Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2008-04-03 15:05:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Yvon Godin (Acadie\u2014Bathurst, NDP)",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"1000723\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Mr. Speaker, on March 13, 2008, I rose in this House on a question of privilege concerning the fact that the <a data-HoCid=\"111556\" href=\"/politicians/josee-verner/\" title=\"Jos\u00e9e Verner\">Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages</a> had misled the House.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000724\" data-originallang=\"fr\">This week, on April 1, the minister said:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"1000725\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> Mr. Speaker, on March 13, 2008, the hon. member for Acadie\u2014Bathurst rose on a question of privilege regarding the invitation I received to appear before the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I responded as follows and I quote: </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000726\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> Appearing before the committee is a ministerial responsibility. Since being appointed, I have had the privilege of appearing before the committee on several occasions, most recently on December 6, 2007. I will be pleased to appear before the committee to discuss the next phase of the action plan as soon as I have finished working on it. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000727\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> Thus, it was an unfortunate misunderstanding and I will indeed be pleased to appear before the committee when the action plan is presented. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"1000728\" data-originallang=\"fr\">The invitation was extended to the <a data-HoCid=\"111556\" href=\"/politicians/josee-verner/\" title=\"Jos\u00e9e Verner\">Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages</a> because the Standing Committee on Official Languages was studying the action plan. I think that the minister neglected to read the first page and the last paragraph of the letter she sent the chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages on February 25, which reads as follows:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"1000729\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> It would be premature for me to appear before the committee concerning the follow-up to the action plan before I have even had an opportunity to read Mr. Lord's final report. I will not be able to provide you with any further information for your study, because we are still working on the plan. I must therefore respectfully decline the committee's invitation. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"1000730\" data-originallang=\"fr\">This is where she misled the House.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000731\" data-originallang=\"fr\">I do not want to take up any more of the House's time, but I do want to set the record straight. I have a recommendation to make if you should recognize that the minister misled the House, because I am talking about the House, not the Standing Committee on Official Languages. She told the committee that she would not be coming. She declined the invitation and refused to appear, but she told the House of Commons that she had not refused, that she had appeared in December and that she would be appearing once the action plan had been completed.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000732\" data-originallang=\"fr\">That was not the issue. We wanted her to appear before the committee while it was studying the action plan. She declined that invitation. With respect, we just want her to say that to the House of Commons and not to mislead the House.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000733\" data-originallang=\"fr\">If she refuses, I would like the matter to be referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs for review.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"1000723\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, le 13 mars dernier, je me suis lev\u00e9 en Chambre concernant une question de privil\u00e8ge soulignant le fait que la <a data-HoCid=\"111556\" href=\"/politicians/josee-verner/\" title=\"Jos\u00e9e Verner\">ministre du Patrimoine canadien, de la Condition f\u00e9minine et des Langues officielles</a> avait induit la Chambre en erreur. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000724\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Le 1<sup>er</sup> avril, cette semaine, cette ministre disait ce que suit: </p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"1000725\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, le 13 mars dernier, le d\u00e9put\u00e9 d'Acadie\u2014Bathurst s'est lev\u00e9 pour une question de privil\u00e8ge en r\u00e9f\u00e9rence \u00e0 l'invitation que j'ai re\u00e7ue \u00e0 compara\u00eetre devant le Comit\u00e9 permanent des langues officielles. J'ai r\u00e9pondu en disant, et je cite: </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000726\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> \u00ab Les comparutions devant le comit\u00e9 sont une responsabilit\u00e9 minist\u00e9rielle. Depuis ma nomination, j'ai eu le privil\u00e8ge de compara\u00eetre plusieurs fois et encore tout r\u00e9cemment, le 6 d\u00e9cembre dernier, devant ce comit\u00e9. Il me fera plaisir de compara\u00eetre devant le comit\u00e9 afin de discuter de la prochaine phase du Plan d'action d\u00e8s que mon travail sur ce sujet sera compl\u00e9t\u00e9. \u00bb </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000727\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> Il s'agit donc d'un malheureux malentendu, et il me fera effectivement plaisir de compara\u00eetre devant le comit\u00e9 quand le plan d'action sera d\u00e9pos\u00e9. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"1000728\" data-originallang=\"fr\">L'invitation envoy\u00e9e \u00e0 la <a data-HoCid=\"111556\" href=\"/politicians/josee-verner/\" title=\"Jos\u00e9e Verner\">ministre du Patrimoine canadien, de la Condition f\u00e9minine et des Langues officielles</a> a \u00e9t\u00e9 faite parce que le Comit\u00e9 permanent des langues officielles \u00e9tait en train de faire l'\u00e9tude du plan d'action. Je pense que la ministre a oubli\u00e9 de lire la premi\u00e8re page et le dernier paragraphe de sa propre lettre du 25 f\u00e9vrier envoy\u00e9e au pr\u00e9sident du Comit\u00e9 permanent des langues officielles, qui se lit comme suit: </p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"1000729\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> Compara\u00eetre devant le Comit\u00e9 sur les suites du Plan d'action avant m\u00eame d'avoir eu l'occasion de prendre connaissance du rapport final de monsieur Lord serait pr\u00e9matur\u00e9. Puisque nous d\u00e9veloppons encore le plan, je ne pourrai vous fournir de plus amples informations pour votre \u00e9tude. Je dois donc respectueusement d\u00e9cliner l'invitation du comit\u00e9. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"1000730\" data-originallang=\"fr\">C'est l\u00e0 qu'elle a induit la Chambre en erreur. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000731\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Je ne veux pas empi\u00e9ter davantage sur le temps de la Chambre des communes, mais je veux r\u00e9tablir les faits devant vous. J'aurais une recommandation \u00e0 faire au cas o\u00f9 vous reconna\u00eetriez que la ministre a induit la Chambre en erreur, car il s'agit bien de la Chambre et non du Comit\u00e9 permanent des langues officielles. Au comit\u00e9, elle a dit qu'elle ne venait pas. Elle a d\u00e9clin\u00e9 l'invitation et a refus\u00e9 de se pr\u00e9senter, mais devant la Chambre des communes, elle a dit qu'elle ne l'avait pas refus\u00e9e, qu'elle s'\u00e9tait pr\u00e9sent\u00e9e au mois de d\u00e9cembre et qu'elle viendrait apr\u00e8s que le plan d'action sera fini. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000732\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Telle n'\u00e9tait pas la question. On voulait qu'elle vienne au comit\u00e9 alors que celui-ci \u00e9tudiait le plan d'action. Elle a d\u00e9clin\u00e9 cette invitation. On veut juste que, respectueusement, elle vienne le dire \u00e0 la Chambre des communes et qu'elle n'induise par la Chambre en erreur.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"1000733\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Si elle refuse, j'aimerais que le tout soit r\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9 Comit\u00e9 permanent de la proc\u00e9dure et des affaires de la Chambre qui pourra en faire l'\u00e9tude.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2008/4/3/yvon-godin-2/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/yvon-godin/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/2521/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "2396601",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Oral Questions",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Privilege",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h3": {
        "en": "Oral Questions",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2008/4/3/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2008%2F4%2F3%2F"
    }
}