its various spokespersons, the government has been repeating the same thing for 30 years.

It is time to act. Can the minister tell us what concrete measures he intends to take to correct this totally unacceptable situation that is dragging on?

[Air Canada, May 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, today representatives of the Association des Gens de l'Air have shown, with figures to back them up, that francophones are under-represented at Air Canada.

According to their figures, it will take Air Canada 32 more years to get to the 25% target for francophones it set itself 15 years ago. It will have taken then a total of 47 years. It is as if a policy set in the time of Louis St-Laurent were just getting implemented now.

What concrete action does the minister responsible for application of the Official Languages Act intend to take to correct this unacceptable situation, which has been going on at Air Canada for too long?

[Nav Canada, May 29th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, rather than meddling in the content of educational materials, the government would be better advised to see that Nav Canada respects the rights of francophones.

Apparently, Nav Canada will not hire unilingual francophone candidates because they have to be taught English.

Does the minister responsible for official languages intend to require that Nav Canada respect the law so that francophones receive the same treatment as anglophones?

[Youth Criminal Justice Act, May 29th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, I think you will find that we do not have quorum for such an important debate. I would ask that you please call a quorum count.

And the count having been taken:

[Youth Criminal Justice Act, May 28th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would only ask the hon. member who has the floor what is the motion he is talking about.

[Amnesty International, May 28th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, for 40 years Amnesty International has been defending prisoners of conscience, people whose only crime has been to express their convictions.

These men and women are imprisoned in the name of freedom, condemned to death, and often tortured to death. Without Amnesty International, they would have been totally forgotten.

Amnesty International can count on the Bloc Quebecois to carry its battles to the federal parliament. We have done so for the past eight years, most recently in the case of Mr. M'Barek, who was expelled from Canada last January, according to the assessment by the Canadian government, at no risk if returned to his country.

After an unfair trial, Mr. M'Barek was found guilty, jailed and tortured. Thanks to pressure by the Bloc Quebecois, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, Mr. M'Barek was finally released on May 26.

The Bloc Quebecois will continue to support Amnesty International in the name of our fundamental rights: freedom and democracy.