Parliamentary Speeches
525 speeches by Claude DeBellefeuille — Page 9 of 11
Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, let me summarize the situation. Global News has reported on Chinese interference in the 2019 election. At least 11 candidates may have received funding from China. Intelligence services informed the Prime Minister's Office as far back as January 2022. We are trying to get to the bottom of this, but we are not getting any clear answers from either the Prime Minister or the Minister of …
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Mr. Speaker, even if there was no Chinese interference with the funding of 11 candidates, we know that a real risk still exists. We need only think of the Chinese researchers at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, the secret police stations in Toronto and the espionage at Hydro-Québec. It is naive to believe that there is no threat of Chinese interference in elections. Instead of bei…
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Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today as we debate the—what is it now?—18th or 19th time allocation motion so far. It is hard to keep track because this habit has become so ingrained in how we operate. It is time allocation after time allocation. Maybe people will start using that expression. Time allocation used to be the exception, but now, since the pandemic, since the advent of the hy…
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Madam Speaker, I think we all know the solution. It is what the premiers of every province and territory have been asking for. The solution is enough money in health transfers so that each province can make appropriate, high-quality services available to its citizens based on their priorities, their circumstances and their needs. The solution is health transfers with no strings attached because ev…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. During the pandemic, the government reacted quickly and implemented special benefits through EI. These benefits ended recently, leaving a lot of workers and people in need in a tight spot. The EI program already needed to be changed and reformed before the pandemic. People have been calling for that for many years because it is an old program t…
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Madam Speaker, I share my colleague's concerns. The measures announced in this economic statement are thin, flimsy and unambitious when it comes to preventing so much money from going to tax havens. We urge the government to be a true world leader and do everything it can to prevent tax avoidance.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec celebrates the social economy every November. When people purchase goods or services from the social economy, the whole community benefits. The social economy is about supporting businesses that care about community and local services. The social economy is about businesswomen and businessmen who value quality of life and citizen engagement. These are business leaders who prior…
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Madam Speaker, we are not debating the hybrid Parliament today. However, since the question was asked, I will provide a quick answer. The hybrid Parliament was created for use during the pandemic, but now it is being changed with a view to perhaps making it permanent in order to foster work-life balance, among other things. The Bloc Québécois does a lot to promote work-life balance and, as whip, I…
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Madam Speaker, I think that my colleague's testimony and question say it all. Today, the government is trying to do indirectly what it cannot do directly: dictate to the opposition how work is to proceed. I think that, given all his personal and professional qualities, the government House leader could have made more of an effort to try to secure the co-operation of all House leaders. If he had ac…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak to this debate on Motion No. 22 under Government Business. For those watching us, this motion may seem procedural and maybe even uninteresting. We are talking about procedure and rules. The public does not usually like that part and does not consider it a priority. However, we are talking about democracy here. From what I see, and from what my entire ca…
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Madam Speaker, I am somewhat surprised by the turn today's debate has taken. I note that the government House leader gave a spiritual and somewhat philosophical speech about how he sees things. I see signs of his personal growth. I heard him quote the Bible. I realize that it may be pleasant to hear ourselves talk and share ideas, but we must not forget what today's debate is about. We are debatin…
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Madam Speaker, I thought it was time for questions and comments.
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Mr. Speaker, I listened to the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader. Perhaps he should take a cue from his House leader, who is suggesting that everyone remain reasonable, calm, open-minded and forgiving. I think he still has a lot to learn from his House leader. I do not see how shouting and raising one's voice in the House is a credit to anyone. It sends the message that the pr…
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Madam Speaker, five Bloc Québécois members participated in the debate on Bill S‑5, as did 27 Conservatives. That works out to about the same proportion for both parties. I cannot complain or criticize if members want to speak to a bill. I find my colleague's argument rather weak. The government has passed all its priority bills. In has checked a lot of items off its legislative to-do list. As we s…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. I am not sure if it is a coincidence, but we know that the NPD whip is also a member of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. This morning she was also at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. The idea is to determine whether committees are being cancelled out of expediency. The Standing committee on Veterans Affairs is a…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 100th anniversary of Montcalm Farm. For the Montcalms, agriculture is a family affair and above all a passion. In 1922, Joseph Montcalm bought a farm in Saint‑Louis‑de‑Gonzague. His son and daughter-in-law, Roch and Corona, then went to live on the dairy farm. Then brothers Maurice, François and Marc joined the business to expand the farm. Now, the cousins are…
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Mr. Speaker, I know you have had a busy day. It is an honour to have you with us this evening and to see you in the chair until perhaps late into the night. I am pleased to participate in the debate on Bill C‑31. As everyone knows, this bill will make a benefit available to certain families with children, depending on their income, to pay for dental care services. It will also make a $500 lump sum…
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Mr. Speaker, maybe it is because I am speaking in French that those who speak only in English are less interested. I wonder. The idea is that we have to wonder about the money that will be spent when we propose a measure that is fundamentally good. Will the money meet our public health objectives? In Quebec, we already have a body with the expertise to measure outcomes, and that is Quebec public h…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. He is right when he says that we both agree that these needs exist. We agree that children throughout Quebec and the other provinces need dental care. We agree that people who are more disadvantaged, less fortunate, those who have a harder life, need support for housing. However, we disagree on the means being used. We do not think …
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Madam Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my colleague. As someone pointed out, I think he is on his fourth speech of the day. I want to commend him for all of the energy and passion he still has at this rather late hour. I know that he is a diligent, hard-working MP who loves his community and who believes in its vitality. Does he not truly believe that it would have been better for the f…
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Mr. Speaker, I apologize if I offended my colleague. I hope it was clear that, physically, I was not talking about her, but about other members who were speaking very loudly in the House. I found their lack of respect very disturbing and insulting. I certainly was not talking about her. I know that she is a conscientious member, that she listens to me and is interested in what I have to say. In an…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. We learn something new every day and I just learned that she used to be a dental hygienist. She knows what she is talking about. I have a more specific question for her. Since she was a practitioner and professional in the field, she knows that implementing a universal dental care program takes a lot of time, including to negotiate with the provinc…
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Madam Speaker, I really enjoyed the member for Jonquière's speech. He made some strong, well-researched arguments that I think make sense. I would like him to explain to me in different words why he thinks that the Liberals, with the help of the NDP, had to impose a major gag order and fast-track the passage of this bill when we know that more time was needed to properly research it, listen to exp…
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Madam Speaker, I think that my colleague believes that it is important for children under 12 to have dental care. However, on the issue of priorities in health and social services, can he tell us who he thinks is best placed to determine, in each province, the health care and social services that need to be offered to the least fortunate populations and the population as a whole? What jurisdiction…
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Madam Speaker, I really appreciated my colleague's speech. It was rigorous and well researched. We can see that he knows his constituents and his community. It is always moving to see members who have such a good understanding of the needs of their community. My question is quite simple. The federal government is known to have dabbled in social programs in the past. For example, it funded a progra…
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Mr. Speaker, that aligns perfectly with the new policy Canada unveiled in Washington last week. Canada announced that its new foreign policy and energy policy will put the pedal to the metal to sell more oil and gas to its allies. It has already started. That is exactly what it is doing right now in Newfoundland. It is expediting oil exploration by waiving the requirement for an environmental impa…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties and I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House strongly condemn threats, intimidation and hateful comments against parliamentarians and their families, and offer its full support to those who are victims.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise in solidarity with the wife of the leader of the official opposition and all who have been bullied because of their political beliefs. We are all here in the House because we want to change things. We have different visions. Some of us see Canada as a postnational society, others as a prosperous oil state. We see Canada as a good neighbour to Quebec. We may disagree, stand our …
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Madam Speaker, I request a recorded division.
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Madam Speaker, as you probably know, the International Day of Older Persons is coming up soon. I would like to take advantage of the debate on my bill to draw everyone's attention to this important day, because the generation before mine did so much for the French language. As a society, it waged major battles. Its story is the story of a nation that owns its uniqueness. It is therefore fitting, o…
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Madam Speaker, it is not a question of whether we are for or against Bill C-21. We know that the bill is not perfect, but it is important. This is about how the Liberal government has managed its legislative agenda. To be frank, honest and sincere, it has been a complete disaster. I have never seen a legislative agenda managed like this. We are meeting again today and we will likely sit until late…
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Mr. Speaker, I usually begin my speeches by saying that I am pleased to participate in the debate on a bill. However, today, I have to say that I am really disappointed to be here once again debating a bill that, as we know, affects sick workers who need more than 15 weeks of special employment insurance sickness benefits. During the previous Parliament, I had the privilege of introducing a bill t…
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to rise in the House today to mark the 30th anniversary of the Table de concertation des aînés de Beauharnois‑Salaberry, a round table on seniors' issues in Beauharnois‑Salaberry. I applaud the work done by all of the partners to highlight the reality of seniors in the Beauharnois‑Salaberry RCM. Together, community organizations and the health care system fought ha…
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Mr. Speaker, I have seen a lot of bills, and it is extraordinary for Quebec to officially submit amendments to a federal bill. It is extraordinary because it is existential. Bill C-13 is about our official, common and national language. Quebec is saying that, without amendments, Bill C-13 does not protect French in Quebec. Rather, it promotes bilingualism, which leads to anglicization. Does the fe…
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Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec gave all members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages a book of amendments for Bill C‑13, in which is sets out how to actually protect the French Language. Quebec reiterates that the bill must mention the particular situation of French as a minority language within an English-speaking continent. It also reiterates that the Charter of the French Lang…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour of the motion.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting in favour of the motion.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting in favour of the motion.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting in favour of the motion.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour of the motion.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting in favour of the motion.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting against.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my neighbour. I call him that because his riding neighbours mine, on the Ontario side. I would say that we in the Bloc Québécois are concerned with the profit margins of our refineries. I think there is a way to address this issue. We must ask ourselves who is benefiting from the rising cost of gasoline right now. The oil companies are making a lot of money whi…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, who always asks such pertinent questions. Yes, we support the principle of a luxury tax. However, we are calling on the government to rework this tax and amend it. If the government wanted to be thorough, it would have removed this clause from Bill C‑19, much like how clause 32 was removed, so that it could be studied more closely. It is still possible to do so…
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Thank you, Madam Speaker. You interrupted my flow. I was thanking Ali Agougou and encouraging him to keep up the demanding, top-quality work. He is the vice-president of an association representing Quebec honey wine producers. He called my office to tell us that it makes no sense, that these producers are small local operations that do not make enough to export and should therefore not be taxed. S…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to debate Bill C‑19. Members probably heard me at the start of the day speaking against closure on this bill because, it must be said, Bill C‑19 is very long and contains many clauses to be studied. We are talking about 432 pages full of amendments to existing bills and little time to learn more about the implications of their application. That takes hard …
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Madam Speaker, under the Standing Orders, the government can use time allocation, but there is a difference between using it and abusing it. Bill C-19 is not a small inconsequential bill. It is over 430 pages long and makes a lot of changes to existing legislation. We need some time to study it. We know that the Standing Committee on Finance was rushed. We had time to present amendments, which wer…
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