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Mr. Chair, does the minister acknowledge that efforts to date have not borne fruit, that the distribution is still inequitable and that her predecessor failed to meet expectations?
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Mr. Chair, the number of asylum seekers is one thing. The distribution of asylum seekers across Canada is another. How can the minister say today that this is a success when the situation has not changed, and Quebec continues to take in a disproportionate share of asylum seekers relative to its demographic weight within the Canadian federation?
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Mr. Chair, I would ask the minister to explain where the success is when it comes to the equitable distribution of asylum seekers.
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Mr. Chair, the minister tells us that she believes in the goal that is the equitable distribution of asylum seekers. She even tells us that it is a success. She explains that the number of asylum seekers is decreasing, which does not answer the question. The question is that there is currently an inequitable distribution of asylum seekers and that Quebec receives more than 38% of all asylum seeker…
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Mr. Chair, should the minister not acknowledge that there has been no progress and that the situation is still as bad as it was in 2024?
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Mr. Chair, is the minister aware that, within the European Union, in Germany, and also in Denmark, procedures for the distribution of asylum seekers have been put in place?
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Mr. Chair, does the minister intend to draw on practices in Europe, in particular, to establish a process for the distribution of asylum seekers?
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the official opposition for his contribution to the debate. My question is the following. Given that the decision is based on an interpretation of section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, and that the courts must therefore interpret that section of the Constitution, how could the government possibly provide a solution today without allowing the judicial process …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her contribution to the debate. I do believe we need to work toward reconciliation. Part of our job as elected officials is to reconcile competing interests. We have try to see both sides. My colleague seems to be severely downplaying the legal uncertainty resulting from the decision in the Cowichan case. While it does not resolve everything, it is true that t…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his contribution to the debate. I thought my colleague's tone had a hint of reassurance in it, but the question I would like to ask him is this: Why has the government decided to appeal this case?
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. As I listened to him, I wondered what he was actually proposing. What we are seeing here is the Conservative Party attacking guideline number 14, arguing that limitation defences were not argued. We see that it is possible for the attorney general to raise limitation arguments under common law simply by obtaining authorization from the assista…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague's contribution to this debate. The Bloc Québécois welcomes the idea of making our democratic system more transparent and ensuring that taxpayers have a way of finding out when the government decides to write off debts. I commend his initiative and his ability to gather support across party lines, which is not nothing. Can he tell us more about the impact…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague to clarify his thoughts. A few minutes ago, he told us that he believed the mechanism underlying the Canada health transfer to the provinces should be amended during future negotiations at the next federal-provincial meeting. What exactly does my colleague mean? What is he proposing? What is his opinion?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw on my colleague's expertise in the field of finance. We in the Bloc Québécois are concerned about this sovereign wealth fund. First, public funds are being invested in a framework whose lack of transparency is concerning to us. Has my colleague been able to estimate the total cost of the public funds that will need to be invested in the sovereign wealth fund, part…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his contribution. The Bloc Québécois wants to fight planned obsolescence. It is a matter of respect for consumers and for what the planet has to offer us. Right now, we are consuming at a frantic pace, and the planet is having a hard time keeping up with our demand. This bill offers a viable alternative. I did not hear my colleague mention Bill 29, which was…
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Mr. Speaker, since April 1, the federal government has been unnecessarily delaying the hiring of temporary foreign workers. Businesses are now required to advertise a job for eight straight weeks without finding a candidate, rather than four, as was previously the case, before they can begin the process of hiring a temporary foreign worker or renewing their permit. Businesses outside the major urb…
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Mr. Speaker, extending the time frame for recruiting or renewing temporary foreign workers from four to eight weeks will cause businesses to miss their deadlines. The regulatory change that took effect on April 1 will prevent our businesses from fulfilling their contracts. There is an urgent need to revert to four weeks. Otherwise, the federal government’s new measure will have an impact on the Qu…
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Mr. Speaker, when words are not followed by concrete action, they are worthless. The government said it wants to work constructively and collaboratively with the opposition. What did the government do next? It decided to move a motion without even bothering to reach out to the Bloc Québécois to negotiate beforehand, even though it knows full well that we are responsible and rigorous partners willi…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by congratulating my colleague on his eloquent speech, which ultimately called for the government to be magnanimous. He held out an olive branch, while acknowledging that the current government has indeed become a majority. Yes, it was achieved by taking in floor crossers, but the fact remains that it is a majority. Here is my question for my colleague. He mentio…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague's thoughts on the following premise. We are seeing the attitude of this government, which recently secured a majority and will have an even stronger one once the new members are sworn in. We see that at the first opportunity, the government decided to ignore the opposition and not consult with it before introducing this motion. Today, the government refuses t…
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Mr. Speaker, how can we ensure that law enforcement and CSIS have the resources they need to access digital data and effectively combat organized crime and threats to national security without descending into an era of widespread, intrusive and excessive surveillance? That is the question that we are facing today in this debate on Bill C-22. How can we modernize our law enforcement without infring…
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Mr. Speaker, with the introduction of Bill C‑22, one of the issues is what powers will be granted to the minister by allowing them to order service providers to keep metadata for a year. One of the concerns that this raises is that businesses that may not currently track users will now be required to do so. This will create a fairly substantial amount of information that law enforcement can access…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑22 includes a change involving the burden of proof. The government wants to allow police forces and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to obtain warrants based on suspicions. Previously, it was necessary to prove to a judge that there were reasonable grounds to believe that a crime was committed or that a crime would be committed. From now on, what is required is to pro…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague raised some rather serious concerns in his speech, including on the idea of forcing service providers to go further than they do currently and develop capacity to retain metadata for one year, which may include geolocation. What parameters can my colleague propose to ensure that, if this bill moves forward, we can keep this data as secure as possible?
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Mr. Speaker, what the Bloc Québécois is asking for is a balanced approach. We want to give law enforcement the ability to act, adapt and modernize its capacity to act while also ensuring that the right to personal information and privacy remains a fundamental right that is protected in Quebec and Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. I think that, when the time comes, we will have to take a closer look at what Bill 25 has accomplished. The idea behind Bill 25 was really to protect personal information in this increasingly digital age. As for Bill C‑22, I am really concerned about the businesses that will be affected by it. I think it will be important to put in place very specific me…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill 25 applies to organizations. At present, when police officers in Quebec conduct an investigation, they appear before a judge and must show that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a crime has been or will be committed. If officers successfully convince the judge, they obtain a search warrant and may then search cell phones. This is how it is currently done. The question …
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Mr. Speaker, people often say that opportunity makes the thief. When action is taken to give law enforcement more powers, it must be done in such a way that the data are protected to a degree that constitutes a deterrent. The mere thought of holding on to a year's worth of metadata on everyone's movements would definitely seem like an opportunity to a thief. I think that organized crime would be i…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague raised the issue of ballots getting very long thanks to the efforts of a certain activist group. The Bloc Québécois will support this bill so that it can be studied in committee. The bill proposes various measures to limit the possibility of having very long ballots. They are detrimental to everyone except perhaps this group, which gains attention as a result. In particul…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his explanations in support of changing the name of his constituency. He was very eloquent and convincing. I would like to turn to another part of the bill. I know that this was not the main focus of his speech, but nevertheless, the bill contains measures designed to counter an unfortunate trend we are seeing. We saw it in Terrebonne. I am of co…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for presenting their opinions on Bill C‑238. Now it is my turn to do the same on behalf of the Bloc Québécois. The purpose of Bill C‑238 is to make restitution available for organizations, often community organizations, that provide frontline services to the community. It would allow organizations to claim damages and interest through criminal proceedings…
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Mr. Speaker, in his Bill C‑15, the Minister of Finance granted special powers to the Alto corporation to expropriate land from people in Terrebonne to make way for high-speed rail. Bill C‑15, which has become law, bears his imprint. However, media reports have revealed that the Minister of Finance has personal ties to Alto's senior management. Right in the middle of an election in Terrebonne, a Li…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister has not taken the necessary steps to distance himself. He himself introduced Bill C-15 in the House, and that bill includes measures to facilitate the expropriation of land from the people of Terrebonne. He is the one who requested that this bill be drafted in response to his budget, which he himself tabled. Again, the Liberal minister has close ties to Alto's management.…
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Mr. Speaker, the only reason the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner let the Minister of Finance off the hook is because he is not going to benefit from these actions personally. No, the ones that stand to benefit are the Liberal government and Alto, which will now have an easier time expropriating residents of Terrebonne from their properties. The ones who stand to lose out are the peopl…
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Mr. Speaker, I will give my colleague the opportunity to finish his answer, but first I want to tell him that I appreciated his speech. I think he touched on an important question: How can we help law enforcement be more effective while respecting privacy? My colleague mentioned the importance of seeking a warrant before getting information. However, the threshold set out in Bill C‑22 is very low.…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for the explanations he provided. I have a question for him. I do not want to go into too much detail, but I think he is knowledgeable enough to answer my question. I understand that law enforcement first contacts a service provider and that, without a warrant, the provider must state whether or not the individual is receiving services from that…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear my colleague's comments on a point that seems to be generating debate. If Bill C‑22 passes, it will change the burden of proof required to obtain a search warrant. Law enforcement officers will have to prove that they had reasonable grounds to suspect, rather than believe, that something illegal had occurred. Some university professors, among others, are concerned…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on one part of the bill that concerns me, specifically part 1. The bill allows law enforcement officials to obtain information voluntarily provided by service providers without judicial authorization. I am trying to understand what that might mean, and I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that. Normally, a warrant is obtained and…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his contribution to the debate. He mentioned his concern, as a business owner, about placing a greater burden on Internet service providers. This bill does include this requirement, which will be added to ensure that businesses can comply with production orders and that they can also preserve their data. What is my colleague's solution: providing financial sup…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague very much for her speech and for walking us through the legislative process. I have a question for her. Can she inform the House about the balance that we struck between the imperative need to protect our facilities from cyber-attacks and the need to avoid compromising people's privacy, particularly when Internet service providers are allowed to do certain thing…
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Mr. Speaker, I understand my colleague's opposition to Bill C‑12. However, we think it is a balanced approach that is not without risks, but that addresses our legitimate concerns about the integrity of the process. In particular, the government wants to add a rule that would require asylum seekers to be on Canadian soil to have their case heard. What does my colleague have against that specific p…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, whom I hold in high regard, for her remarks. She took the time to clearly explain the Kanyinda decision, a recent Supreme Court ruling. There has been debate in Quebec following this ruling as to whether Quebec will invoke the notwithstanding clause to opt out of it. This is a debate that will take place in Quebec, and it will be up to Quebeckers to…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke at length about constitutional limits and about the fact that, in today's Canada, some sections of the Constitution would prevent the full integration of the Conservative ideology. Members of the Bloc Québécois are separatists. We would like Quebec to become a country so that we can set our own standards. In our opinion, the Constitution of Canada sets limits that p…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois supports Bill C-12, an act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and respecting other related security measures, at third reading. As the critic for immigration, refugees and citizenship, I will explain why we support this legislation, particularly in terms of what it does for ou…
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Mr. Speaker, we support Bill C-12, with the amendments that have been made.
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Mr. Speaker, extensive work was done in committee with the Bloc Québécois immigration critic at the time, the member for Lac-Saint-Jean. We think we were able to get our most important amendments adopted. That is why we are supporting Bill C-12 today.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his well-reasoned question. With respect to the distribution of asylum seekers, I call on this government to show leadership and ensure that a distribution plan is put in place. That has not been done. It made a timid attempt to do so in the summer of 2024, if memory serves. In the end, roughly 200 asylum seekers were willing to resettle in Newfoundland and La…
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Mr. Speaker, I have been the immigration critic for a few weeks, and my relationship with the minister is not yet close enough for her to tell me about her choices regarding her agenda, unfortunately. However, I do think that her presence could have enlightened the House, but perhaps not.
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Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, that is what was discussed in committee, and it was determined that Bill C‑12 includes a deadline of one year, after which asylum claims cannot be made. It stands to reason that someone who fears persecution if they return to their country would be capable of submitting a claim within a year of arriving here.
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Mr. Speaker, I think that Bill C-12 will provide some tools, and that is great. Now all we need is some leadership. On Monday, the minister came to talk to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. We pointed out to her that there were serious problems with the integrity of the process regarding international students. I did not get the sense that we were talking to someone who is det…
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