Andréanne Larouche

Mr. Speaker, in her speech, my colleague talked a lot about housing. I am vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, which is the committee that studied the Build Canada Homes Act, among other things. The reason we let that bill pass was that there was apparently an agreement with Quebec. I say “apparently” because we are now hearing a lot of questions from a lot of different people. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has expressed concerns. The term “empty shell” was even used somewhere. The target was 19,000 housing units, but apparently there is really only going to be 2,000. I, too, am coming back with figures based on what I heard in committee. Just today, I met with representatives from Women's Shelters Canada, an organization supporting women who are victims of violence. They told me that they had not heard anything from Build Canada Homes as to whether it would actually meet their needs. With all of that in mind, when will we get a few more details about Build Canada Homes, since the information we have about this program is still extremely vague?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. I was particularly interested in the part of his speech that addressed natural health products. It is true that this is part of the economy. I have met with people from the sector on a few occasions. My colleague, the member for Montcalm, worked on the bill in the Standing Committee on Health. Unfortunately, the Liberals seem reluctant to engage fully on this issue. Although the Minister of Health has met with the pharmaceutical industry, she does not appear to have made the same effort to understand the challenges facing the natural health products sector. She has not even attempted to meet with representatives from this sector to gain a full appreciation of the complexity of the issue. What does my colleague make of the Liberals' closed-minded attitude toward this association?

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for reminding us of the importance of consulting the union movement. I am pleased to hear him talk about the right to strike and workers' rights. We in the Bloc Québécois were the first to raise the red flag. My colleague is right. Just yesterday, I met with people from the steelworkers union. Every day we receive comments, emails and requests for meetings from union groups that are extremely concerned about this bill. Contrary to the government's claims that it continues to stand up for workers' rights, every day I receive emails and calls from unions that dispute the government's claims. Yes, it is absolutely essential to consult unions, and no, this bill does not respect the right to strike and workers' rights. I would like to hear my colleague speak more on the importance of consulting these folks who work every day.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague seems obsessed with the goal of completing major projects in one year and with the idea of diversifying our international markets. However, does he realize that, even internationally, there are clear rulings on the right to strike and on what a strike is? Does he realize that if the bill were to pass, Canada would become the only G7 country where the executive branch could decide to prevent workers from exercising their legally recognized right to strike? That does not present Canada in a very favourable light on the international stage.

Madam Speaker, maybe it is because it is getting late, but I feel as though the government members are trying to hypnotize us into believing that everything is fine, but that is not true. What does my colleague have to say to the Assembly of First Nations, which is concerned that the approval of major projects could have an impact on indigenous communities? What does she have to say about the fact that 100 indigenous communities could be affected by Bill C-39? What does she have to say about the fact that 14 indigenous communities are currently challenging this bill in court? It is not just the Bloc Québécois that is saying this. Indigenous communities themselves are speaking out against this bill and saying that if Bill C-39 becomes law, it could seriously infringe on indigenous rights.