Parliamentary Speeches
127 speeches by Caroline Desrochers — Page 2 of 3
Routine Proceedings
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, 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, 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, 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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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, 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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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, 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…
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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, 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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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…
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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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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, 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 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, 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…
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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, 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, 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 …
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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 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 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 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, 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, 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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Mr. Speaker, those are discussions that we are prepared to have in the context of Bill C-2. Today we are talking about the motion to adopt Bill C-242, which was introduced by our opposition colleagues. Crime is a problem. We know that and we acknowledge it. We want to get to work and that is why we are holding consultations with police forces, municipalities and provincial and territorial premiers…
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Mr. Speaker, prevention is a very important aspect in the fight against crime. We know that high crime rates and recidivism are linked to other problems. We know that crime is not just a matter of being released and being given bail, and that is why we are proposing a comprehensive plan. We really need to address all the factors that contribute to a person's situation and the reasons why they comm…
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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.
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I think we all agree on this. Everyone in this country should have access to an affordable, safe and healthy place to live. Let me assure members that this government is focused on making housing more affordable and attainable. This is why we are taking action on affordable housing across the range of the affordability continuum. We are talking about co-ops, social housing and deeply …
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Mr. Speaker, our government is using every tool at our disposal and taking coordinated action to help increase supply and ensure it is adapted to the needs and budget of Canadian families, change the way Canada builds housing and make housing more affordable for Canadians. We all know that right now a lot of affordable housing is not really affordable, including all of the condo market that the me…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are facing a housing crisis that touches every corner of this country. That is why our government has launched a comprehensive housing plan, which is the most ambitious in our history, the most ambitious since the Second World War. We are working in partnership with provinces, territories, municipalities, indigenous communities and the private sector. We spent all summer tal…
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Mr. Speaker, my ancestors came to Canada in the 17th century, and my children were born abroad when I was outside the country serving my country. The United States is where my children were born. We have since returned from the United States and we live here. My children go to school here. They are going to university next year. They will graduate. They plan on spending their lives here. In the ev…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is facing a housing crisis that demands bold action. That is why the Government of Canada has introduced the most ambitious housing plan in our country's history. This is a team Canada moment, when we must all come together and focus on what matters most for Canadians: housing, affordability and a resilient economy. We are working closely with all levels of government, indigeno…
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Mr. Speaker, contrary to everything we hear from the other side of the House, we are doing our jobs. There is an action plan, and affordability is central to the mandate of “build Canada homes”. We will build more affordable and social housing to support low- and middle-income families. We have the most ambitious plan in decades. We are committed to building twice as many homes. We will do so usin…
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Mr. Speaker, it is with tremendous pride, and thanks to the initiative and vision of mayor Jean Lamarche, that Trois‑Rivières will be hosting the 59th Quebec Games this summer, from July 25 to August 2. This event will bring together more than 3,500 young athletes, aged 12 to 17, from 19 regions of Quebec. It will feature 18 sports and celebrate excellence, passion and commitment. The success of t…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we all agree that there is a housing crisis. This is why the government is getting back into the business of building. This is why we will power innovation with modular and prefabricated homes. We will do it by reducing red tape, increasing efficiency and streamlining operations. We will do it at a very fast speed. This is what we promised Canadians and this is what we will de…
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Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleague to read the Liberal platform. We have made major commitments with respect to transforming government operations. We got to work as soon as we returned. The “build Canada homes” initiative will help make it easier to get housing built faster. That is what Canadians need now.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague noted earlier, we have a national housing strategy that is second to none. We will double the construction of new homes. We concluded an historic agreement with Quebec on the housing accelerator fund. We have invested $900 million. Quebec has also invested $900 million. Real housing units are being built. People are actually living in them now. We are getting things go…
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Mr. Speaker, young Canadians can wait no longer to get the same home ownership opportunities that previous generations have had. Making Canada affordable for first-time homebuyers is one of our top priorities. We have been saying this since Parliament resumed. We said it during the election campaign. We released plans during the election campaign. We are committed to making this happen and we are …
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Mr. Speaker, as usual, my colleagues keep focusing on just a few parts of the Auditor General's report to cause a media stir. The Government of Canada has committed to doubling the pace of housing construction over the next decade to 500,000 housing units a year. I invite my colleagues to reread the Auditor General's report properly, in its entirety. To meet the needs of a growing Canada, we must …
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