Alexandre Boulerice

Mr. Speaker, 15 years ago, a man named Jack Layton won Quebec's heart and led the NDP into official opposition for the first time. I had the privilege of being part of that wave. The people of Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie continued to put their trust in me in four subsequent elections. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart. Representing them has been an honour, a privilege and a true pleasure, not only in the toughest of struggles, but also in the collective and personal victories we secured. Of course, I want to thank my team. I cannot name everyone, but these supporters and dedicated individuals know who they are. Still, I would like to acknowledge my current team. I wish to thank Julien, François, Jean‑Christophe, Iseult and Carolina, who has been by my side from the very beginning of this adventure. I also thank my partner, Lisa, who has been incredibly patient and supportive. In this troubled and troubling world, we need progressive and humanist voices in this Parliament, in all parliaments and in all places where decisions are made. I hope that there will be many such voices in the future. Let us move forward. It is not too late to build a better world.

Mr. Speaker, frankly, no one can believe that answer. For the first time in history, a human being is a trillionaire. Elon Musk is worth more than $1,000 billion. Even if he were to spend $1 million a day, it would take him 2,700 years to spend such an obscene amount of money. There are people here too with colossal fortunes worth billions of dollars. The Liberals are lavishing them with gifts. At a time when people are living on the street and our public services are crumbling, what are the Liberals doing? They are not doing anything. When will they have the courage to make the super-wealthy pay their fair share?

Mr. Speaker, the genocide in Gaza has claimed 70,000 lives, including 20,000 children. The humanitarian situation remains dire, with infrastructure in ruins. In the meantime, life for Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank is appalling. Illegal settlements are multiplying. Palestinian villages, homes and farms are being destroyed on a regular basis. According to the UN, there are an average of six attacks per day against Palestinians in the West Bank. I repeat: six per day. When are the Liberals going to take action and suspend our trade relations with the Netanyahu regime?

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition signed by hundreds of citizens. In light of the 70,000 Palestinians killed by bombings in Gaza, including 350 since the ceasefire, the failure to comply with several UN resolutions and the illegal boarding of several ships bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza, the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to denounce before the UN General Assembly these illegal acts committed by the current government of Israel and the failure to comply with UN resolutions; to call for a full ceasefire and the restoration of humanitarian aid to enable the peaceful reconstruction of Gaza; and to announce, in the same address to the UN, its intention to implement a full economic embargo, inviting other countries to join the embargo, citing the past initiative that brought an end to apartheid, in which Canada played a leading role at the time.

Mr. Speaker, we already knew that the cost of acquiring the F-35s had skyrocketed, going from $19 billion to $28 billion. However, we learned that, in addition to the 72 U.S. jets, the Liberals are thinking of buying another 72 fighter jets, the Gripen, for a potential fleet of 144 fighter jets. The questions are simple. First, is that true? Second, how much will it cost? Lastly, could this money be better invested to meet the needs of Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, culture has always been the common foundation of a people, the thing that shapes its core identity. Culture is the accumulation of stories, songs, music, books, films and television shows—shared works that bring us together. However, the arrival of the web giants has shattered all of that. Worse still, with the decline of traditional television, appointment viewing has disappeared. The Liberals boasted about a deal with Netflix, but it is now basically impossible to find Quebec productions on digital platforms. When will the Liberals take the future of our culture seriously?

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of presenting an important petition signed by thousands and thousands of people in response to U.S. aggressions and threats in the Caribbean region. These people are calling on the Government of Canada to condemn U.S. aggressions as violations of international law; refuse to participate in military or economic aggressions; reaffirm and actively support the Caribbean as a zone of peace, free from external military intervention; actively reject any and all interventions and military aggressions against Cuba, Colombia and Mexico; firmly oppose U.S. economic and other coercive measures against Cuba and vigorously advocate for their removal; deepen economic ties, trade and assistance to Cuba; and unequivocally uphold and promote the right of self-determination of the peoples and countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mr. Speaker, the earth is 13,000 km in diameter and that will not change. We have limited resources. That is not up for debate. It is just physics. Unfortunately, capitalism does not get that. We have already blown past seven of the nine planetary boundaries. Here, the Liberals are missing their climate targets and they want a new pipeline, which is nuts. On top of that, they promised to take action on the industrial carbon tax by April 1. It has been crickets since then. The Prime Minister says that climate action is not only a moral duty, but also an economic imperative. Does he listen to himself when he speaks?

Mr. Speaker, in Canada, the wealthiest 20% of the population owns 66% of the wealth. At the other end of the spectrum, the poorest 40%, almost half of the population, owns only 3%. After 11 years of the Liberal regime, inequality is rising. Our society is unfair, and people are suffering. According to a survey, the expense that people are most worried about is food. For a Prime Minister who said that he should be judged by the price of groceries, it is a failure. Instead of giving handouts to web giants and their billionaire friends, when will the Liberals take care of struggling workers?