Parliamentary Speeches
708 speeches by Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe — Page 8 of 15
Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thought this moment would never come. It may come up from time to time. I was not expecting to give a 20-minute speech about this. I had prepared a speech on another committee report, but in the end, things changed. In my opinion, the Conservatives may have slept too much. Looking back on the votes that were held during the 30-hour voting marathon, the members who voted the least …
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Madam Speaker, they are saying that what I said is false. The member I mentioned, the member for Peace River—Westlock, did a Facebook Live video when the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned. He said that it was excellent news, that this was his mission in politics and that this kind of decision should be made in Canada. If members are saying that it is not true, they should go watch the video. It …
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Madam Speaker, I took the time to find the motion that we are debating today, because the Conservative Party seems to be a bit confused. The motion reads as follows: In particular, the committee denounces the Taliban system of gender discrimination, systemic violence targeting minority communities...and other violations of fundamental human rights. This motion clearly refers to human rights. Howev…
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Mr. Speaker, no need for three-month round tables; a 30-second conversation should be plenty. The minister has three things to say. The first is thank you. The second is, to whom should I make out the cheque? And the third is, where do I deposit the money? When will he reimburse Quebec?
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Madam Speaker, the member for Rosemont—La Petite‑Patrie and I generally agree on that. Quebec is a unique ecosystem. In fact, we call that a distinct society, a nation. The co-operative system is rather unique in Quebec, at least in terms of the number of co-operatives that exist in Quebec. Housing falls under the jurisdiction of Quebec. Social and affordable housing requires funding. As usual, Ot…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. The problem that we have with this provision, which seeks to eliminate the GST on the construction of rental housing, is that the government is making assumptions. The government is trusting the private sector to bring prices down. It is always a bit risky to trust the private sector to lower prices. There is nothing to guarantee that…
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Madam Speaker, on many occasions I had the fortune or the misfortune to observe that when a member of the Bloc Québécois uses the old expression “it is about time” in the House, most of the time, unfortunately, it is a euphemism. Unsurprisingly, that old saying “it is about time” applies well to the bill before us today. Currently, when the Competition Bureau studies the competitive environment in…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that the past 31 hours have shown that Quebec would be much better off if it were a country on its own. I therefore move that we stop wasting Quebeckers' and Canadians' money this evening and that we adopt the next motion on division.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope that the member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier is not planning a vacation on the Islands next summer. Despite the human trafficking rings that are active at the Canadian border, the criminal networks that are run by Mexican cartels and the thieves who exploit vulnerable people to smuggle them across Canada's porous borders, the RCMP plans to reduce its border staff, as reported b…
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Madam Speaker, I think that the member for Kingston and the Islands is known in the House as someone who is not at all partisan. He is someone who, during a debate, completely steers clear of partisanship. He is beyond partisanship. He relies on facts and does not want to score political points other than in the interest of his own party; that is well known. Imagine if the situation were reversed,…
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Mr. Speaker, my riding, Lac‑Saint‑Jean, is home to the Beemer distillery in Roberval, which earned accolades in an international competition for the fifth time in its history. Beemer's gin won a gold medal in the London dry gin category at the prestigious Spirits Business Gin Masters 2023. Made with local ingredients and northern aromatics and spices that produce a unique taste, Beemer gin is name…
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Mr. Speaker, asylum seekers are a federal responsibility. The federal government must reimburse Quebec for the $460 million it has spent taking in asylum seekers. If the minister thinks that is too expensive, it is precisely because Quebec is providing more than its share. Even though our public services and community organizations are swamped, we are finding a way to open new integration classes …
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Mr. Speaker, in order for it to be a shared jurisdiction, the minister would first have to do something. He is not just refusing to pay, he is also refusing to ensure that asylum seekers do not have to wait ages for work permits. He is refusing to ensure that the Immigration and Refugee Board reviews refugee claims in a timely manner. Basically, the federal government's involvement boils down to p…
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec is doing everything and the federal government is doing nothing. That is no way to share responsibility. Quebeckers take in half of all asylum seekers in Canada, yet they pay 100% of the costs, instead of Canadians. The minister tells us that the government is not an ATM. I have news for him: Quebeckers are not money-printing machines either. Quebeckers will keep doing their pa…
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government needs to reimburse Quebec for the $460 million it has spent to take in asylum seekers, which is a federal responsibility. However, to sidestep the issue, the Minister of Immigration is claiming that this has suddenly become a shared jurisdiction with all the provinces. First of all, it is not shared. It is a federal responsibility. More importantly, it is not sh…
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Mr. Speaker, 50% of our taxes go to Ottawa. We have the right to talk about it. This is not a shared jurisdiction; it is a federal one. It is funny. For years, the Liberals have been opposing Quebec's desire to repatriate all immigration powers, but now when it comes time for them to pay a bill that falls under their jurisdiction, they are no longer interested in such powers. When it comes to prov…
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Mr. Speaker, he was appointed minister. He has to be willing to debate this issue publicly. The Minister of Immigration told us that he could not find $460 million to fulfill his responsibilities toward asylum seekers. We are going to ask the Minister of Finance. Perhaps she knows. Her colleague needs $460 million to do his part to properly integrate asylum seekers. Those funds will make it possib…
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Mr. Speaker, if we look at the Constitution, we see that asylum seekers fall under federal jurisdiction. The federal government not only is not providing the services, but it is refusing to pay. It is always the same thing with the Liberals when it comes to immigration and refugees. They say that they defend asylum seekers, but only when it comes time to make fine speeches. When it is time to trul…
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Mr. Speaker, asylum seekers are the responsibility of the federal government. That is why Quebec wants to be reimbursed for the services we provide, including housing and social services. The federal government refuses to reimburse Quebec. The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said, and I quote, “I don't have $400 million just lying around”. First of all, it is not $400 million; it…
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Mr. Speaker, I can tell him about discussions. The Quebec minister for Canadian relations said, and I quote: The current policy of the federal government is: “We decide. You pay.” Ottawa prides itself on being the most generous country, one that welcomes all those who are suffering, but Quebeckers are the ones who have to pay. It makes no sense. This is definitely not a responsible policy. That is…
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Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope you will reread that speech if you have time after your workday is done, because what you just saw was a perfect example of a Conservative member from Quebec feeling uneasy about his party's position. Quebec has long-standing anti-scab legislation. The federal government does not. Now a bill has suddenly come along, and this member is ill at ease with his party's posi…
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government cannot allow cartels to exploit migrants. It cannot let them spread misinformation on social media in order to take thousands of dollars from these less fortunate people. It cannot let them put these people at risk of imprisonment in Canada and the United States. As we speak, there are vulnerable people making their way to Canada based on lies, people who are be…
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Mr. Speaker, we have to put ourselves in the shoes of the people who want to leave Mexico. They are prepared to go to great lengths to get out of their country, not least because of the cartels. These cartels have tentacles all over the place and no respect for human life. Now imagine how these people must feel when they realize that even in Canada, those same cartels are controlling the border. E…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his great speech. To summarize it briefly, he said that the money needs to go to the right place and that we need to manage the money better here, in terms of the public finances and so on. There is one thing that I know. Right now, today, oil companies are making $200 billion in profit. Then, the Conservatives are telling us that it costs a lot to heat a home…
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Mr. Speaker, the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 was awarded to Narges Mohammadi, a 51‑year old Iranian journalist who has been imprisoned since 2011 for her involvement in the Defenders of Human Rights movement. She is fighting against the death penalty, against the oppression of Iranian women and against the mandatory hijab law. She was able to send a message of gratitude for this prize through her d…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois supports successful immigration. We are saying it loud and clear. That is why we want immigrants to be able to find housing. We want them to have access to a family doctor. We want their children to go to school in nice classrooms, with all the professional support they need. We want them to be able to learn French, because that is the key to flourishing in Quebec. …
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have no idea what Quebec's integration capacity is. Why is that? For one thing, they did not consult the Government of Quebec before coming up with their immigration targets. For another, because of the Canada-Quebec accord, they are refusing to consult any Quebec organization that does not have a Canada-wide mandate. As a result, only 6% of the groups that were consulted…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, at 11:30 a.m., the Quebec minister of immigration, francization and integration said she had not had any discussions on immigration targets with her federal counterpart. At 3:30 p.m., the federal minister in question voted in favour of a motion calling on him to review the targets, after consultation with Quebec and the provinces, based on their integration capacity. At 4 p…
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec confirmed that no consultation took place. More to the point, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship admitted it yesterday at his press conference. He explained to journalists that he had spoken to Christine Fréchette about foreign workers and refugees, but never about the 500,000 immigrants per year. The minister promised to consult Quebec before setting his tar…
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Mr. Speaker, Israel has the right to defend itself. Let us be realistic: The conflict in Gaza will not end any time soon. We also have to be realistic about the inadequacy of humanitarian aid that is trickling in. Canada must ask Israel for a humanitarian truce to allow for aid to reach civilians in need. The UN made a similar request last week. The European Union is considering it at this very mo…
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Mr. Speaker, the humanitarian aid needs to get through. Everyone would prefer peace to war, but it is unrealistic to ask Israel to observe a full ceasefire when its people are not safe. It is, however, realistic for Canada to support the United Nations' more nuanced request of establishing a temporary, multilateral humanitarian truce to bring food in, keep humanitarian corridors open and protect a…
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Mr. Speaker, that was not clear. Was it a yes or a no? It will come up again after question period. Since the horrific and tragic events of October 7, Canada and Quebec have seen a rising trend in hate between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine factions. We have seen graffiti, swastikas and endless intimidation of people who follow the Jewish or Muslim faith. It is as though they want to transport the w…
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Mr. Speaker, there is a human cost to governing on autopilot. The Auditor General has confirmed that more than half of all applications for permanent residence from immigrants are still being processed late. For refugees, the wait is almost three years, and it can take up to four years for spousal sponsorships. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to recklessly increase its immigration thre…
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Mr. Speaker, in one of their great songs, Beau Dommage sings, “Tous mes cauchemars passent à six heures, à la télévision” or “all my nightmares appear on the six o'clock news”. Sadly, those words ring true during these terrible times we are living in. Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, Gaza, war is sowing grief and desolation everywhere. No one will come out a winner. Who wins when children die? Who wins …
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Mr. Speaker, since Hamas's terrorist attacks on Israel, there have been acts of violence around the world that could end up turning the Middle East conflict into a global one. In the space of just a few days, a teacher in France was killed by a radicalized former student, two Swedish tourists in Belgium were murdered in the name of the Islamic State and a six-year-old boy in the U.S. was killed an…
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Mr. Chair, I am going to borrow my leader's words to answer my colleague's question. As I said at the beginning of my speech, Israel obviously has the right to defend itself, and the Bloc Québécois strongly supports that notion. However, international law must be respected. I believe quite honestly that if we ever want the dream of two states in the region to become a reality, the State of Israel …
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Mr. Speaker, we want to reiterate that the Bloc Québécois strongly and unequivocally condemns the Hamas terrorist attacks. We reiterate that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas. However, we need to distinguish between Hamas and the people of Gaza and Palestine. As early as last Tuesday, the UN was calling for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza for medical reasons. That is the very bas…
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Mr. Chair, on Saturday, October 7, Hamas launched a coordinated attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip. The attack was sadly dubbed “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”. It was a large-scale terrorist operation that killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians—men, women, children and babies only a few months old—who, according to some sources, were beheaded and burned. In the face of that cruelty and …
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Mr. Speaker, in order to send aid, there first needs to be a humanitarian corridor. We are pushing hard, because lately Canada has been losing ground on the international scene. Once again, Canada is on the sidelines while the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy work together. That is unacceptable. When it comes to human rights, Canada has a contribution to make and it mus…
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Mr. Chair, I want to thank my hon. colleague for her very touching speech. I think it moved us all, no matter which party we represent in this House. Canada was one of the first countries to announce humanitarian aid, and I congratulate the government on that announcement. Now it is time to deliver that humanitarian aid. If there is no humanitarian corridor, this aid will not get to the people we …
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Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech, which was excellent, as his speeches always are. We have seen demonstrations in recent days that have included unacceptable actions and slogans. That kind of thing has no place in a country like Canada, and I say that as a Quebec sovereignist. I have a question for my hon. colleague. Is it not important for us all here in the House to b…
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Mr. Speaker, I always appreciate my colleague's speeches, which are both passionate and, above all, intelligent, even if we do not always agree. However, tonight we agree on one point. I think the whole House of Commons and every party agrees that it is absolutely necessary, and urgent, to establish a humanitarian corridor. Everyone here tonight agrees on that. That said, no one is able to give me…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. We have worked together on a number of human rights issues, and that is exactly what we are doing again this evening. I might disappoint some people this evening and this might sound glum, but I doubt there are many people in Israel or Palestine who are watching us right now. I am trying to determine what we can actually do, what impact we can…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his speech. I enjoy working with him from time to time on committees. I just asked a question a moment ago, but they were unable to come up with an answer. Right now, Gaza is blockaded, and under international law, humanitarian corridors should be set up. Not only should they be set up under international law, but they must be. The Conservatives are of…
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Mr. Chair, I think that there is a pretty clear consensus tonight that what happened on October 7 is unimaginable. It was a terrorist attack that must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. We also agree that Hamas must be eradicated from the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip is now blockaded and, under international law, humanitarian corridors must be put in place. Currently, this is not the case…
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for thanking me. Working with the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands is always a pleasure. We are going to keep working together. As we said, we are all human. If there is one good and upstanding person in the House, it is certainly the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.
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Mr. Chair, as I was saying, Israel is the only democracy in the region. Israel has the largest army in the region and is supported by the planet's major powers. Israel obviously has a greater responsibility for resolving the conflict. I believe that it would be possible for Israel, as a democracy, to resolve this situation peacefully. However, it will depend on what happens with Hamas. Is Hamas re…
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Mr. Chair, the answer to that is no.
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Mr. Chair, as a Quebec sovereignist I want to say that Canada is not a global military or economic power, but it has a history of leadership in international human rights. One need only think about Brian Mulroney during apartheid or of Lester B. Pearson and the peacekeepers. I will give only those two examples to keep things equal between the Liberals and the Conservatives. It has been a long time…
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Madam Speaker, I really appreciated my colleague's last comment about how much speaking time certain members get. I want to congratulate him on his speech. I am wondering about something. For some time now, certain Conservative members from Quebec have been passing themselves off as champions of jurisdictional issues in the House. We in the Bloc Québécois are quite accustomed to seeing the Liberal…
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