Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is truly appalling to see a fear campaign being waged and to see this House being used to spread misinformation. My colleague knows full well that the Expropriation Act of 1985 was overhauled to ensure that consultations are included. He also knows that the railway legislation that we introduced in the budget implementation bill goes even further by ensuring consultation, the impac…
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Madam Speaker, day after day, the opposition parties tell us that we are not doing enough on affordability. It seems a bit ironic to me that both Conservative Party and Bloc Québécois members are constantly voting against the measures we are putting in place to make life more affordable for Canadians. The tax cut for 22 million Canadians, the national school food program for children, our investme…
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Madam Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague. I know she works hard for her constituents. I am a bit surprised to hear her say that we are not doing anything about affordability when her party keeps blocking measures that the government is putting in place to try and make life more affordable for people. It is a shame that she calls the Canada groceries and essentials benefit a marketin…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for bringing up this issue. The world is changing rapidly. The United States, the world's largest economy and Canada's main economic partner, is fundamentally reshaping all of its trading relationships. To say that it is causing disruption for Canada is an understatement. This is not an economic transition. It is a generational shift, a rupture. Sitting ba…
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Mr. Speaker, this is exactly what we are doing. We are putting Canada first and building Canada strong. The Premier of Alberta supports this entire memorandum of understanding. The Premier of Saskatchewan supports it. The Premier of Ontario supports it. There is a reason why, and that is that it is a plan to lower emissions, unlock our natural resources and build a stronger, more sustainable and m…
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Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to solving the housing crisis by focusing on affordable housing across the full affordability spectrum. Budget 2025 is making generational investments in housing and infrastructure in order to do so. Build Canada Homes is going to work with partners across the housing ecosystem to drive the development of affordable housing options that will support a mix o…
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad to report that the Government of Canada is taking action to lower housing costs for Canadians across the country. Budget 2025 is making generational investments in housing and infrastructure because we know that housing costs have a significant impact on the cost of living. These strategic investments will build major infrastructure and homes, create lasting prosperity and e…
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Mr. Speaker, today, my colleague and I would like to highlight the exceptional work done by the organizing committee for the 59th Quebec Games, which took place last summer in Trois-Rivières and brought together more than 3,500 young athletes from across Quebec. The committee's goal was to raise $100,000 to donate to Excellence sportive Mauricie, but thanks to the committee's efforts and the priva…
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Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member actually read the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report, because the number mentioned was actually 86,000. We are talking about affordable housing. Build Canada Homes is focused on affordable housing. There are all sorts of other incentives that will support construction across the country, but what we are actually talking about here is affordable housing. I wou…
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague very well knows, housing and the cost of living are the main issues of concern for Quebeckers. Our government is putting forward a well-thought-out plan with investments that will double the rate of home construction, including the construction of affordable housing. Also in the plan are investments in infrastructure, particularly health infrastructure, and investments…
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Mr. Speaker, today I want to highlight the exceptional work of the women and men of the Canadian Forces Reserves in Trois‑Rivières. Every day, the men and women of HMCS Radisson and the 12e Régiment Blindé du Canada embody the professionalism and dedication that is at the core of our armed forces. Whether they are on a mission here at home, supporting Canadians during floods or helping battle COVI…
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Mr. Speaker, we heard at committee that a lot of employers are looking for people with experience, and this is stopping young people from getting jobs. This is why we have the programs I listed in my speech earlier, like the innovative work-integrated learning program, FSWEP, the co-op program and Canada summer jobs. Again, employers are looking to hire people with previous experience, and this is…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, we should be debating Bill C-4 today. In addition to lowering taxes for the middle class, which affects 22 million Canadians, and eliminating the goods and services tax on new homes for first-time buyers, Bill C-4 also aims to end the consumer carbon tax, something that my Conservative colleagues have been calling for for a very long time. Now we are doing it, but they choose not…
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Mr. Speaker, I take offence at the comment because I did not deny that there is youth unemployment. I explained the programs we have, and I linked all these programs. The member knows them, because we have been studying them at committee. We have been going over them and over the numbers. Yes, youth unemployment exists and it is an issue. We have programs to give students their first job so that t…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to read something out. We will double the number of international students in Canada, which will create 86,500 net new jobs. We are going to invest $5 million in this. We will create 173,000 jobs. International student expenditures in Canada will rise to over $16 billion, generating economic growth and prosperity in every region of Canada. This will provide an annual boost of a…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question, and I also thank him for asking it in French and acknowledging the importance of French. I apologize to him and I will endeavour to add French to my speeches in the future. There is no one solution to the issue of temporary foreign workers. We really need to take a measured approach by region and by sector. Yes, there has been a pause, but we nee…
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition should really consider supporting us in our budget next week, which will contain all of these affordability measures for Canadians across the country. In addition to that, members can engage genuinely at committee in order to bring real solutions. That means not bringing a solution that starts with, “Oh, because the government failed so epically, this is the solution.” …
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Madam Speaker, more than ever before, the Government of Canada is stepping up our efforts to help young people in Canada find employment and it is working. We offer a wide range of programs and initiatives. The first one that comes to mind is, without a doubt, Canada summer jobs. Every year, thanks to Canada summer jobs, thousands of young people gain meaningful work experience that helps prepare …
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Madam Speaker, this is an issue that we have been studying in committee. I am curious as to why the Conservatives are using the issue of youth unemployment. It is a serious issue, and there are things we can do about it, but instead they are focusing the gist of their comments on immigration, linking that with youth unemployment, and blaming immigration for it. I would like to hear the member's ta…
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Madam Speaker, we are hearing the Conservatives blame youth unemployment on temporary residents and blame the government for the increase in temporary residents. I am wondering whether the member, who was in the House in 2014, remembers when the Harper government launched the international education strategy with the goal of doubling the number of international students to 450,000. Do you remember…
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Madam Speaker, I wonder if the member opposite understands how the temporary foreign worker program works. I will ask my question in French, since it is my first language. The last time the program was reviewed was under the Harper government, and we are still following the same procedures. Does the member know how the program works? Is she aware, for example, that employers have to pay a lot of m…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, Conservatives claim to care about young people, yet every time a measure comes to support them, they vote against it. They voted against the national housing strategy, the first home savings account and expanding mortgage criteria, and now they will not commit to voting for cutting the GST, which would save first-time homebuyers $50,000. Do not worry, Madam Speaker. Canadians know t…
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Madam Speaker, again, as I said, Conservatives claim to care about youth and affordability, but on this side, we are about solutions, not slogans. We are putting in cutting income taxes and reducing GST for first-time homebuyers. We are putting forward a national school food program. We are putting forward a number of measures to increase affordability and increasing the supply of homes in order t…
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Madam Speaker, Conservatives claim to care about youth and affordability, but on this side, we are about solutions, not slogans. We are cutting income taxes, cutting the GST for first-time homebuyers, putting together a national school food program and launching Build Canada Homes to increase home affordability, and we have launched the Major Projects Office. Canadians do not live in a pretend wor…
Read full speech →Statements by members
Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to honour the memory of Lise Bacon, a remarkable woman who passed away yesterday at the age of 91. Her commitment to protecting Quebec culture and the French language have had a profound impact on Quebec. As the first woman president of the Liberal Party of Quebec, who later became deputy premier of Quebec and the second woman elected to the Quebec National Assembl…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague says that we are engaging in low-level debate. I would like to remind him that it is kind of the result of everything that has been said in the House. Earlier this afternoon, a member on the other side of the House said that the Liberal government had removed the Mexican visa regulations to let the cartels in, and that it put those regulations back in place once the carte…
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Mr. Speaker, we are once again witnessing disingenuous engagement and fearmongering on the part of the Conservatives, who know very well that this bill is meant to deal with a court case that makes the current system unconstitutional. I will tell the House who this bill is meant to deal with. My son was born 17 years ago in the United States because I was there studying. My son has lived in Canada…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it is Women's History Month, and I would like to congratulate Marie-Christine Boucher, a woman from my riding of Trois-Rivières, on her appointment as senior director of business operations for the Professional Women's Hockey League. This appointment is a testament not only to her expertise and commitment to the development of women's hockey, but also to the influence that Trois-Riviè…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his commitment to supporting the bill at second reading. We listened to stakeholders' concerns, including those raised by the Bloc Québécois. That is why we are introducing a bill with a narrowed scope and with provisions that are better suited to what we really want to address. The Bloc Québécois members have often said that people want stricter border measur…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a bit of a stretch for my colleague from the Quebec Conservative caucus to say such a thing when he knows full well that the Province of Quebec is actively consulted on all decisions affecting immigration. It is consulted more than any other province and territory in Canada. It is a shame that what should be a debate of ideas is still being used to present divisive rhetoric on i…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague to clarify something. I am a bit confused. At the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, our Conservative colleagues seem to want to destroy the temporary foreign worker program, saying that it is not needed and that it is causing youth unemployment, when we know full well that busines…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is committed to solving the housing crisis. We are focused on delivering meaningful results for Canadians, not slogans, by creating transformative change in Canada's housing system. To lower costs for Canadians, we need a drastic increase in housing supply of all types, including affordable housing. To reach that goal, we are moving forward with Build Canada H…
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Mr. Speaker, let me start by saying that the facts are clear: Housing starts are up, not down. Housing starts are up 10% year over year. In Montreal, it is 32%; in Vancouver, it is 46%. With that said, I will reiterate that the Government of Canada is committed to solving the housing crisis. We have put forward the most ambitious housing plan in our country's history, and we are creating positive …
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Mr. Speaker, as mentioned earlier, Canada is firmly committed to being a global leader in responsible business conduct through a mix of robust policies, initiatives and legislation. I want to take a moment to highlight the role of Canada's national contact point for responsible business conduct. As an OECD member, Canada is required to maintain a national contact point, and ours stands as a world-…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her dedication and engagement on this important issue. The Government of Canada remains firmly committed to promoting responsible business conduct by Canadian companies operating abroad. Strong RBC practices not only drive business success, but also foster a better world for everyone, and Canada has been a strong global leader in that space for deca…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party is the party that listens to people, that listens to consensus, and is not afraid of going back to a project and making sure it is as strong as possible. That is why we are moving forward with Bill C-12 and removing the part that members across the aisle have asked us to study further, which is what we are doing, and we are moving forward with the project that brough…
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps my colleague could have taken the time to read Bill C‑12. We understand the situation very well, and we have been listening to Canadians. We took certain things out of the bill for the moment, things that require further consideration and study. This will result in a better thought-out and more thorough bill. However, there are some things that Canadians expect us to put in pl…
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Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the opposition continues to say, as it continues to put forward slogans, we are actually taking action. We were elected to take action, and we have taken action. We will continue to take action to protect Canadians, to protect our streets and to protect against gender-based violence. We are doing that.
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Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. I rise today to speak to how the legislative changes proposed in Bill C‑12 will continue to uphold our humanitarian tradition and due process, while focusing resources on those in need and improving confidence in our asylum system. Canadians expect …
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Mr. Speaker, we have expressed our disappointment with how this process went. This is a Crown corporation. We were not part of it. However, I will tell the member what we did. We did set a policy to buy Canadian. We are encouraging all Canadian procurement to buy Canadian. We have also launched a defence procurement agency to encourage our companies. We are building Canada with Canadian workers an…
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Mr. Speaker, once again the opposition is showing how they just want to divide Canadians. We are standing by Canadian workers. We are standing by Canadian industry. We are investing. We launched Build Canada Homes in order to build affordable homes in Canada. The last time Conservatives were in power, they lost 800,000 affordable homes, so please do not give us a lesson about affordability. You lo…
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Mr. Speaker, it is sad that the opposition is continuing to spread a divisive message at a time when pride and grit should really unite all Canadians around the challenges we are facing. She said, “These are not stats”, and she is right. These are slogans. The real stats are the following: We have the strongest credit rating in the world, AAA. We have the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. We…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to take part in today's debate and to provide a few facts that are grounded in reality. This debate is taking place at a time of unprecedented upheaval and readjustment in the global trading system, and it is irresponsible for an opposition political party to try to ignore this and bury its head in the sand. We know that the world is changing. Accordingly…
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Mr. Speaker, I am really happy to work with my colleague in the committee. Absolutely, youth unemployment is a really important issue, and I am glad we are able to work together on that. I would like to bring back the issue of promises of what we are going to do. They are not promises; they are actions. We have launched the major projects office. We passed the one economy bill, and I thank the Con…
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Mr. Speaker, I believe that Canadians made a clear choice this spring on which party they trust the most to manage the real issues we are confronted with. We were very clear during the campaign about our commitments. There is nothing in what we have proposed that comes as a surprise. We said that we would invest in infrastructure and that is what we are doing. We said that we would invest to build…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. Build Canada Homes was really set up to address the current housing crisis. Canadians and Quebeckers need more housing, more affordable housing, housing that meets their needs and fits their budget. We have committed to building up to 500,000 homes a year. We are making a $13-billion capital investment in Build Canada Homes. We are real…
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Mr. Speaker, I will again tell my colleague that the opposition MP's motion is too narrow. It completely ignores the fact that this issue requires a much broader approach. We know that prevention is paramount, and that is why we are putting forward a plan that addresses prevention. It is important, and that is why our plan is more comprehensive.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are worried about crime in their communities, and let me be clear at the outset: The concerns are valid. When Canadians see stories of violent incidents in their neighbourhoods and when they hear about repeat offenders cycling in and out of the system, it shakes their confidence. It makes families wonder whether their kids are safe walking home from school, whether seniors a…
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is clear that Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities. That is why we are introducing a bill that will make bail and sentencing rules stricter and make the courts more efficient. I would like my colleague to speak to the importance of dialogue and of consulting with those who are on the front lines of implementing the laws we vote on here in the House.
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Mr. Speaker, what I will say is that we committed to that in 2023 and we have already imposed stricter bail conditions. Right now, we are engaged in exhaustive consultations. My colleagues are welcome to share their points of view and present their opinions to us. We are conducting exhaustive consultations with the people on the front lines who implement the laws that we pass. These are not slogan…
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