44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 11, 2023 10:00AM
- May/11/23 2:19:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important that we commemorate Canada's history, but let us not pretend that the only place we are able to do that is inside the pages of our passport.
I know about Vimy Ridge because I have read books about it, researched it independently and talked to veterans who served in the military. I know that Brigadier-General A. E. Ross said, “in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation”, but it is not because a picture was included in a passport.
We are going to continue to take opportunities to commemorate our nation's heroes. Whether that includes statues on Parliament Hill or Viola Desmond on the $10 bill, or whether we seek other opportunities to commemorate our history, we will continue to engage Canadians along the way and make decisions that celebrate our nation's heroes.
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- May/11/23 2:51:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know if the Prime Minister could be more out of touch with the reality of Canadians.
It really was not too long ago that people literally lined up and stayed the night, camping out, to get their passport renewed or a new one altogether. People missed out on being able to go see a dying loved one before they passed away. They missed out on weddings. They missed out on funerals. They missed out on family celebrations. Why was that?
Well, it turns out that it was because this government was more concerned with erasing history by removing Terry Fox, Quebec City and Vimy Ridge from our passports, rather than getting passports expedited to Canadians. Why is the government so hellbent on erasing Canada's history?
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- May/11/23 2:51:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share with members of the House that my hon. colleague is deeply mistaken.
With regard to the ability of Canadians to get their passports in a timely way, I want to credit the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development for her work to eliminate the backlogs so Canadians can get passports for travel where and when they were needed. With respect to the changes to the passport, the designs were approved a number of years ago, before there were any considerations of backlogs and passport applications.
It is very important that no party in the House claims a monopoly over owning Canada's history. Every member of the House cares deeply about our nation's history and is proud of the country. We will continue to commemorate it in the years ahead.
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- May/11/23 2:54:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the mayor of Terry Fox's hometown said, “Whoever made the decision to remove Terry Fox from Canadian passports needs to give their head a shake. Our country needs more Terry Fox, not less.”
The members across the way have the nerve to say that we are politicizing the history of the Canadian passport. More than ever, the government is showing that it is totally out of touch with reality. It is despicable to erase the history of our country from Canadian passports.
Will they ever figure that out?
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- May/11/23 2:56:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I invite the parliamentary secretary and everyone over there to repeat what they said to the mayor of the city Terry Fox was born in. Good luck!
That is not all. The passport is the most important document Canadians carry when they are abroad, but it is also important for what it contains. Quebec City is referenced in it four times: The Quebec conference, Quebec City itself, Samuel de Champlain, and Captain Bernier, who discovered the Canadian north with his boat, are illustrated within its pages.
Once again, why is the government erasing our national history, which we can be proud of, from the Canadian passport?
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- May/11/23 2:56:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is very important that nobody in the House claims a monopoly over caring for our national heroes, such as Terry Fox, or claims a monopoly over caring about our nation's history.
The reality is that over the past 10 years, an exercise to consult Canadians was taken on to understand what people wanted reflected in their travel document. We have themes recognizing the different regions of Canada, our natural environment, the contributions of indigenous Canadians and of course improved security features.
The Canadian passport is one of the most powerful travel documents. It allows one access to almost every country in the world. It is something we should be proud of. We can protect the security of our passport and celebrate our history at the same time.
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- May/11/23 3:06:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Vimy Ridge united Canada as a nation through the service and sacrifice of 3,598 Canadian soldiers. Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope leaves a legacy that lives to this very day for our nation. Nellie McClung pushed our nation forward with more equality and human rights as a suffragette leader.
Instead of honouring the great moments in our country's history, these Liberals are instead focused on man with wheelbarrow and squirrel with nuts.
Why is the Liberal government so intent on erasing Canadian history from our passport?
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