Parliamentary Speeches
799 speeches by Alexandre Boulerice — Page 12 of 16
Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, while CEOs of grocery store chains fill their pockets, ordinary people are being forced to choose between paying rent or buying groceries. One in five people are skipping one meal a day to lower their grocery bill, and demand for food banks is through the roof. That is what it has come to. The Liberals have allowed corporate greed to force families to make impossible choices. People a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-302, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (replacement workers). Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the House to introduce this bill that is so important to NDP supporters. The NDP has always been the party for workers. There has been a flaw in the Canada Labour Code for years. It does not ban the use of replacement workers during a labour dispute. That…
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Madam Speaker, as the saying goes, it is better to laugh than cry. We are getting a glimpse of the Bloc Québécois's despair at not being able to achieve anything concrete for Quebeckers. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, 71,000 children in Quebec will benefit from the dental care program. Some 480,000 Quebeckers will benefit from the rent allowance. Is the Bloc Québécois member really…
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Mr. Speaker, people are going hungry in our country right now. That is shameful in a country as rich as ours. Today's annual report from Food Banks Canada shows that food bank use is at an all-time high. In a single month, there were 1.5 million visits. People are going without, but the Liberals refuse to stand up to the CEOs of the major grocery chains and make them pay what they owe us. When wil…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pierrefonds—Dollard for his motion, his speech and his commitment to the Uighur issue, which is also very important to New Democrats. We certainly support this move. We need to stand up for human rights and speak out against the genocide that the Uighurs are being subjected to, their treatment and forced labour. If Parliament is speaking with one voice, or …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Hochelaga for her speech. As a proud democrat and a proud socialist, I do not mind talking about the monarchy, because I can settle the matter rather quickly and move on to another subject. In talking about other topics, she focused a bit on the fact that our health care system is being strangled, emergency rooms are overflowing and people are really strugg…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. As a left-leaning man or woman or as a socialist, you fight against inequality and privilege. No system gives more privileges to a family than the monarchical system. It is an absurd, archaic and undemocratic system. We agree on that. However, when we participate in debates in the House, we must use time wisely and set priorities. Still, the Bloc…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech and her passion. With regard to the monarchy, I will simply quote the very famous Indiana Jones who said, “That belongs in a museum”. The Bloc Québécois has talked a lot about the money that could be saved, and it is true that $67 million is a lot of money. We could build a lot of social housing and help community groups with that money. Every lit…
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Madam Speaker, I have been listening to the speeches from my Bloc Québécois colleagues since the day began, and I am surprised that no one has made a single particularly compelling argument, in my opinion. As parliamentarians, we have to take an oath. It can be quite unpleasant, I agree. However, people who were born in Quebec and in Canada do not have to take that oath. There is a lot of talk abo…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. I really appreciated what she said about how pesticides affect people's lives and health. In the summer of 2021, the Liberal government decided to increase traces of pesticides, including glyphosate, in pulses and berries. There was outrage, and the Liberals were forced to backtrack. At the time, they promised to be more transparent. Today, we lear…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this is a heartbreaking message from Sébastin Marin, a doctor at the hospital in Ormstown. He wrote: “I ended my night with a patient who died right in front of me from a ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm. That same patient had waited 16 hours yesterday at another hospital without being seen...There was nothing I could do. He died within minutes of arriving.” The patient spent 16 hour…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, on the Island of Montreal, there is an extraordinary place known as TechnoparcOiseaux or Champ des monarques. A site rich in biodiversity, it is home to 193,000 species of birds and an essential feeding ground for the monarch butterfly, which has been declared an endangered species. This site is also at risk because the Montreal airports authority, Aéroports de Montréal, wants to use …
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Mr. Speaker, obviously there is no plan at all. We learned that the Liberals spent $28 million to lease land near Roxham Road and they did so secretly. Instead of suspending the safe third country agreement to streamline the process for refugees, the Liberals chose to funnel millions of dollars of public money to a Liberal donor without a call for tenders. For a Liberal, a crony is always a crony.…
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Mr. Speaker, to the best of my knowledge, oil is not a renewable resource. While many people are struggling to pay for groceries, we have learned that Loblaws plans to freeze prices on its “No Name” products. It is a nice gesture, but it comes after months of inflation, months of seeing our families struggle. The Liberals have allowed the CEOs of these large corporations to get rich off the backs …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to triple, triple, triple congratulate my NDP colleague for his work. It is incredible. This is exactly what a member of Parliament should do. My extraordinary NDP colleague has three wins here. First, there is this opposition motion that will actually affect people's lives and make a difference with practical solutions by looking at the situation concer…
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Madam Speaker, I agree that this is an important debate, especially since the NDP brought it to the House. We would not have brought it forward if we did not think it was important for people, for our society. We took that initiative. It is true, we are sending a message with this debate. We are telling them that we are watching and that we are keeping an eye on them. Then there needs to be action…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight. The Conservative Party sees premiums as a tax. An EI premium is insurance in the event of a loss of employment. A pension plan premium is an investment for the future. We will need this money when we are older. There is a world of difference between the two concepts. It is important to tell the truth. We are taking ac…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague on why it is so important to fight tax havens, but here is where we part ways. The Bloc Québécois will never be in power, but we might be. It is entirely possible—more possible, anyway. It is true that both Liberals and Conservatives have for years failed to take action on tax havens. It is a perennial problem. Barbados alone is sheltering $80 billion Canad…
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Mr. Speaker, with rising prices, people are being squeezed, and they are having trouble making ends meet at the end of the month. Big bosses are profiting off human suffering to line their own pockets, and that sickens me. The CEO of Sobeys makes $8 million, the CEO of Metro makes $5 million, and the CEO of Loblaws also makes $5 million. These profits are up 17% to 27%. While people are being forc…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I will give him the opportunity to clarify a little the remarks made by the Conservative Party in recent weeks. They seem to be confusing a tax with a contribution. When people contribute to EI, they are putting money aside for the day when they will need it because they have lost their jobs. When people contribute to the Canada pension plan, the…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. There is good news in this bill: the GST credit, the housing benefit and dental care for children this year and for seniors next year. The good thing is that this all came about because the government listened to the NDP's good ideas. The work of the NDP caucus is what got us to this point. Why stop now when we could go even further and tax the e…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech, but I just want to point out that dental care for children, the higher GST tax credit and the housing benefit top-up all came about because the NDP forced the Liberals to introduce them. This is a minority government, and we used our position of strength to get results for people. The rising cost of living is hurting people, so why stop there? Oil …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, they did it for British Columbia. Now it is time to do it for Atlantic Canada. The Conservative leader is going after workers in order to give millions to CEOs. A contribution is not a tax, it is an investment in the future. It looks as though a recession is inevitable, and families will need protection. Workers are at risk of losing their jobs and the Liberals are dragging their feet…
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Madam Speaker, I am rather shocked by the inanity of the comments I have been hearing from the Conservative benches since this morning. The former leader of the Conservative Party said that taxation is theft. He said Canadians were being robbed. He used the rather odd analogy of dumping a bottle of beer out on the ground, saying that it served absolutely no purpose. Does my colleague from the Cons…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we agree on the fact that the Conservatives' motion is completely out of touch with reality. The Conservatives are conflating premiums, social programs, retirement investments and taxes. On the subject of taxes, is it not true that the Liberals are lagging behind and that they are not getting on with taxing the superrich, billionaires, CEOs, all the major oil companies and gro…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. I was very pleased to hear her talk about the benefits of a dental care program for children, youth and, next year, seniors. I find it surprising that she did not mention that this was an NDP demand that the Liberals voted for. We forced them to do it as part of the agreement we signed for the next few years. Will she acknowledge that this is somet…
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Madam Speaker, I listened with interest to my colleague's speech. It is funny, the people who keep saying that we need to create wealth before we can redistribute it never really redistribute it. My colleague talked about people who are suffering, the less fortunate and persons with disabilities. That is very good, but action speaks louder than words. I have a simple question for my colleague. How…
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Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity as I rise in the House to talk about what is happening in another part of the world. It deserves our attention and it is important to note. Since the brutal murder of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, a widespread grassroots feminist movement has been rising in Iran. These people have the exceptional courage to stand up for freedom and democracy. I…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague's question highlights the fact that the Conservatives are stirring up a debate and a discussion that are five or ten years out of date. We have moved on. Actually, we need to go further in the fight against climate change. That is why I am reiterating today that we need a plan for a just transition that includes indigenous communities, workers and unions. There needs to…
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Madam Speaker, the federal tax on carbon does not apply to Quebec. Quebec already has its own cap-and-trade system. I think the point is moot. I would say that taxing pollution, putting a price on pollution, works because it changes people's behaviour and the choices they make. They will make a choice that is cheaper, but also greener at the same time. This tax cannot be the only tool. It does par…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. How can the Conservative Party be unaware that the federal carbon tax does not apply in Quebec? I do not know. Perhaps we should ask the newly appointed Quebec lieutenant of the Conservative Party. I am not sure he has much influence over his leader right now. As for the second part of his question, yes, our party agrees that we need targeted m…
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Madam Speaker, I think we need a federal plan to make targeted investments so that we can transition to renewable energy sources, but we also need a plan to train these workers. We need round tables where all three parties, namely the unions representing the workers, the government and the employers, can work together to make strategic decisions for the future that will lead to a better, more just…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, who in the Liberal government is in charge of managing genetically modified seeds and pesticides? Is it the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Health or the Minister of Agriculture? No, it is not even that complicated. The companies that manufacture GMOs are directly responsible for making the regulations. According to a document obtained by the CBC, the lobbyist for CropLif…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals agree, they just need to do it and have the guts to take on big oil. The cost of groceries is skyrocketing. CEOs are raking in record profits and lining their pockets. Last year, the head of Sobeys earned over $8 million. Instead of raising employees' wages or lowering prices, he took away their bonuses. The nerve. The NDP wants to see a parliamentary committee look in…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. The NDP, the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois all agree that there should be a price on pollution. However, everything that the Liberal government does is cancelled out by other decisions it makes that wind up increasing greenhouse gas emissions. I am talking about the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the Bay du Nord decision and the increased sub…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. As I said earlier today, this feels like déjà vu since we are once again discussing the price on pollution and the carbon tax. It seems like every time the Conservatives run out of things to talk about, they bring up this old chestnut. It seems that the page—
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I feel like we have gone back 10 years. The Conservatives are still talking about the price on pollution and the carbon tax. They cannot seem to get over it. Every time they run out of things to talk about, they come back to this debate that was supposed to be settled. To anyone who takes climate change seriously, this measure is one of the rare to…
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Mr. Speaker, the price of groceries is skyrocketing. The price of bread is up 15%, fruit is up 13% and pasta is up 32%. Even a bag of potatoes costs $8. Families have to tighten their belts. In the meantime, the three major grocery chains are making $3.5 billion. That is $3,500 million. There is no question that grocery prices are increasing because CEOs want to make more profit. What is the gover…
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Madam Speaker, I listened closely to the speech made by my colleague from Hochelaga, and I noticed that three important words were missing from her speech: New Democratic Party. Prior to the election, the Liberals had absolutely no interest in funding dental care for the poor and middle class. We forced the Liberals to provide that coverage. They did not want to offer the Canada housing benefit to…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. I am more hopeful and optimistic than he is because, last year, in Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, when I met up with people in parks or went door-knocking, people really seemed to care about dental coverage whenever we talked about it. Not everyone has supplementary insurance or coverage through some kind of public plan, so people really want th…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. I was touched when she talked about how people are going through tough times, how they are struggling and living off of rice and peanut butter. As the cost of living goes up, we are seeing more and more of that in our communities. I am quite proud of what we have been able to accomplish by forcing the Liberals to bring in measures that will reall…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the pandemic exposed the flaws in the employment insurance system. The Liberals responded to the emergency with temporary patch jobs while promising real reform someday. Those temporary measures run out on Saturday. On Sunday, thousands of people will be stuck with the old system that does not work. The unemployed deserve respect. Women, part-time seasonal workers and freelancers dese…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to income support benefits and the population groups designated by the government as “hard-to-reach populations” or “vulnerable populations,” since November 2015, broken down by year and by type of income support benefit, including the Canada Child Benefit, the Canada Workers Benefit, the Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supplement and the GST credit: (a) what are the designated…
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With regard to claims for regular employment insurance benefits, between January and June 2022, broken down by month: (a) what was the processing time for claims, broken down by (i) average length of time, (ii) median length of time; (b) how many claimants received their benefit after 28 days; (c) of the claimants in (b), how long did it take for them to receive their benefit, broken down by (i) a…
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With regard to programs addressing food insecurity, since November 2015, broken down by year and by program: (a) what is the total funding received; (b) of the funding in (a), what is the total funding disbursed; (c) what is the total number of applications; (d) of the applications in (c), how many applications were (i) approved, (ii) denied; (e) what is the timeline for assessing, reviewing and a…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. It is nice to see him back here in the House. Obviously, people with disabilities are suffering. They are struggling, and that has been even more true over the past two years since the beginning of the pandemic. They deserve to get help quickly. This bill sets out some good intentions and makes some nice statements, but it does not contain anythi…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech. I think she touched on a very important point. Lofty principles and grand intentions are all well and good, but as they say, it is all sizzle and no steak. This bill falls short in the substance department. Persons with disabilities are living in extremely painful and difficult circumstances, but this bill has nothing to offer. Ther…
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Madam Speaker, as my colleague knows, there have been shootings in the streets of Montreal for several weeks. There are neighbourhoods where children are afraid to go home after school. They hear bullets whistling through the air. Reducing access to guns, which are dangerous and are killing people in our streets, would be a good first step with Bill C‑21, which is not perfect and we must improve. …
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Madam Speaker, the massacres that took place in Quebec, like the ones at the École polytechnique in Montreal and the mosque in Quebec City, were committed with assault weapons, not hunting rifles. Handguns, not hunting rifles, are what are being used in the shootings in the streets of Montreal. Is it not true that the first thing that should be done is to restrict some people's ability to get thei…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. She represents a region that is dear to my heart. My grandfather was from Saint‑Édouard, just outside Napierville. However, I find it hard to understand why we are using time in the House of Commons to talk about this issue when there are other tools and processes for achieving this goal. Is there not something more fundamentally important we could…
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