Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, shootings are happening more and more often in the greater Montreal area. Fear is taking hold in some neighbourhoods, and children have been traumatized by shootings in broad daylight. What is the government doing to address this? With Bill C-5, it is eliminating mandatory prison time for armed robbery, armed extortion and weapons trafficking. What is the world coming to? Why is the g…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, this is Tourism Week in Canada. I have the privilege of being the proud representative of a special region blessed with a river, monadnocks, countless lakes and streams, a variety of fauna and, especially, super nice people. There is so much to do back home that you could spend the entire summer there, either whale watching from Rivière‑du‑Loup or bird watching on L'Île‑aux‑Lièvres …
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Madam Speaker, farmers in my region and throughout Quebec are being squeezed. Not only is the price of diesel skyrocketing, but the price of fertilizer is soaring too. As if that were not enough, farmers are facing unending immigration delays at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Foreign workers cannot even enter Canada. Some farmers are afraid they are going to lose their crops, the th…
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Mr. Speaker, the wait times for passports are absolutely ludicrous. The situation is out of control. Last week, people went to passport offices with their lawn chairs. People do not want to vacation at passport offices. They want to go on vacation somewhere in Canada or somewhere else in the world. The solution is very simple. All we need to do is get staff into the passport offices. What is the g…
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Mr. Speaker, an entrepreneur in my riding, Tony Ouellet, president of Feuillages du Québec, relies on temporary foreign workers to run his business. Unfortunately, only one of the three workers he hired has arrived. Nothing is happening at Immigration Canada with respect to the other two. Many planting contracts must be completed by June 15, which is in two weeks, or he will have to pay severe pen…
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Mr. Speaker, the price of houses in Canada has jumped from $434,000 to $868,000. That is basically double. Young families who hope to one day buy a reasonably priced home close to work and near schools to raise their children find themselves in a completely impossible situation. The dream of home ownership is being shattered by the exorbitant cost of housing. However, the government keeps repeatin…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to contribute to the debate on Bill C-13, an act to amend the Official Languages Act, so that I can express how the Liberals are disappointing everyone who is concerned about the decline of French across Canada and how the current government does not seem to be taking this seriously. The evidence shows that we have been asking for weeks to move this bill forward so that…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. The government has never met its own targets for francophone immigration, particularly outside Quebec. We have not even reached 2%, when we should be around 4.4%. The Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, or FCFA, has proposed increasing the target for francophone immigration to 12%, 15%, or even 20% in Canada's f…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am not entirely against this idea, but respect for both official languages in Canada must fundamentally be achieved with the collaboration of all of Canada's provinces and Quebec, which could most certainly take charge, to some extent, of efforts to increase the number of francophones throughout Quebec and Canada. We agree. I am currently replacing my colleague from Richmond—Artha…
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Madam Speaker, it could be done by simply adopting a law that really meets the needs of francophone communities across the country, including in Quebec. The problem with this government is that it has dragged its feet for seven years now. It has not taken any of the measures necessary to protect the French language in Canada. These are actual facts. I did not make them up. The numbers speak for th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is five minutes to midnight. I wonder why, after a debate on the importance of French in Canada, the minister responsible for this file is giving a speech at 11:55 p.m. I honestly think I know the answer: “on s'en sacre comme de l'an quarante”. That is a French saying from Quebec that basically means that they could not care less. I cannot believe it. Why did the minister not giv…
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Madam Speaker, inflation is affecting everyone and every sector. The price of diesel is verging on $3 a litre. It is awful. The impact is real, and it is especially hard on farmers who rely on fuel for transportation and for their farming equipment. They were being choked by Liberal taxes, and now they are being suffocated by them. The government blames external factors, but in reality, the govern…
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Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has affected all of us, and all Canadians, in one way or another. The stress and uncertainty have had a devastating impact on Canadians' mental health. In the spirit of Mental Health Week, the time is long overdue to take action to address the impact the pandemic has had on all Canadians and ensure adequate mental health care for everyone. However, there is absolutely not…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, many projects of all sorts in our ridings had to be shelved because of the pandemic. For over two years now, town celebrations, festivals, dances and many other events have had to be postponed or, in most cases, cancelled. Today, I am happy to say that, just as we are now seeing signs of spring, we are also beginning to see signs of a return to normal life. I am also pleased to announ…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am not looking to stir up trouble, given that I am not a member of the Bloc, but the majority of Canadians are starting to return to in-person work after two years of a pandemic. However, certain federal workplaces are still largely shuttered, and Passport Canada is no exception. Visits are by appointment only, but if anyone wants to make an appointment, they had better be ready to …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss what disappoints us the most, as Conservatives, in the wake of the tabling of what could be described as a very bad budget on the Thursday before Easter break. I remember a time when the Conservatives were accused of acting in bad faith for tabling bills or budgets just before a long break. The transparency of this Liberal government leaves something to be de…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as I said in my speech, like the government, we had no choice but to support the pandemic spending. Obviously, we are not disputing that. We think that the government did far too much, but that is another issue. Then there is the matter of young people. I am a businessman, and I have some young employees. They are not getting paid $80,000, $100,000 or $200,000 a year, but these youn…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Laurentides—Labelle. She is right to point out that the government can hold as many summits as it wants, but the provincial governments, through the Council of the Federation, have demanded an increase in health transfers. The Conservative Party promised to unconditionally increase health transfers during the last election campaign. Based on this budget and…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my answer will be very brief. Considering the NDP's showing in my riding, I would hazard a guess that it was not such a great idea.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to present a petition today on behalf of the members of Development and Peace in Quebec, but also across Canada. This petition is signed by several hundred people who are calling on the government to ensure that Canadian businesses that invest in the mining sector in developing countries prevent adverse human rights impacts and environmental damage throughout their ope…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, April is cancer awareness month. I was very happy to become the honorary co-chair of the 2022 Leucan shaved head challenge in the Montmagny region together with Jean‑Philippe Dumas, sales manager at Planchers Mercier. This important annual event is an opportunity to raise awareness of the fact that our children also experience health problems. Leucan provides services tailored speci…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, it might be April 1, but the tax increases taking effect today are no joke. This morning, Canadians woke up to higher taxes on their gas, groceries and heating as the result of a 25% increase in the carbon tax. Everything that gets delivered by truck is going to go up. It is inevitable, and the consumers are the ones who will pay. Why does the Liberal-NDP government think it is acce…
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Madam Speaker, a new Ipsos poll confirms how out of touch the NDP-Liberal government is with the reality of Canadian workers. We are in an affordability crisis. Canadians want a budget that addresses the high cost of living, not an ideological platform with higher taxes on basic necessities like food, transportation and heating. There was a time when Liberals like Jean Charest—oops, I meant to say…
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That is the first time his name has been mentioned in the House, Madam Speaker. I was talking about Jean Chrétien. We have known Liberals like Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin who governed responsibly. What happened to the Liberal Party?
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Madam Speaker, I am issuing a heartfelt plea to the government to help Laurence Couture Gagnon, a young Canadian mother who had to flee the war in Ukraine with her newborn, Léo. They are in Poland. She desperately wants to return to Canada, but the embassy in Warsaw is taking a long time to issue a citizenship certificate for her baby, who is also Canadian. Once they have the certificate, they can…
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Mr. Speaker, wharves are the Trans-Canada Highway of our commercial fishery. Without them, there would be no fishery. They are a collective asset for the whole country, but the Liberals do not see the small craft harbours program that way. The Liberals see it as being just for Liberals. Here are the facts. In 2021, 74% of all projects went to Liberal ridings. Also, 15 of the 19 ridings that receiv…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am very happy to have five minutes to talk about a very important issue: this government's approach to spending. It is 2022, but we need to look back in time a little. Back in 2015, the sunny ways era, this government made a campaign promise to run three small $10‑billion deficits and said that the budget would then balance itself. Surprise, surprise, in 2019, the deficit was over…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, does the name Marie‑Hélène Dubé mean anything to you? For 10 years, she has been the voice of thousands of people, especially women, who are fighting serious illnesses like cancer under difficult conditions. They have had to deal not only with the illness, but also with the financial problems it causes because of the current limitations of Canada's Employment Insurance Act. Marie‑Hélè…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague is so unbelievably virtuous and knowledgeable about science. If we had not moved this motion today, we would not have even had the opportunity to debate the issue of vaccine mandates. On my side of the House, we think that scientists have the right answers. Could my colleague explain why the advice of 10 Canadian provinces that have scientists working on COVID-19 is not v…
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Mr. Speaker, logically speaking, if not for oil, we would be standing naked in the House of Commons. Oil is used for many things besides gas for our cars. We were lucky we had oil to get the goods we needed to fight the pandemic. That said, my colleague comes from Lac-Saint-Jean, an area far from major centres. I am guessing that the people of Lac-Saint-Jean need gas to get around. Paying 5% less …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I rise today to oppose this motion put forward by the NDP, the content of which borders on the ridiculous: It sounds like it was written by a 4th-grade student. We certainly agree that we are experiencing a cost of living crisis. There is no mistaking that. In fact, the Conservatives were the first to speak out against the skyrocketing prices Canadians have been and still are facing…
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Madam Speaker, what is true is that the government has spent $600 billion over the past six years. That is the reality, and no one can ever take that away from them. Unfortunately, they will be stuck with that legacy forever. That is why everyone is paying, and will continue to pay, more money in interest. It is beyond belief that the Liberals have more than doubled the debt in six years.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, knowing the federal government, it will surely take thousands of people to change a five to an eight on tax returns. In reality, the math is not as simple as it sounds. The money collected will have to be redistributed, but how will that be done and who will receive it? The federal government has grown as big as an elephant. This measure will do nothing to stop it from getting any b…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague and I have a totally different view of this. I do business. When I sell a product to someone, I try to sell it to them at the best possible price and under the best possible conditions. Inevitably, the tax or the surtax—I read it—proposed for banks, insurance companies and others will be passed on to consumers. It is completely ridiculous to think otherwise. Does my col…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, our country's debt has doubled over the past six years. It took 150 years for the debt to reach $600 billion. Now it is over $1.2 trillion. The size of Canada's debt is almost inconceivable. We have to pay all that borrowed money back, and that affects the value of our dollar.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, for the past few days, the cost of gas in Rivière‑du‑Loup has been more than $1.85 a litre. The cost of groceries will jump by more than $1,000 over the next year. That has been announced. This year, costs are spiking everywhere, and I am talking about just those two things. I am not even talking about housing. With the $500‑billion deficit that the government added to our country's d…
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Mr. Speaker, the tourism industry is still being affected by public health measures, and even replacing PCR tests with antigen tests will cost a lot of money for nothing because the tests still have to be certified by a health care professional. Canadians are not even taking short trips to the United States because they are worried about being exiled from their own country for 10 days or facing fi…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, what I am seeing today, and what I have been seeing from the beginning of the debate two days ago, is that the NDP has lost its bearings concerning this motion. I am putting it politely. The NDP always stood up for all Canadians. It always defended Canadians, but today it is joining forces with the government to vote in favour of this motion. That is totally unacceptable.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, we are here on a rare Sunday evening in the House because this is a historic moment for Canada. We are, of course, talking about the unprecedented invocation of the Emergencies Act, a law that was introduced by Brian Mulroney's Conservative government. It has never been used to this day, because the sponsor of the act made it clear that it was meant to be used only in the event of a…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. The reality is that Ottawa was under siege. We never said that it was not. The problem is that the Ottawa police and city council did not act promptly, although they had all the legislation at their disposal to undertake the operation to clear the convoy. Other provinces did so in four different places before the Emergencies Act w…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I was the first to condemn the vaccine mandate for truckers on December 15. I can assure the House that I have not changed my mind. As the hon. member for Louis-Hébert said earlier, the government used the election to sow division between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated in Canada. It is still doing so. The Liberal Party members are doing the same thing now. It was not necessary …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today. With 58 different municipalities in my riding, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate, especially since many of those municipalities have reached a very venerable age. Over the years, generations of people have pulled together to make their community their own. In the current health crisis, many committees have gone the extra mile to fi…
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Mr. Speaker, members of the Furbacco family, three future citizens of my riding, have been waiting for months to get their permanent resident cards. While other applicants have skipped ahead of them in line, the Furbaccos have experienced unending delays now exceeding 180 days. As a result, they have been unable to renew their health insurance cards in Quebec, despite the fact that they are workin…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer said it is time for the government to stop spending money, like the $100 billion in the latest budget. I believe the Parliamentary Budget Officer is an independent officer of the House of Commons. What does my colleague think of the PBO's recommendation?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I just saw on Facebook that in Rivière‑du‑Loup, in my riding, the price of gas is $1.66 a litre for regular and almost $1.90 a litre for premium. That is unprecedented in Canada. My colleague referred to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who has said that it is time to stop spending money and that it is not getting us anywhere because inflation keeps soaring. I would like his opinion …
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Mr. Speaker, my constituents are literally in distress. We are not just talking about unemployed people who are unable to get their EI benefits, because that is a crisis in itself, but we are also talking about full‑time workers and people who earn a very good living but are no longer able to make ends meet. A litre of gas costs $1.61 in Rivière‑du‑Loup today. Grocery store prices are up 8% due to…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would ask my colleague to take a deep breath. Quebec receives the majority of Canada's equalization payments. That being said, my question relates to another subject. My colleague was talking about Abitibi and its fly-in, fly-out workers. There is no need to go that far. I live in La Pocatière. Many people who work in La Pocatière live in Quebec City and commute a little over 100 ki…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, procedures, procedures, procedures. Sébastien Charrois is a constituent of mine whose family has been raising chickens for generations. He is at the end of his rope. He cannot find enough people to catch and transport the chickens in his barns. Transportation companies cannot do the work, and they cannot bring in temporary foreign workers. Tens of thousands of chickens are going to be…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to participate in tonight's adjournment debate because I am still dissatisfied with an answer provided by the former minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, who has been the Minister of Public Safety since December 3. My original question was about temporary foreign workers, but obviously, the immigration program is a much more complex program and has ramifications…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his response. However, he did not at all answer my question or Mr. Mackendi's question. The reality is that there are people in 2020‑21 who have already found out about their permanent resident status. Their applications have already been approved, no problem, while his has been dragging on for two and a half years. My question is very simple: W…
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