Government Orders
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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, our colleague was talking about beef production in Alberta. He has also spoken often here in the House about food affordability. Meat prices are very high in Canada, indeed, because there is a shortage of beef coming from Alberta, in particular. Is the member opposite against increased British exports to Canada at this time?
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Mr. Speaker, poverty in general is a problem, of course, and especially poverty that affects children. Food insecurity is extremely important and extremely concerning. That is why we invite all our colleagues to work together to reduce it. The way to do that is by increasing economic growth to create good jobs that can provide good family incomes. However, if we cut social programs, we would be sh…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, as I said earlier and as my colleague also said earlier, when one reads a report from Statistics Canada, one should read the whole report. What we find out in today's report is that for the year 2025, the whole year, economic growth in Canada was plus 1.7%. That makes it the second fastest in the OECD area. On top of that, we created, in absolute terms, more jobs here than…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for that very good question. The reality is that petty slogans are not a plan. On our side of the House, we have a real plan to build a strong and resilient economy. Our plan is yielding results. Private investment already rebounded spectacularly in the fourth quarter. Yesterday, Statistics Canada announced that foreign direct investment has now reached its highes…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned ideology, and that is exactly what this is about. On this side of the House, we firmly believe that the government has a role to play in reducing poverty through social programs. We firmly believe that social programs are important and help improve the lives of families. The Conservatives want to eliminate them. That would make things much more difficult.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague mentioned, when one is reading a report, it would be a good idea to read it in its entirety. In this case, the report shows that, in the fourth quarter of this year, domestic demand was very strong and private investment has picked back up. The bottom line is, the only negative aspect of the fourth-quarter GDP report was a sharp drop in inventory. Generally, when inven…
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Mr. Speaker, the project is currently being managed by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, ISED, and its grants and contributions centre of expertise, the team responsible for managing all contribution agreements that are in breach or in default. The department has worked closely with a court-appointed trustee to validate the outstanding debt and to ensure continuous oversight of …
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Mr. Speaker, it is my turn to speak to Bill C‑15, and therefore to the budget. I am sure that many of my colleagues reread it every night. Before beginning, I would like to sincerely thank all the members of the Standing Committee on Finance. After some challenging discussions and debates, we managed to finish our work earlier this week and send the bill back to the House. I really want to thank o…
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to respond to comments made by the hon. member for Calgary Centre regarding contributions to Lion Electric and, more specifically, how much these contributions have cost taxpayers. In March 2021, the Government of Canada announced supports to Lion Electric, which included a $49.95-million contribution through the strategic innovation fund for Lion's automated battery-pack a…
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Mr. Speaker, affordability pressures are indeed very real, and the Government of Canada takes concerns about food prices in particular very seriously. It is a real issue for women and for all Canadians. Families, farmers and businesses are facing global challenges, from supply chain disruptions to geopolitical instability and climate impacts, that are affecting prices here at home and around the w…
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Mr. Speaker, the government will not take actions that undermine investment certainty, weaken competitiveness or put Canadian jobs at risk. Industrial carbon pricing and the clean fuel regulations are key pillars of Canada's climate competitiveness strategy, driving investment and ensuring emissions reductions and the protection of human health, in addition to allowing our producers to compete in …
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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, 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, 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 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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Madam Speaker, I have to say that, in general, I agree with most of what my colleague said. I would just like him to get into a little more detail. He said that the Conservative motion is treading on dangerous ground by conflating a lot of things, which can lead to confusion. What is my colleague referring to, specifically?
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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, 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 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 withdraw, but I find it surprising.
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Madam Speaker, the strategy for addressing these issues is set out in Bill C-15. It is set out in the budget. That is our plan. It is a very broad and comprehensive plan, with many measures. Will our Conservative colleagues do what needs to be done and support us so that we can pass the budget as quickly as possible?
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Madam Speaker, yesterday the government announced its new auto industry strategy. It is a comprehensive strategy that will invest in companies that invest in Canada. We will continue to protect Canadian production of automobiles, and we firmly believe that the future of the industry is in electrical vehicles. There will be the assembly of electrical vehicles in Canada.
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Madam Speaker, since our colleague from Quebec is talking about employment statistics, I am sure he must have noticed that we have created a large number of jobs in Quebec and that Quebec now has the lowest unemployment rate in the country. However, we also recognize that the industrial sectors that are directly threatened by the U.S. tariffs are being hit hard. That is why, yesterday, we announce…
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Madam Speaker, finally our friends from the other side acknowledge and recognize that the issues with the auto industry come from the U.S. tariffs. It is the first time I hear this from their side. It is about time. Besides that, as I said, we are going to invest in companies that invest in Canada, in those that commit to Canada. By the way, currently, the two largest auto manufacturers in Canada …
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Madam Speaker, I do not know how to say this with parliamentary decorum, but that is just not true. Yesterday's announcement confirms our commitment to our industry, and it confirms our assistance to companies that invest in Canada. There are very large companies that have currently committed to investing in Canada and will continue to do so. In order to promote that investment, that is what we an…
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Madam Speaker, the short answer is no. We will not support our colleagues' motion. At least that is clear. The Canadian economy is going through an extremely complex period triggered by the U.S. tariffs and trade war. The Canadian economy is showing incredible resilience. The same problems exist around the world and the Canadian economy has shown that it has the capacity to adapt to these major ge…
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Mr. Speaker, since my colleague is a member of Parliament for a region neighbouring Mirabel and knows the area very well, could he tell us what he is hearing in his riding in terms of support for the Alto project in the Lower Laurentians?
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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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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, once again, as I said to our colleague who spoke before, what happened in 1969 is obviously unacceptable and inexcusable. We will not do it again, and it will not happen. Now, with this high-speed rail project, we are still a long way from the final route. Consultations are currently under way to determine the route. Could my colleague tell us why it would be a problem to hold these p…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague, the member for Trois‑Rivières, hears when she is out and about in her riding. How are people responding when she talks about the Alto project, especially since one of the stations will be in Trois-Rivières?
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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 would like to thank our colleague, the member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue, for his speech. I fully agree with him and his colleagues that what happened in Mirabel in 1969 is unacceptable, should not be repeated and will not be repeated. Now, I would like the member to give us his point of view, his opinion on the merits of a high-speed rail project such as Alto. We know that this is a…
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Precisely. This is getting a little out of hand, and—
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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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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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