Mr. Speaker, I closely followed the three hours of debate on Motion No. 241. I must say from the outset that I agree with the comments of the hon. member for Churchill and the hon. member for Richmond—Arthabaska, to the effect that it is not because a motion comes from the Bloc Quebecois that we should oppose it.
I agree with their comments on this issue. I hope that members opposite will accept the fact whether I vote for or against the motion on Tuesday it will not be because it is presented by a Bloc Quebecois member, but we will see at that time.
I would like to talk about the process relating to that motion because it is important to understand the context in which we will find ourselves on Tuesday.
The hon. member for Verchères—Les-Patriotes tabled this motion after his name was drawn. The first hour of debate took place in the spring. At that time, we all recognized, including the hon. member, that consultations had not taken place, that the hon. member presented his motion without having really sought the support of the Acadian community.
I must congratulate the hon. member for the work he did during the summer. He visited Acadian communities, showed them his motion, invited them to discuss it and came back with some support. But let us not exaggerate. The hon. member for Repentigny talked about 92% but it is 92% of 140 respondents. We must keep things in perspective.
If the government were opposed to that motion, it failed in its duty by not going there during the summer and doing the same kind of work that the member for Verchères—Les-Patriotes did. The government did not do that. We must recognize that the member for Verchères—Les-Patriotes did go and get some support.
I also followed the second hour of debate on that motion. Some interesting arguments were put forward.
Finally, I also followed today's debate. I must say that I fully support the comments made by the hon. member for Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, who essentially said that the time for apologizing was over.
It is something personal and I have discussed the matter with Acadians over the last few weeks. However, I would much rather have liked to see a respect for what is happening now in Acadia, this keenness, this desire to go forward. Instead of asking for apologies or anything else, according to the proposed amendment, the Government of Canada, in cooperation with the Société nationale des Acadiens and its members, could invite the Queen to come celebrate the vitality of the Acadian community, maybe during the third Congrès mondial acadien that will be held in Grand Pré in 2004.
It would have been much better, much more subtle and much more elegant to proceed this way. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
The member for Verchères—Les-Patriotes will be concluding this debate. I suggest he give it some thought. Before we vote on the motion on Tuesday, there could perhaps be a way of getting the unanimous consent of the House to change the meaning of the motion, to make it more positive and more forward looking, which is what the Acadian community is telling us without any reservation. I think everybody agrees on that.
We will see what happens then. I hope the hon. member will have time to consider this option. I would readily support such a motion. However, I must point out that, even if the motion were to be amended, I am not sure it would pass when we have the recorded division next Tuesday. We will see how things turn out. I will wait for the closing comments of the member before deciding how I am going to vote on this issue.
Even if the motion, as amended, is not passed by the House, that will not mean that some kind of initiative would not be welcome. What I respect the most about the Acadian people, whether they are from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island or Nova Scotia, is their vitality and their desire to move on.
I would like to suggest a couple of initiatives and I do hope that someone either from the government or the Department of Canadian Heritage is listening and will implement them.
First, I would like Acadian music performers to embark on a national and maybe even an international tour in 2004. They could include some of the artists we already know, like Angèle Arseneault, Edith Butler and Marie-Jo Thériault, and groups like “1755”, Barachois and one of the new ones, Zéro Degré Celsius. There could also be a Canada-wide tour. Since 2004 will mark the 400th anniversary of the francophonie in Canada, it would be nice if the Franco-Ontarian Festival here in Ottawa would have Acadia as a theme.
The same thing could be done in Manitoba, the Yukon and Vancouver in British Columbia, to promote the richness of this culture and artistic community, which manifests itself in several interesting and appealing ways. This is my first proposal.
My second proposal was made by a member of the other place. I do not know, Mr. Speaker, if I can identify her. I will do it and you can reprimand me. Senator Losier-Cool recommended that the Government of Canada recognize the date of August 15 as Fête nationale des Acadiens et des Acadiennes. I agree with that.
As we do on June 24, we should recognize the symbolic value of August 15 for the Acadian community. We should do it somehow, not only in Acadia but also here in Ottawa, perhaps on Parliament Hill. It would be appropriate, according to the senator's proposal, to celebrate Acadia and not only in Acadia.
Third, I had the opportunity to go to Caraquet two years ago, on August 15, having heard about what is called the “Grand Tintamarre”. I was told that people gathered in the streets to make noise. The local population is approximately 4,500 to 5,000 people. At 6 p.m. on that date, a good part of the street in front of city hall is closed and a crowd of 15,000 to 20,000 people, four times the local population, raise a ruckus for an hour or so. When I was there the mayor of Caraquet, the member for Acadie—Bathurst and Premier Lord were in the crowd.
At first, I must admit it was rather odd to see 15,000 or 20,000 people making so much noise with any and every possible instrument. But after a few minutes, you get involved. It becomes a collective release, a huge celebration. I would like to see such a thing on Parliament Hill. We make a lot of noise in this Chamber but this time it would be a different noise, a lively noise, reflecting the willingness to recognize, commend and encourage this Acadian community because, after all, it is ours.
Those are ideas I wished to present. My ideas are positive ones, and I am looking towards the future. I recognize the value of the comments made by my colleague who said that the time for apologies is over. I can understand that some members are clinging to that, preferring formal apologies. Personally, it is not an opinion that I share. And to then say that it is because the motion comes from a certain place, that is a type of argument I cannot accept. I hope my colleagues will realize it.
In my opinion, the initiative, whatever it might be, should have come from the Acadian community. I believe all members can agree on that.
My colleague, the member for Verchères—Les Patriotes, said he is ready to share his motion, to transfer it to another member, but only if it remains essentially the same. Perhaps he might be willing to see this in a more positive light. I hope he will accept this notion. I present it to him in good faith. I believe the House wishes to reflect the will of the Acadian people in this. It would be an honourable thing for him to do. I ask him to think about it.
I thank my colleagues for allowing me and my colleague from Repentigny to make these few comments.
