Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, all I have heard is empty rhetoric with no basis in reality. Boasting about having a caucus comprised for the most part of young people is not enough to get young people more interested in politics. I was elected to this place at age 28. I belonged to the statistical category of youth.

Bernard Landry  Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Bernard Landry, the extraordinary man who shaped the destiny of the riding of Verchères for over 10 years and who has dedicated his life to the development and international reputation of Quebec. Today, we find ourselves suddenly deprived of the services of a great man who always had the best interests of his fellow Quebeckers at heart.

Member for Newton—North Delta  Mr. Speaker, on the tape, we can hear the member for Newton—North Delta say, “If we have something then we don’t need to lie to the media. We can tell them that OK, if we do something out of encouragement and conviction, then you have to have something for that. Some reward or whatever”.

Member for Newton—North Delta  Mr. Speaker, since the Minister of Health is challenging the quality of the translation of his remarks from Punjabi, I will read an excerpt from what the Prime Minister's chief of staff said, and he said it in English. He said, “I think it is important that we are honest about it.

Workplace Psychological Harassment Prevention Act  Madam Speaker, like the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the parliamentary secretary is trying to use a simplistic discourse to have those who still believe in justice perceived as whiners. On February 23, I simply asked the Minister of Canadian Heritage if she intended to intervene again with the Queen in order to specifically ask that she go to Acadia to do what needs to be done with regard to the Acadian people.

Workplace Psychological Harassment Prevention Act  Madam Speaker, I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to reiterate my position toward the standpoint of the British Crown in relation to the deportation of the Acadians, which happened in the middle of the 18th century, as well as the apparent laissez-faire of the current Canadian government on this issue.

Guy Tardif  Mr. Speaker, on May 24, we lost a major builder of modern Quebec, Mr. Guy Tardif. Guy Tardif was an RCMP officer with a Ph.D. in criminology from the Université de Montréal. He remained with the RCMP until 1976, when he was elected to the National Assembly as the member for Crémazie under the PQ banner.

Prime Minister  Mr. Speaker, last Saturday was the 25th anniversary of the infamous statement by Pierre Elliott Trudeau, “We are willing to lay our seats in the House on the line to have change.” We now know what change was brought about by this formal promise by this former Liberal prime minister.

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, when it is a matter of concluding agreements with Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario, it is amazing how fast the federal government can settle things. But when it is a matter of negotiating with Quebec, despite the fact that Quebec is responsible for the model for child care in Canada, everything is dragged out.

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, far from making things more difficult, the existence of a complete child care system in Quebec ought instead to facilitate prompt settlement, particularly since Quebec's requirements are already known. What is the government waiting for to comply with Quebec's demands: the right to opt out with full compensation and without conditions?

Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak in my turn to the bill put forward by my colleague, which seeks to enable the Chief Electoral Officer to appoint or to remove returning officers following an open and transparent process which will have made it possible to assess the competence, the merit and the skills to fulfill their duties of the people to be appointed.

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, Quebec's intergovernmental affairs minister said he was disappointed that Quebec's share, this year, for Quebec's child care program will be limited to $165 million because federal funding for the first year of the program is only $700 million. Are we to understand that, because its child care program is operational and efficient, Quebec has to pay for the other provinces, which are not prepared to implement their own child care programs?

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, speaking of interpretation, I am looking forward to the minister's answer to this question. In the budget, the federal government earmarked $100 million for the development of a new accountability program. After the Prime Minister promised to give Quebec the money for child care with no strings attached, how does the minister explain why $100 million will be spent on this, if the goal, ultimately, is not to impose Canada-wide standards on Quebec?

Deportation of Acadians  Mr. Speaker, this year is the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the Acadian deportation. The Queen will find the time to visit Saskatchewan and Alberta to mark the 100th anniversary of their entry into the Canadian federation, but she will not have the time to go to Acadia. Given the British Crown's heavy responsibility in these tragic events, an apology seems only natural.

Veterans  Mr. Speaker, ultimately the issue is not about who submits this request from Quebec, a federalist government in Quebec or a sovereignist member in Ottawa. The issue is whether this legitimate request will be sanctioned by the federal Liberal government. Quebec's right to speak internationally is necessary and imperative for better defending the interests of the Quebec nation.