Parliamentary Speeches
683 speeches by Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe — Page 13 of 14
Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague from Joliette has been working on this issue for years and making suggestions to the government about tax havens. It is appalling that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer in a G7 country. The wealth gap is getting wider and wider. The kind of situation we are in today is bound to happen when Bay Street has so much power and influence within the g…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech, which was indeed very passionate. It is obvious that he cares deeply about that issue. I do not think that this is the first time he has talked about this problem in the House. Was my colleague surprised that the government asked him questions about what should be done? The government has been in power for six years, but it clearly has not d…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a very simple question for my hon. colleague. Also, I would like to thank him for his speech. We all know that the Liberals are great at talking the talk, but not so great at walking the walk. Just think the war in Ukraine. It has been 63 days, and they have yet to charter a single plane, even though they had no trouble getting one for the Aga Khan trip. Look at what they are d…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, April 24 marked the 107th anniversary of the genocide of the Armenian people. Let us come together to honour the memory of the 1.5 million Armenians whose lives were cut short beginning in April 1915, and everyone else who experienced exile, starvation and grief. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, the party that initiated efforts to have the House of Commons recognize the genocide, I wa…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for the member for Nunavut. I think she understands the concerns of Inuit communities better than anyone in the House. I also think she is best suited to stand up for these communities here in this House and to explain what is happening in the north. Would she have preferred that the agreement between the NDP and the Liberals focus on a concrete plan to …
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Mr. Speaker, Manon Tombi is a young mother seeking permanent residence who has been abandoned by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Even as she was grieving the sudden death of her partner, she learned that, because he was the primary applicant on their file, their application was cancelled. Because her partner died, she had to go back to square one of a protracted process that had alre…
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Mr. Speaker, I also have some coupons for two-for-one subway sandwiches, if that helps. Seriously, the minister is taking us for fools. As of two weeks ago, we had already received 140,000 applications from Ukrainian refugees. It is going to take more than Aeroplan points to get them out of there. It is going to take chartered flights in an operation befitting a G7 country that is home to the seco…
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Mr. Speaker, after two months, the government has a fantastic solution to help Ukrainian refugees: Aeroplan points. The government is not talking about an airlift or about about chartering flights to go and get people. No, instead, we can donate our Aeroplan points. This means that a mother with three kids will pay $3,700 instead of $4,000 for flights, because some guy named Dave from Regina decid…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on March 24, what started out as a terrible fire turned into something truly tragic for all of Lac‑Saint‑Jean. I wish to commend the exemplary bravery of Dominic Jean, a father from Normandin who tragically died in the line of duty. Mr. Jean was a courageous and passionate man who did not hesitate to fill in for a sick colleague that night. While fighting a blaze at a dairy farm in Sa…
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Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to the speech by my colleague from Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound. This member has first-hand experience in this area, compared to most of us. We have not experienced what he has, so when he speaks to an issue like this one, we should listen to what he has to say. One thing that stood out to me in his speech was how he talked about the need to invest in the members of th…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. NATO is asking its members to allocate 2% of their GDP to military spending. That is the subject of today's motion. However, another international organization, the UN, has also proposed that wealthy countries such as Canada allocate the equivalent of 0.7% of their GDP to the international development of impoverished countries. Under the Liberals…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Calgary Nose Hill for her speech. She told us a lot about how cryptocurrencies create such great opportunities. Peter Callaghan, commander of the Toronto Police Service's financial crimes unit, said, “Cryptocurrency in general is a problem for us, and we realized early on that it was a money laundering tool that could facilitate criminal transactions s…
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Mr. Speaker, flights must be chartered to bring Ukrainian refugees to Canada. According to Michael Shwec, president of the Quebec council of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the organization thinks that would be a good thing. Imagine a mother who winds up in Poland with her two children. She has to book and pay for plane tickets herself, so that is a barrier. If the government can help, that is on…
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Mr. Speaker, let us come back to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which was asked yesterday what more the Canadian government could do to help. The answer was this: Relax the visa application process and help with travel. Send planes to bring these good people to Canada. Right now, they have to foot the bill and find their own way to Canada. These people found a way to flee the war. The minister m…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government announced measures to expedite the processing of Ukrainian refugees. That responds in part to the Bloc Québécois's demands, but there is an elephant in the room. The most important element is missing, and that would be the planes. Even though the announcements addressed the 60,000 applications in one fell swoop, the refugees will be quickly disappointed when …
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Mr. Speaker, that is a partial answer to an administrative problem. It is not an answer to the human problem. There are families who need to get out. They have fled the war, but not everyone can afford three or four plane tickets. Hearing that their file has been processed is not what will soothe mothers who left home a month ago with traumatized children. What will bring relief is the day they ca…
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Mr. Speaker, the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel is a failure that is slowing the arrival of Ukrainian refugees in Quebec and Canada. The government needs to arrange to airlift them out and deal with the paperwork once they are safely here. The government can enlist border services officers to help with that. They are trained in immigration and can help collect the biometric data…
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Mr. Speaker, that is not good enough for us, and it is not good enough for Ukrainians. This is day 34 of the war, and we cannot spend any more time getting bogged down in the paperwork. Border services officers can deal with that once Ukrainian families are here. They are already trained, they are in place, and they are already working in airports. They even have prior experience because they hand…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for his excellent speech. He will surely remember that the minister said that it would take 12 weeks before IRCC could lift the visa requirement and adapt its computer system. What does that say about that department and what does the member make of it?
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are the only ones saying that this is going well. At some point, a reality check is needed. The government is failing. It does not currently have the resources in eastern Europe to look after refugees from Ukraine. However, it does have the resources here, with border services officers supporting the immigration department. There are probably even some employees working f…
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Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said before the European Parliament that we cannot abandon Ukraine. However, today, Radio‑Canada confirmed that his government is abandoning Ukrainians. He is plunging them into endless administrative chaos, which is preventing them from seeking refuge in Quebec and Canada. Despite our collaboration, despite our proposals and our efforts, the federal g…
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Mr. Speaker, how can it be that, after 33 days of war, there is just one centre in Poland, yes, one, where refugees can give their biometrics? How can it be that, after 33 days, all refugees can do is refresh a website that keeps crashing in the hopes of snagging an almost-impossible-to-get appointment at the only available centre? Does this government think that the war is waged only on Mondays t…
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Mr. Speaker, that is not reassuring in the least. Three weeks ago, the Bloc Québécois asked the government to do better. The situation has evolved since then. The minister's plan to welcome Ukrainian refugees is, by all accounts, a failure. It has gotten to the point that people fleeing the war in Ukraine have to make their way to Slovakia or even Portugal to get services from Canada. These people…
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Mr. Speaker, as we speak, more than half the children in Ukraine have fled the war. In all, 4.3 million children have left their homes. They are either elsewhere in Ukraine, hoping the Russian troops will not catch up with them, or they are in refugee camps. Today we do not want to hear about how Canada has welcomed 10,000 Ukrainians since January. We want the government to tell us what it is doin…
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Mr. Speaker, the government's refusal to airlift people out is problematic in two ways. On the European side, millions of refugees are stuck in camps because there is no room for them on planes or because they simply cannot afford flights. On our side, in Montreal alone, 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid is sitting in warehouses because we cannot send it to Ukraine. At the moment, the only thing we ca…
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Mr. Speaker, for nearly four weeks, the Bloc Québécois has been co-operating with the government to help welcome Ukrainian refugees, but now we are fed up. It is unacceptable that the minister still has not chartered any flights to bring refugee families here. Air Transat has volunteered to help and is just waiting for the green light from the minister. There are other airlines that were given mul…
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Mr. Speaker, that answer is no longer acceptable. Although we are used to hearing hollow answers from the minister in the House, hollow answers are unacceptable to the Ukrainian women and children trapped in Poland without a penny to their names. The minister has no right to tell refugees that Canada will help them, only to turn around and say that they need to make their own arrangements to get h…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois supports some of the government's efforts to facilitate the intake of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. Now that the minister has invited all these families to come here, he has no right to let them languish in refugee camps for weeks or even months. What these families are going through is profoundly traumatic. They need to be reassured. They need to hear from t…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister knows he can count on us to co-operate, but we need to see some action. People do not understand why no air operations have begun with chartered flights to bring refugees to Canada. Air Transat has even indicated that it is willing to take part if the government wants to organize such an operation. If even the airlines are willing, can the minister announce today that thi…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties and I think that if you seek it you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That this House reiterate the motion adopted unanimously on January 27, 2021 and call upon the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, to, in the case of Raif Badawi, exercise his discretion under Section 5 of the Citizenship Act whic…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague from Vaudreuil—Soulanges, a member of the Liberal Party's Quebec caucus, for that mostly English speech. We have been debating for three days, so we are familiar with each party's arguments. There is one thing we do not know. The member for Louis-Hébert said a few minutes ago that he does not know if this evening's vote will be a confidence vote. We…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Kildonan—St. Paul, who talked about lack of clarity. That is an understatement. With less than two hours to go until voting time, members on that side of the House are unable to tell us whether or not this is a confidence vote. One of their members, the member for Louis-Hébert, just told us he will vote differently if it is a confidence vote. We will be …
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Mr. Speaker, a Liberal member told us earlier that he would vote differently if it were a confidence vote. We have been asking the Liberal members for an hour, and we are one hour away from the vote, but no one on their benches can tell us whether it will be a confidence vote or not. Is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons close enough to the Liberal …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, first of all, I have no sympathy for what has been happening on Ottawa streets for the past three weeks. Fortunately, after 22 days of siege, the crisis may be over. As we speak, the police are dispersing and arresting the occupiers. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to thank all the police forces for their courage, patience and professionalism. We have our fingers cross…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would never trivialize hate speech. I want to make sure that my hon. colleague knows that. My colleague stated that he too was not 100% certain that we were making the right decision. That is what he just said. However, when it is time to make a decision as important as invoking the Emergencies Act, it is vital to be 100% sure that it is the right decision.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, when one is Prime Minister, one must listen to everyone who expresses an opinion anywhere in the country. I imagine that is part of the job. The main thing was that the Prime Minister needed to take action on day one of the protests. I understand my hon. colleague's question, and I thank him for it, but if certain members of the Conservative caucus had not exacerbated the crisis, we…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, at the risk of repeating myself, I would never minimize hate speech. That is just not the kind of person I am. I am worried about the future. I do not know whether, say, 10 years from now, the Reform Party will rise from the ashes like a phoenix and take over the Government of Canada. I do not know if that will happen in 10 years. I also do not know whether, 10 years from now, when …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the debate is very passionate today, and I understand that. Personally, I prefer to examine the issues in a rational manner. Let us look at this rationally. What is happening today is that we are using the Emergencies Act, which applies to all of Canada and therefore Quebec as well. My hon. colleague, whom I thank for his speech, told us that we should listen to certain Ontario poli…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her very passionate speech. Earlier today I was asked a question by my Liberal colleague from Hull—Aylmer. He said that he was not 100% certain that the use of the act was the best course of action, but that there were more pros than cons for confirming the order. My question is simple. Should we not be absolutely certain of the best course of action befo…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed my hon. colleague's speech. I appreciate my colleague in general, because I know he is sincere, honest and passionate. However, we have different opinions on the issue at hand today. Does he believe that all the legislative tools available to the various levels of government were used before the Emergencies Act was invoked today? If so, can he tell me which ones were …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. When it comes to using special legislation like the Emergencies Act, I think we need to be 100% sure that it is the right decision, unlike what my colleague from Hull—Aylmer believes. Earlier today, he told us that he was not 100% sure that this is the right decision, but he wanted to make it anyway. What does the act itself say? It says tha…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. Earlier today, I was taken aback by certain comments. I almost fell off my chair, even though it is very sturdy. Two members of the Liberal caucus, the members for Hull—Aylmer and Don Valley West, told us that they were not 100% certain that invoking the Emergencies Act was the right thing to do. The blues will show that those were their very wor…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties, and I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: Whereas there is an urgent humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, that this House call on the government to proceed with due diligence for the Canadian non-governmental organizations operating in Afghanistan and assure them that they will not be prosecuted even though…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech and his contribution to today's debate. I understand that my hon. friend from Perth—Wellington has a rather vibrant cultural industry in his riding. The only question that comes to mind is this: What did he say to the cultural community in his riding to justify his party's opposition to a bill that artists and the cultural community have been c…
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that my hon. colleague is giving a pre-election speech for the leadership race, but the House is currently studying Bill C-8. Freedom is important to the Bloc Québécois. That is why we want Quebec's independence.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. I would never want to silence him. I hang on his every word when he gives a speech in the House. He is one of my favourites. Now, he and I do actually agree on one thing. The government's handling of this crisis has been a disaster. We agree on that. There has been no leadership; that much is clear. I agree 100% with my hon. colleague on that.…
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Mr. Speaker, I just loved my hon. colleague's speech. I believe he spoke from the heart. He was very sincere. One of the things he talked about was division. I have to agree with him on that. Because of this government's policies, we are seeing a lot of division right now all across Quebec and Canada. However, one thing we all agree on is what was left out of the economic update: health transfers.…
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Madam Speaker, I think it is amazing to hear one of my Liberal Party colleagues say that we must absolutely respect an agreement from 1880 and possibly amend it, while also asking us to respect the Constitution Act, 1982, which Quebec has never signed. The Liberals have never openly admitted that Quebec was betrayed on the night of the long knives. Today we are being asked to talk about an agreeme…
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What a pleasure to see you again, Madam Speaker. I think this is the first time I have had the opportunity to address you in the chair, and it is a great privilege. Once again, congratulations on your appointment. Before I begin, I would like to thank the hundreds of people in Quebec and the rest of Canada who have expressed concern via Facebook, email or phone about a member of my family in Lac-S…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his extraordinary question, but I do not have enough time to answer, because it would take me at least half an hour. I will name one that is obvious these days, namely health transfers. That is something concrete. The federal government’s job right now is simply to transfer health payments to Quebec and the provinces. That is all we are asking.…
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