Richard Nadeau

[Census, December 3rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, when the government decided to make changes to the census, a number of departments expressed their concerns. In a memo addressed to the Deputy Minister of Industry, one of the main concerns was the possible confusion between the voluntary nature of the long form census and the mandatory nature of the short form census.

In light of this warning by his own officials, how could the Minister of Industry eliminate the mandatory long form unless he was trying to promote his ideology instead of science?

[Official Languages, November 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the most recent report by the Commissioner of Official Languages concerning the Olympic Games in Vancouver confirms that the government has once again failed in its duty by not including linguistic clauses in the contribution agreements to provide more of a framework for organizations that receive funding.

With preparations underway for the Canada Games in Halifax and the Pan American Games in Toronto, will the minister act in accordance with his responsibilities and ensure that the linguistic rights of francophones are respected?

[Democratic Reform, November 24th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, now that the Conservatives control the Senate, they seem bound and determined to take advantage of that to quash those decisions made by the elected members of the House of Commons that do not suit them. Never mind democracy. After blocking the climate change bill, the unelected senators are set to go at it again by scuttling the legislation requiring Supreme Court judges to understand French.

Is the Prime Minister not ashamed of using the unelected Senate to overturn decisions made by the elected members of the House of Commons? How can he—

[Foreign Affairs, November 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Official Languages wants to meet with officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs to get to the bottom of the lack of French-language services at Canadian embassies abroad. The committee clerk has tried several times to speak to an appropriate official at the department, but he still has yet to hear back from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Can the minister explain his department's silence, or is he the one trying to avoid something that cannot be justified?

[National Capital Act, November 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities has considered Bill C-20, which would amend the National Capital Act and would protect Gatineau Park and describe its boundaries. Bill C-20 includes a number of mechanisms that would enable the NCC to eat into Quebec territory in the Outaouais region and override Quebec's jurisdictions.

In letters from minister Benoît Pelletier, in 2007, and minister Claude Béchard, in 2009, the Government of Quebec clearly indicated to the federal minister that it opposed this attack on Quebec's territorial integrity. These letters were read by parliamentarians during the study of Bill C-20, but the NDP members, the Liberals and the Conservatives ignored them. They also disregarded all of the amendments by the Bloc Québécois that would have ensured respect for Quebec's territorial integrity. What is worse, there is nothing here about consulting Quebec. That is scandalous and unacceptable.

[Petitions, November 3rd, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I am presenting a petition from the Royal Canadian Legion, Pointe-Gatineau Branch 58, in my riding of Gatineau.

The 59 petitioners are calling on the House of Commons to amend the veterans charter to restore the lifetime monthly pension for injured soldiers as compensation.

[Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Francophones, November 3rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, on October 29 and 30, 2010, I attended the 37th annual general meeting of the Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador at the Centre scolaire et communautaire Sainte-Anne in Grand'Terre on the Port au Port peninsula.

The challenges ahead are considerable; rampant assimilation, the exodus of young people, the lack of resources, and difficulty recruiting and retaining staff are some that come to mind.

Also on the agenda was the unveiling of the very impressive Acadian Odyssey commemorative monument at the Boutte du Cap Park in Cape St. George.

Françoise Enguehard, a writer and president of the Société nationale de l'Acadie, enlightened us about the francophone presence in Newfoundland since 1504.

The Bloc Québécois would like to congratulate the president of the FFTNL, Jules Custodio, and all the members of his team, who work tirelessly to ensure that Franco-Newfoundlanders' and Franco-Labradorians' language and culture continue to flourish.

Long live the FFTNL.

[Official Languages, November 2nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Commissioner of Official Languages reports that Canadian institutions do not take minority language communities into account when planning their programs. One would assume that scrapping the mandatory long form census will not improve matters.

Will the government admit that it has failed to meet its obligations when it comes to official language minority communities?

[Official Languages, November 2nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, 40 years after the implementation of the Official Languages Act, the public service is still incapable of enforcing the law, according to the Commissioner of Official Languages. Only 10 of the 16 institutions evaluated were able to offer bilingual services in 80% of cases. One public servant in five reports dissatisfaction with being unable to use his official language in the workplace.

How does the government explain this appalling situation?

[Points of Order, October 27th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I heard what the member for Lévis—Bellechasse said. Tomorrow evening, the only thing on my agenda is getting ready to go to Newfoundland for the Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador. I am not giving a speech anywhere tomorrow evening, nor have I given any of my own money or my member's allowance to the organization hosting the conference tomorrow.

I would like the Conservative member who said that I support hate groups to explain himself and apologize.