Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his kind words. To come back to the deficit, when a country is going through a period of turmoil and economic crisis triggered by a neighbouring partner that is no longer reliable, the government has to step in on a massive scale. That is what the government has done. That is what must be done. We are proud of that.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think I will have enough time to answer all of these very important questions. I will answer the question about the GST. That makes no sense, and everyone is well aware of that. The GST cannot be applied selectively. Certain products cannot be subject to the GST while others are not. It does not work like that. A value-added tax like the GST cannot be applied in that way. Com…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Kingston and the Islands. I am pleased to rise in the House of Commons today to speak to the future of the Canadian auto industry and the measures our government is taking to ensure its long-term success. The Government of Canada fully understands and recognizes the importance of our auto industry, a key driver of our economy that relies o…
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Mr. Speaker, there is a saying about being able to walk and chew gum at the same time. That is what we are doing. Right now, with the war in the Middle East causing fuel shortages, it is increasingly important for Canada to produce oil. We do produce oil, but we can also transition to EV-related technologies at the same time. We are doing both at the same time.
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Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to recognize the outstanding work of Autisme Laval as part of Autism Awareness Month. For over 40 years, April has been an important opportunity to raise public awareness, break the stigma and promote a more inclusive society. Every person with an autism spectrum disorder has a unique path and talents that should be recognized and supported. Autisme Laval plays a k…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about putting the Conservative plan into action, but what plan? There is no plan. There is no plan because, in the minds of the Conservatives, everything comes down to the industrial carbon tax. It is to blame for everything. Come on. We announced a defence industrial policy that is generating a lot of interest from SMEs in Quebec and Canada. We have made massive i…
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Mr. Speaker, we are taking effective action. We are in a situation that was created by U.S. trade policy. American tariffs put us in this situation. Canadian businesses are finding it very difficult to invest because they cannot predict what the operating environment will be like, given the uncertainty created by the United States. What we can do and what we are doing is investing heavily in infra…
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Mr. Speaker, of course, the employment figures for the last two months have been very negative. We are well aware of that. Why is this happening? Why are we here? It is because we are in a trade war with our American neighbours. Our Conservative friends have a hard time understanding that. Given how hard it is to export to the United States, businesses are not investing. That is the crux of the pr…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague made a reference, I think, to two or two-and-a-half million illegal asylum seekers—
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Mr. Speaker, I withdraw, but I find it surprising.
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Mr. Speaker, I think that we should be able to ensure that asylum seekers are spread more evenly across Canada. We are not going to do that by force, and we are not going to force people to leave, but we should find a mechanism to facilitate a better spread. Yes, we must also compensate the provinces that take in a large number of asylum seekers. These discussions are ongoing with the governments,…
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Mr. Speaker, it is my turn to say a few words on an extremely interesting and important matter. I will do it in English to make sure we are all on the same page. I will start by saying that, as a government, we need to manage public funds responsibly. However, that cannot be accomplished—
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Mr. Speaker, that is what I heard. Can he clarify that? Is it really two million?
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Mr. Speaker, I have some thoughts on that, but I am afraid they probably would not be parliamentary, so I will abstain from going that way. I find it deplorable to say that the very real problems with our health care system across Canada are the result of large numbers of asylum seekers.
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Mr. Speaker, I have only been here since April 2025, so I will refrain from commenting on what happened before or on what should or should not have been done. However, the problem with the safe third country agreement, the agreement that allows asylum seekers from countries considered safe to be sent back, had to be resolved. That was done. After that, Roxham Road was closed.
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Mr. Speaker, I do agree with the issues my colleague pointed out. I do agree that people in remote communities and many other communities, such as in Montreal and Toronto, have difficulty accessing health services, but that has nothing whatsoever to do with asylum seekers, for Christ's sake. That has nothing to do with asylum seekers. Come on, guys. Wake up.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's point, but I think it is important to say this in English. However, that cannot be accomplished at the expense of our values. We have already taken steps to ensure the sustainability of the interim federal health program and make sure that vulnerable people have access to care. We are maintaining necessary health care coverage while taking important steps t…
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Mr. Speaker, like several of our colleagues have already done, I would like to take this opportunity to mention that yesterday, one of my employees celebrated five years of service. I would like to thank India La Haye for her work and congratulate her on this recognition. Now let me return to the motion and the subject at hand. Ultimately, what we are discussing here is the Alto high-speed rail pr…
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Mr. Speaker, I noted my dear colleague from Hull—Aylmer's enthusiasm for this project. Can you tell me whether, in your riding, the people of Hull—Aylmer are as interested and just as excited about this project as you are?
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Mr. Speaker, I fully support what my colleague is saying, even though that is not what we are talking about today. She has my full support and the support of all my colleagues here. Let us come back to today's topic, which is high-speed rail. Like my colleague, I, too, am an engineer and, as such, I can say that a project like this one is complex. It takes time to get everything in order. We are b…
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Precisely. This is getting a little out of hand, and—
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Mr. Speaker, I apologize for leaving my phone on the desk. I was using it to keep an eye on the time, but I understand. I will also try to be more measured with my remarks because I see that it is causing some commotion. I was talking about deflation and saying that we do not want to trigger deflation. At the same time, we recognize that the cost of living is very high and that this is affecting d…
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Mr. Speaker, one of the problems that we have in Canada is that our food distribution industry is highly concentrated. There are a few suppliers, a few businesses that operate in that sector. These businesses are also large conglomerates that have other much more profitable activities. However, we have found that grocery stores' operating margins do not seem to be out of the ordinary compared to w…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously supply and demand is the name of the game. Indeed, competition is key in food processing and in food distribution. In any one industry, competition is key. There are many different ways we can stimulate competition. One of the things that I agree with the previous speaker on is that we have to find enough space for locally owned, smaller grocery stores to be able to operate.…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, I agree entirely with what my colleague just mentioned. When we want to change a behaviour, when we want individuals or corporations to behave in a different way, we use policy tools. We use incentives. We use market-based incentives to achieve that goal. That is what we think should happen. Just like the consumer carbon tax had no impact on food prices, removing the indust…
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Mr. Speaker, am I being sarcastic? Of course I am. Of course I am. It worked. Market-based mechanisms worked, and acid rain stopped being the problem it was. The industrial carbon tax is in the same vein of mechanisms. It will be with a robust industrial carbon tax that we will accelerate our transition to a less carbon-intensive economy. It does not mean we will all of a sudden stop producing oil…
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition just said that the government and government policies are responsible for causing inflation in Canada. How does he account for the fact that inflation is 2.4% in Canada when Canada was one of the first G7 countries to get its inflation rate under control?
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Mr. Speaker, I must say that I agree overall with what our colleague just said. Climate change has a very significant impact on the price of food. We have no intention of removing industrial carbon pricing. Could my colleague talk a bit about the connection, if there even is one, between industrial carbon pricing and food prices?
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Mr. Speaker, there are many things I could talk about, but I do not have much time. I do note the reality of food banks. There is a very important one in my riding, Moisson Laval. During the Christmas holiday period, I visited them. I worked with them. They, with other food banks in the Montreal area, were among the first to suggest to us that we should find ways to increase the incomes of everyda…
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Mr. Speaker, it might not surprise the House that I agree entirely with what my colleague is saying. When I visited Moisson Laval, the food bank in my riding, one of the things it is doing is not just distributing food to people in need but also creating groups or classes, for lack of a better word, to pass on information to the users of the food banks on how they could best maximize their meagre …
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Mr. Speaker, yes, greenhouse fruit and vegetable production will be included in our bill, which we will be discussing this afternoon in committee. We are including measures in that bill to promote greenhouse cultivation, vertical farming and urban agriculture. I think all of that is very important. As for the research centres, I think there was some consolidation going on. The work will continue t…
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Mr. Speaker, it is my turn to say a few words on this issue. I will try to stick to four topics, and I count on your assistance to keep me on track. It will not surprise anyone if I say that I do not agree with the motion of the opposition, because it is way off base. Let us talk about one of the four points I want to talk about. Let us talk about inflation, because that is a theme that keeps comi…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our colleague for the good work she does and for her excellent question. The Government of Canada is focused on building a stronger economy to make life more affordable for Canadians. The new grocery and essentials benefit will provide up to $805 in additional support, on top of the GST rebate, which will go directly into the pockets of Canadian families. In addi…
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Mr. Speaker, after a few weeks away in our ridings and after a break from the parliamentary session, we are back in the House of Commons ready for a new year of work. I wish all my colleagues in the House a happy new year. In 2025, we delivered concrete results: a more resilient economy, strategic investments to strengthen our industries and clear measures to protect Canada's interests. We made a …
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Mr. Speaker, I have a quick question. Could the member opposite clarify if the Conservative Party is for or against the industrial carbon tax?
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, it is clear from what is happening at the Standing Committee on Finance that the opposition parties do not want to study the budget or the budget implementation bill. That is unfortunate, because Canadians are counting on us here in the House to get things right. This budget contains major measures that will shape our economic future, such as the clean electricity investment tax credi…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech, which included several points on which we agree. I would like him to comment on the second section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which relates to fundamental freedoms. What does the Bloc Québécois understand these fundamental freedoms to mean?
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Mr. Chair, I would like to ask my colleague a very simple question. Does she think that Canada should sign any agreement with the Americans at any cost just for the sake of having an agreement? Would it not be better to negotiate an agreement that benefits all Canadians, while taking the necessary time to come up with something that makes sense, rather than rushing headlong into an agreement that …
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Mr. Chair, I have one simple question for my colleague. On the fact that the auto industry is severely affected by those unjustifiable U.S. tariffs, what is the Conservative plan? I still cannot visualize how the industrial carbon tax will address the issue of U.S. tariffs.
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Mr. Chair, there are many issues that we share. If we discussed things, we could possibly get to some understanding. I do not agree, obviously, with everything that was said, but I do thank my colleague for mentioning that, for example, the tariffs on steel and aluminum are one of the largest contributors to the recent increase in the cost of production of automobiles in the United States and Cana…
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Mr. Chair, the automotive industry is a key sector of the Canadian economy and, as several of my colleagues have already mentioned, it generates billions of dollars in economic activity. It accounts for 8% of Canada's manufacturing GDP. It is important to note that the sector includes five world-class automakers that are supported by a network of 700 parts suppliers. Automotive companies directly …
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Mr. Chair, there are several things. Perhaps we should start with the fact that 90% of automobiles made in Canada are sold in the United States. Therefore, the key to this whole thing is to continue to have access to the U.S. market. There are other issues, but the fundamental issue is access to the United States market. That access is threatened by U.S. tariffs and the U.S. desire to block the en…
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Mr. Chair, as I said earlier, there are five automobile assembly operations in Canada and hundreds of parts manufacturers. We are in constant contact with the industry. We know where they stand. We know what they require. Yes, we are engaging in that process of revising and reviewing CUSMA. It is very important. We will not negotiate in public, and we will not cave in. We will not panic, and we wi…
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Mr. Chair, the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario have been working with the automotive industry for decades. My colleagues from Ontario have mentioned that. We have been working with this industry for decades. We are quite surprised. We will not forget the companies that are now turning their backs on Canada and fleeing to the United States. We will not forget that. We will not fo…
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Mr. Chair, that is indeed a very important question. I would say that there are two parallel components to the government's strategy, and both are important. On the one hand, we need to support the industry, which is affected by these tariffs. It needs liquidity and emergency support. We are doing this with the programs available at the Department of Industry. At the same time, we also need to con…
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Mr. Chair, I think we all agree that the Canadian automobile industry is undergoing a serious crisis. I would just like to know from our colleagues across the aisle if they could tell us the source of that crisis. Is it the U.S. tariffs, which are unjust and unjustifiable, or is it the EV mandates?
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Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to say that it depends on many factors. The situation is not uniform across the country. As I said at the beginning of my speech, back home in Laval, it is quite the opposite. The new homes currently being built are affordable for middle-class families.
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Mr. Speaker, it is now my turn to speak to Bill C-4. I want to mention that my colleagues across the way spoke of minuscule savings. While it may seem minuscule to them, in my riding, in Laval, every dollar counts. I will not presume to know what constitutes minuscule savings for someone in serious need. I am going to talk a little about Bill C-4, but I also want to talk about my riding of Marc-Au…
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Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I do not think I have enough time, as this is a very important issue. However, no and no, in the sense that this is not an austerity budget, but what the Conservatives are proposing would be a toxic austerity budget, and a deficit of this magnitude at this time does not lead to inflation.
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Madam Speaker, our interpretation differs from that of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. We disagree with him, but I would also like to point out that we are not hiding anything in the budget. The deficit is there. The $68 billion is there. There is nothing hidden, but we believe that measures such as tax credits that support and accelerate investment should be considered an investment measure.
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