Monique Guay

[The Aeneid in Africa, April 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, L'Énéide, directed by Quebec playwright Olivier Kemeid, will be presented as part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in October. This version of The Aeneid has received acclaim beyond Quebec's borders since it was created in 2007. In August, Olivier Kemeid will visit Africa for the first time, and he believes that the refugee camps in the Congo are filled with people like Aeneas.

Aeneas's sad fate is that he must flee to survive, running through the streets carrying his father on his shoulders and holding his child by the hand. This story of Aeneas, who is portrayed as a boat person condemned to wander to find a land for his son, is a modern-day version of The Aeneid, an epic poem written by Virgil between 29 and 19 B.C.

Once again, one of Quebec's creative minds will make a name for himself abroad with his huge talent. We wish L'Énéide by Olivier Kemeid a long run and every success during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille, April 1st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, for 150 years, the Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille has been the sole rehabilitation centre specializing in vision loss in Quebec.

It provides services to children, youth, adults and seniors. Seniors have access to a program that helps them adapt and readjust to an active lifestyle at home and within society. The program has two multidisciplinary teams, partly made up of volunteers, whose work is very important in the provision of services at the institute.

My father, Paul Guay, lost 80% of his vision a few years ago. As a result, he also lost his driver's licence, and, most importantly, his pride in being independent. Thanks to the seniors' program, he is keeping up with his volunteer work, at the age of 80, and remains active and healthy.

The institute's work helps people like my father maintain their dignity and be proud of actively contributing to society.

[Denise Bombardier, March 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, on March 17, Denise Bombardier was awarded the 2010 Reconnaissance - Francophonie award. She is the second recipient of this award, which was created last year to honour a Quebec individual for his or her exceptional contribution to the promotion of the French language and culture on the international scene.

Denise Bombardier is a respected yet controversial individual. This intellectual does not shy away from controversy. She is a regular contributor to the print media. Her articles can be read in many publications. She has also written such works as La voix de la France, Une enfance à l'eau bénite, Aimez-moi les uns les autres.

In her 30 years at Radio-Canada, Ms. Bombardier was a researcher, host and producer. She is the recipient of many honours: Knight of the French Legion of Honour, Knight of the Order of Quebec and Officer of the French Legion of Honour.

My Bloc Québécois colleagues join me in congratulating Denise Bombardier for this award and her contribution to the Francophonie.

[Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, March 18th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, from March 5 to 21, we are celebrating the 12th Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, in connection with the International Day of La Francophonie, which will be celebrated on March 20.

Quebec singer Mario Pelchat has agreed to be the spokesperson for the rendez-vous, and he invites the 9.5 million francophones in Quebec and Canada to join the celebrations. I encourage members to participate in the many activities that will be held in their ridings, like the ones organized in my riding of Rivière-du-Nord on March 6 at the Salle André-Prévost and on March 12 at the Salle Antoine-Lessard.

I extend a special invitation to all my colleagues to come to Val-d'Or, in Abitibi, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and was named Francoville 2010 by the Office québécois de la langue française.

This year, the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie has created a network on Facebook for anyone who loves the French language and La Francophonie. The network is called “Rendez-vous de la Francophonie”.

I invite all francophones and francophiles to come out and enjoy the festivities.

[Official Languages, March 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, during this international week of la Francophonie, the federal government, as an employer, has nothing to celebrate. The percentage of unilingual officials hired in bilingual positions continues to increase, going from 14% in 2005 to 19% last year. Francophones working in the public service therefore cannot work in French since unilingual managers continue to be hired.

Do these data not confirm that we were right to mistrust this government's ideological hostility toward francophones?

[Afghanistan, March 12th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, while other NATO partners were searching for solutions in order to respect the Geneva convention, Canada had its back turned.

The government's rush to transfer prisoners to Afghan authorities, even though it knew they risked being tortured, can only be explained one way: it wanted to be rid of difficult prisoners.

Is that not what this is all about?

[Afghanistan, March 12th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the government has always maintained that it did not know that the prisoners it was transferring to Afghan authorities might be tortured. We have learned that as early as 2006, several NATO partners, knowing the reputation of Afghan prisons, tried to assume direct responsibility for Afghan detainees specifically so they would not be tortured.

Canada was absent in these efforts with its NATO partners, and is this not proof of its indifference to the fate of the Afghan prisoners?

[Diane Couët, December 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, this December, the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts will exhibit works by 27 Canadian artists at the Carrousel du Musée du Louvre, and its jury has chosen a work by Quebec artist Diane Couët.

Diane Couët, a professional watercolourist who lives in Prévost in my riding, will exhibit one of her paintings, entitled Les blues de l'Himalaya at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris from December 10 to 13.

After studying plastic arts in the 1970s, she received an attestation of collegial studies in advertising layout a few years later. She publishes her drawings of the Laurentian flora in the Saint-Hippolyte community newspaper, Le Sentier. Diane Couët is one of the few Quebec artists who has illustrated French wine bottle labels. In 1991, she received the award of excellence from the Société canadienne de l'aquarelle. Today, her paintings are held in public and private collections in North America and Europe.

I am proud to draw the attention of the House to the outstanding talent of Diane Couët, and I wish her a future as bright as her paintings.

[Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, November 25th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government, which is perpetuating the myth of institutional bilingualism, is in no position to teach a lesson to the local authorities. At the Vancouver International Airport, for example, flight announcements and passenger check-in for flights to Montreal are in English. This situation is being criticized today by the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne.

Could the Minister responsible for official languages at least ensure that the federal government respects French?

[Canadian Products Promotion Act, October 19th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I have five minutes to conclude this debate. Thank you very much.

This is a most important bill for us and for all Canadians and Quebeckers. In the midst of this economic crisis, we have to give ourselves the tools we need to create jobs. We are talking here about 21,000 jobs and $600 million worth of purchases made annually by the federal government. Imagine how that could help us get through this situation where it is said the unemployment rate could soon reach 10.8%. Instead of that, we could reduce the unemployment rate and help our businesses.

We have really done our homework with regard to the bill before us today. We asked legal experts to check the bill. We consulted the unions. I talked to various union representatives to seek their support and I succeeded in obtaining that support because they are in favour of making purchases here, in Canada and in Quebec. I am very proud of their letters of support. I think there is a consensus around my bill.

We must also consider the fact that we have concluded important international agreements and we certainly do not want to risk being sued for millions or billions of dollars because of calls for tenders or purchases that would go against NAFTA or other international agreements that have been signed.

We were careful in ensuring that international agreements would not be affected by this legislation. The bill would allow the federal government to buy Canadian goods and services without violating any international agreements. These contracts would not be covered under those agreements, but they sure would help many of our businesses get through these difficult times, because a lot of them are barely able to stay afloat at this point.

That is very clear in our bill. We are not leaving ourselves open to judicial proceedings. On the contrary, the government would be allowed to spend up to $600 million. That is no small amount. It is big money that could create 21,000 jobs. And such a number of jobs would help lower unemployment figures across the country. That is particularly important in the current economic context. People are losing their jobs. They had very well-paying jobs and they now find themselves out of work, precisely because businesses are reducing their staff. So, these people are left with nothing. Rather than buying abroad, let us try promoting local procurement.

Hon. members may also have noticed that, in our bill, we are asking to respect a certain percentage for the provinces. This means that the Government of Canada should not buy everything in the same province. It must act fairly towards all the provinces, so that everyone can benefit from this initiative.

This is a very comprehensive bill. Even at the municipal level—and I am referring to my riding—the people, mayors and councillors are promoting local procurement. I know that this is already being done through awareness. However, at the federal level, we could have true legislation that would not only allow us to buy at home, but would in fact compel to do so.

I realize that this raises questions, and I know that we cannot ask questions amongst ourselves, because this is a fairly dry issue. However, I sincerely hope that the bill will be referred to a committee. That would answer Liberal members' concerns about the 7.5% and it would allow us to take an in-depth look at this issue. We could then have witnesses come and tell us that they agree with this measure, or that they want something to be changed. Let us make this a viable bill that can truly help all Canadians and Quebeckers to create jobs and to encourage our domestic industries, instead of buying products from abroad.

That is a priority right now. This bill comes at the right time. It is very well drafted, and it was thoroughly reviewed not only by the law clerks of the House, but also by several other legal officers. We must give it a chance and refer it to a committee, so that we can really look at it and deal with the concerns of each political party. It is my hope that, for once—although I doubt it—the Conservatives will try to be part of this group that is the House of Commons and will take a real look at the situation.