Debates of the Senate

CANADA Debates of the Senate 2nd SESSION . 40th PARLIAMENT . VOLUME 146 . NUMBER 81 OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Friday, December 11, 2009 ^ THE HONOURABLE NOËL A. KINSELLA SPEAKER CONTENTS (Daily index of proceedings appears at back of this issue). Debates Services: D'Arcy McPherson, Chambers Building, Room 943, Tel. 613-995-5756 Publications Centre: David Reeves, Chambers Building, Room 969, Tel. 613-947-0609 Published by the Senate Available from PWGSC ± Publishing and Depository Services, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0S5. Also available on the Internet: http://www.parl.gc.ca 1995 THE SENATE Friday, December 11, 2009 The Senate met at 9 a.m., the Speaker in the chair. caucus and his party leader to assert his principles, to say that he believed in something fundamental in that process, and that Prayers. he wanted to support it. [Translation] He continued his fight here in the Senate as he had in the House of Commons and later on behalf of the Montfort Hospital and Ontario schools. Jean-Robert Gauthier was a hero of the SENATORS' STATEMENTS Francophonie, a hero of Franco-Ontarians, but above all, honourable senators, Jean-Robert Gauthier was a hero for all THE LATE HONOURABLE Canadians. JEAN-ROBERT GAUTHIER, C.M. [English] Hon. Marie-P. Poulin: Honourable senators, our former colleague, the Honourable Jean-Robert Gauthier, passed away CANADIAN DELEGATION yesterday at the age of 80. His accomplishments have helped TO COMMEMORATE THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN make Canada stronger, more balanced, and more rooted in its rich history of two languages and two founding peoples. Hon. Wilfred P. Moore: Honourable senators, during the week commencing November 27, 2009, a delegation of Jean-Robert was born in 1929 in Ottawa. Very early on, he Canadian parliamentarians travelled to Italy to commemorate the developed a survival instinct. He was abandoned by his father and sixty-fifth anniversary of the Italian Campaign in World War II. placed in an orphanage at the age of three. At six, he moved in The delegation was ably led by the Honourable Greg Thompson, with his grandfather, Dr. Louis-Philippe Gauthier, a former Minister of Veterans Affairs, who was joined by Senator Meighen federal member of Parliament and clerk of the Senate. and yours truly, as well as by Mr. Guy André, Mr. Rob Oliphant and Mr. Peter Stoffer of the other place. Jean-Robert's life in the public eye began in 1960, first as a school board trustee, then as a member of the House of Commons from 1972 to 1994, and finally as a senator from 1994 to 2004. Most importantly, the delegation included four veterans of the Italian Campaign: Mr. Henry Beaudry, 88 years of age, of the Sweet Grass First Nations Reserve near North Battleford, All of his accomplishments in education, healthcare and official Saskatchewan; Mrs. Betty Brown, 92 years, of Ottawa, Ontario; languages, among others, were based on a principle that is Mr. Roland Demers, 87 years, of Tecumseh, Ontario; and essential to the development of Canada: minority language rights Mr. David Morton, 88 years, of Gibsons, British Columbia. must be protected by the Constitution, laws and regulations. They were joined by World War II veteran Robert Ross, 85 years, of Mississauga, Ontario. The Honourable Jean-Robert Gauthier truly did embody the meaning of the expression ``having the courage of his convictions.'' On behalf of all of my parliamentary colleagues Each of these veterans spoke about their own wartime here today, I offer our sincere condolences to his wife Monique experiences, some publicly, some in private. and to their children and grandchildren. Minister Thompson aptly characterized our mission when he Hon. Dennis Dawson: Honourable senators, last night, the said: honourable Speaker brought us the sad news of the passing of our friend Jean-Robert Gauthier. I had the pleasure of serving in the Together, our unique delegation will walk on some of the other place with Jean-Robert. He had already retired from the same streets where Canadians fell. We will walk among the Senate by the time I arrived. If you were to search for ``Gauthier'' headstones belonging to the youth of another generation. in Google, I am sure that one of the first results to come up would And we will remember them by reading their names aloud; be Jean-Robert Gauthier, that strong advocate for the by running our fingers over letters carved in granite, by francophone community — not only for Ontario's thinking of dreams unfulfilled, by remembering lives lost. francophones, of course, but for all of Canada's francophone And by remembering families torn apart by their sacrifice. communities. One of those graves we visited at Cassino was that of He was a pioneer in the debates on the Charter. It is no great Lieutenant Charles A. Ritcey, of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He secret that Jean-Robert and I were not always on the same side in was the commander of the 11th Independent Machine Gun many battles, but I nevertheless recognize that Jean-Robert Company (Princess Louise Fusiliers). He was mortally wounded Gauthier was an important pioneer in terms of his contribution to near the town of Ceprano on May 27, 1944, age 28 years, in the the Francophonie in Canada. Battle of Cassino, while acting as a forward observation officer in leading his company. His only concern when he was being treated During the debate on the patriation of the Constitution in 1982, was for his signaller, Fusilier C.B. Musgrave, of Northwest we did not see eye to eye. However, today I would say that Margaree, Nova Scotia, who was wounded by the same shell that Jean-Robert was probably right. He decided to stand up to his took Lieutenant's Ritcey's life. 1996 SENATE DEBATES December 11, 2009 Lieutenant Ritcey was the uncle of my spouse, Jane Adams There may be more than the figures I have just stated, but at Ritcey. least we know that the taxpayers of Canada provided $102 billion to those financial institutions and that, today, before the worst Two of the delegation were youth: Nolan Hill from Calgary, Christmas and winter Canadians have faced, those financial Alberta, and Melanie Morin of Drummond, New Brunswick, institutions are recording major profits and major bonuses. 16 and 17 years of age, respectively. Each spoke eloquently about a deceased soldier from their respective province whose How can we accept that our taxpayers are still paying record resting place is known only unto God. These two young people rates of interest on credit cards, between 18 and 30 per cent, at the represented the youth of Canada very well, and confirmed our same time that the Bank of Canada overnight rate is at pledge to ``remember them.'' 0.25 per cent and the average prime rate is at 5 per cent? How can we accept that it is okay that our Bankruptcy and Insolvency The delegation also participated in ceremonies of remembrance Act provides greater security to banks than to employees and and laid wreaths at the Price of Peace Monument in Ortona, retirees? Where have our principles of fairness and overall respect the Moro River Canadian War Cemetery, the Breaching of the for our Canadian citizens and their families gone? Gothic Line Plaque in Rimini and the Coriano Ridge War Cemetery in Rimini. Last, but not least, this quote: The Italian Campaign was one of the bloodiest and costliest for We are at the end of a difficult generation of business Canada in World War II, where more than 6,000 Canadians died. leadership, and maybe leadership in general. Tough- Of the 16 Victoria Crosses bestowed in World War II, three were mindedness, a good trait, was replaced by meanness and awarded to Canadians for their heroic services in the Italian greed, both terrible traits. Campaign. We visited the sites where those Canadian heroes earned the Victoria Cross — Major J.K. Mahony in Roccasecca; Captain Paul Triquet in San Martino and Private Ernest Alvia Rewards became perverted. The richest people made the ``Smokey'' Smith in Cesena. The Italian Campaign has not most mistakes with the least accountability. In too received the attention of other campaigns but deserves more many situations, leaders divided us instead of bringing us attention and should be taught to our young people. Perhaps that together. attention will prompt all Canadians to reflect on the price of freedoms gained, and ensure that we shall keep our pledge to That is a statement by Jeffrey Immelt, head of General Electric. remember those who fell and those who suffered injury. His remarks were made at West Point. [Translation] THE LATE HONOURABLE JEAN-ROBERT GAUTHIER, C.M. BUSINESS LEADERSHIP Hon. Sharon Carstairs: Honourable senators, I was not in the Hon. Pierrette Ringuette: Honourable senators, at a time when chamber yesterday when His Honour announced the passing of Canadian parliamentarians are anxious to return home to be with Jean-Robert Gauthier, but I did hear it on the news this morning. their families for the holiday season, many Canadian families are facing the most financially difficult winter they have seen in over 20 years. Jean-Robert was my first seatmate in this place. He was a remarkable man, and I should like to recall for all senators, particularly those who were not here, that it was on a trip to . (0910) Africa on behalf of the Senate that Jean-Robert contracted a virus that left him profoundly deaf and with a number of other physical [English] handicaps. He never once complained that he had become ill in the service of his country, and I think that was a measure of this Yesterday, all our Canadian newspaper headlines read as particular individual.

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