QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Veterans Affairs

Thank you, minister, for appearing.

In a letter that you sent to all parliamentarians, you said, “. . . in addition to providing two standard wreaths to each member of Parliament and one wreath to each senator.” I wanted to ask, first of all, were you aware that in Newfoundland and Labrador, which I represent and some colleagues here represent, we have a Memorial Day and commemorate veterans on July 1 as well as our standard Remembrance Day, November 11? Would there be allowance for additional wreaths for senators who want to lay wreaths to commemorate on July 1?

I have to say that shocks me. That’s fairly surprising, in fact. On July 1, it’s traditional in Newfoundland and Labrador to not begin celebrations for Canada Day until noon because we’re commemorating those lost in wars that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians had fought in. When my office sent a note back to your office to the email address that was given, it was essentially an out-of-office reply saying:

The Veterans Affairs Wreath for Parliamentarians campaign ended on November 8. Please note that this mailbox is not monitored outside of the annual scheduled campaign.

Is that something that you could look at, because there are more than just November 11 remembrance days? We’ve heard from Senator Martin, who is a strong advocate for commemorating the Korean War and other wars in which Canadians have fought.