Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the number of homicides is on the rise in Canada. In 2021, it reached 788; that is two per day. In Quebec there were 88 homicides, and that number is also on the rise. It is the highest national rate since this Liberal government came into power. The Liberals have failed in their duty to ensure that Canada is a country where citizens feel safe. Will the government finally do its job a…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians feel less and less safe in their community and yet this government is doing absolutely nothing to help them. That is the case for women who have to go out at night. The government even reduced sentences for certain violent crimes. The Liberals' soft-on-crime approach is reckless and puts Canadians' lives at risk. When will the government do the right thing and come down hard…
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Mr. Speaker, some people do not know how they are going to pay for groceries on the weekend, nor whether they can pay for heating. Students have to sleep in shelters, and workers have to use food banks, which 1.5 million Canadians turned to in a single month. Can the Liberal government look Canadians in the eye and tell them in all sincerity that the carbon tax is good for them?
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Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax only does one thing, and that is make Canadians poorer. It achieves nothing. The Liberals know that Canadians are suffering due to inflation, yet the government stubbornly insists on increasing the carbon tax. My leader, along with every Conservative in this place, is calling for the Liberals to abandon their plan to increase Canadians' taxes. Will they do it, yes or no…
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Mr. Speaker, he would do well to stop playing politics and show a bit of compassion. We want tangible measures now, not costly solutions that will take months to come in. Again, I said it yesterday, our leader and every Conservative here is calling for one thing: to cancel the plan to increase the carbon tax. It is clear and simple.
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Mr. Speaker, the holidays are going to be pretty dismal for Canadians. With the price of groceries going through the roof, there may not be much on families' tables. With the price of gas hitting record highs, some families will not be able to visit relatives and friends. Add to that the skyrocketing cost of heating. That is the last straw. Will the government take our advice and eliminate the car…
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Mr. Speaker, Liberal inflation is making everyone's life impossible. Winter is here. There is no denying it; it is pretty cold already. Canadians are having a hard time paying their bills, including their heating bill. Canadians need help now. They cannot afford to pay more. Our leader, my Conservative Party colleagues and I have a very simple solution: eliminate the carbon tax on home heating bil…
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Madam Speaker, Liberal inflation is having a disturbing impact on vulnerable pregnant women who are food insecure. According to Fondation Olo, which provides food specifically to those pregnant women, they choose to go without themselves so they can feed their other children. Why is this happening? Because food has become unaffordable. Ultimately, they are being asked to choose between their unbor…
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Mr. Speaker, Liberal inflation hurts. We learned that the proportion of Quebeckers experiencing food insecurity has doubled. It is currently 15%. These are people who have jobs but are worried about not being able to afford groceries at the end of the week, people who are skipping meals and using food banks. That is happening here in Canada, a G7 country. All of my Conservative colleagues have bee…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals caused the Liberal inflation that is impoverishing Canadians, who have to choose between putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their heads and getting around. This Liberal crisis is hurting everyone. Some people are skipping meals. Workers are using food banks. Students are staying in shelters. The Liberals do not care about any of that and are still reaching int…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party saw the economic storm coming and often warned the Liberals. However, poor managers that they are, they continue to spend recklessly. Just consider the ArriveCAN app, which gobbled up $54 million, and the purchase of twice the number of medical ventilators required, which cost taxpayers $403 million for nothing. Families are struggling. Workers are going to food…
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Madam Speaker, today I want to honour the memory of Gérard Laliberté, who passed away on October 11. Mr. Laliberté lived a very full life on both a personal and professional level. He had deep roots in Honfleur, where he lived his entire life with his wife, Rose. They had five children who gave them 33 descendants. Gérard Laliberté was the son of a farmer and he followed in his family's footsteps …
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Mr. Speaker, the situation in this country is pretty bad. Food prices are up 11.4%, houses are unaffordable and young people are sleeping in their parents' basements. Winter is coming, and we know how harsh winter is in Canada. Heating our homes is not a luxury. Today we are calling on the government to exempt all forms of home heating fuel from the carbon tax for all Canadians Will the government…
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Mr. Speaker, as several of my colleagues pointed out today, the cost of food is 11.4% higher than it was last year. Prices have not gone up that much since 1981. Canadians are struggling to buy food and clothing and heat their homes. Christmas is coming. What kind of holiday are Canadians going to have? The Prime Minister is bound and determined to take even more money off Canadians' paycheques. W…
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Mr. Speaker, according to a recent poll, 85% of Quebeckers have had to change their habits to deal with the rising cost of living in 2022. They are reducing their outings, choosing house brands or putting off renovations. They are struggling to keep their heads above water. Instead of helping them, this government wants to deduct more money from their paycheques. Will the Prime Minister commit tod…
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Madam Speaker, the reality is that this government is going to take even more money out of Canadians' paycheques. People are drowning. Everything is so expensive. House prices have gone up 21% in the Quebec City region alone. A pound of butter, from a well-known brand in Quebec, now retails for $8.49. Instead of showing contempt for citizens who are struggling to get by, will the government commit…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has chosen to protect Hockey Canada instead of women who are victims of sexual assault. The government has known since 2018 that there was a problem at Hockey Canada, but it deliberately looked the other way. On behalf of all these victims who were let down by Hockey Canada, we demand to know why the government turned a blind eye to these multiple sexual assault…
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Mr. Speaker, it is not news to my colleagues that the cost of living has now made things so difficult that more and more Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque. The Conservatives have made concrete suggestions to give them a bit of relief: Cancel the January 1 tax increase and above all cancel the carbon tax that the government wants to triple. What is the government doing? It refuses to list…
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Mr. Speaker, people nowadays feel like they have lost control of both their wallets and their lives. Government spending is driving up the cost of living. This Liberal government has doubled our national debt, which is now more than that of all previous governments put together. It is the most spendthrift government in history. The more it spends, the more prices go up. As a result, families are b…
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Mr. Speaker, Conservative members have spoken every day in the House about what we are hearing in our ridings. We hear terrible stories about the cost of living. More and more Canadians are going to food banks. Mothers have to make painful choices. Young students have to sleep in shelters. Winter is coming, and families will have trouble heating their homes. We are asking the Prime Minister to hav…
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Mr. Speaker, the price of basic foods is skyrocketing. For example, bakery products are up 16% in one year. Butter costs 26% more and is now $8.26. Thousands of Quebec families are struggling to make ends meet. Instead of wanting to help them, the Prime Minister wants to increase the burden on families. There is only one thing to do: Cancel the tax increase. Can we count on him?
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Mr. Speaker, the riding I represent stretches from the St. Lawrence River to the American border. A very large part of it is rural. With the high cost of gas, it is very expensive for my constituents who have to drive to work, do errands or access health care. To help these people, the Prime Minister needs to do just one thing: Cancel the planned tax hike on gas and paycheques. Does he have the gu…
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Mr. Speaker, the government is looking through rose-coloured glasses. The reality is that inflation is eroding Canadians' morale. The cost of food is up 10.8% over last year, the largest increase in the last 40 years. Parents are struggling to feed their children properly and have to make agonizing choices. This government, however, wants to raise taxes for taxpayers who are already stretched to t…
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Mr. Speaker, according to the National Payroll Institute, 85% of Canadians are worried about inflation and rising interest rates. Furthermore, 37% of them are living from paycheque to paycheque and have to spend everything they earn or even more than they earn. Things are starting to look bad. This government could not care less. It is not interested in coming up with a concrete plan to help these…
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Mr. Speaker, passports are a major issue. In an interview with Paul Arcand this morning, the minister said that she knew for months that the situation was going to become problematic. She let the situation deteriorate. Her negligence is typical of this government. The number of applications the government needs to deal with has gotten so out of hand that we have lost count. The minister misled Can…
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Mr. Speaker, the cost of groceries increased by almost 10% in April. It was the fifth month in a row that food prices had increased by more than 5%. The cost of gas was more than $2 per litre. In the greater Quebec City area, house prices have increased by 21% over the past year. With wage increases averaging about 3%, people are struggling to get by. Can the Minister of Finance offer Canadians so…
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Mr. Speaker, people have to bring a tent and camp out on the sidewalk overnight just to get a passport. This is happening in Canada, a G7 country. That department is in chaos. Passport Canada is processing 75,000 applications per week, down from more than 90,000 before COVID. Employees need to be allowed back to work in person, so the business hours can be extended at all offices. Can the minister…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, the very colleague of the Minister of Public Safety, said, “I am not aware of any recommendation from law enforcement. Quite frankly, this was a decision of government”. This completely contradicts what the Minister of Public Safety said. He has misled Canadians and the House. There must be consequences. Will the Prime Minister do the…
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Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Minister of Public Safety said, neither the RCMP nor the Ottawa Police Service asked the government to invoke the Emergencies Act. However, true to form, whenever the Prime Minister is confronted with his contradictions, he dodges the issue or blames others, and when that does not work, he takes cheap shots, which is what he has been doing throughout question peri…
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Mr. Speaker, on April 26, the Minister of Public Safety said, with regard to emergency measures, “I don't want to speak for every last serving member of law enforcement, but there was a very strong consensus that we needed to invoke the act.” We now know that there was no such consensus at any time. He has misled Canadians. He no longer deserves the confidence of the House. Will the minister do th…
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Mr. Speaker, my question is very simple. He misled the House, so he should apologize and step down. Period.
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Mr. Speaker, it is always someone else's fault. Being a minister comes with great responsibility. The minister stated several times, “It was on the advice of law enforcement that we invoked the Emergencies Act.” However, law enforcement never asked for draconian measures. Rex Murphy wrote in the National Post that, for the sake of his integrity, the minister should resign. What is he waiting for—
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Mr. Speaker, a 12-year-old girl found herself right in the middle of a shooting in Montreal. She was traumatized, of course. This is happening in our streets in Quebec. Instead of tackling the problems of street gangs and illegal arms trafficking, this Liberal government is doing the opposite with its Bill C‑5. It is eliminating mandatory prison sentences for gun crimes. How can this government be…
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we believe that serious and violent firearms offences warrant a mandatory sentence. We stand on the side of victims. It is disappointing to see this government openly siding with criminals. It is even letting them serve their sentence at home for such crimes as armed robbery and extortion with a firearm. Those are quite serious crimes. Why is this government…
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Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer tabled a study on the estimated cost of implementing Bill C‑13 on official languages. Treasury Board, Canadian Heritage and IRCC refused to provide the PBO with their planned expenditures for implementing this bill. This is public money. It is money given to us by our citizens. This is a question of transparency and integrity. What are they trying to h…
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Mr. Speaker, two of my constituents, Audrée and Nicolas, contacted me about a very serious issue. Each of them has a baby with serious allergies to breast milk and regular formula, so they absolutely have to use hypoallergenic formula. A product recall caused a shortage, and now, extremely worried parents are seeing empty shelves. Apparently Health Canada has implemented an interim import policy t…
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Mr. Speaker, rising gas prices are directly impacting all Canadians. A recent survey indicated that two-thirds of Canadians will forgo travelling far from home this summer. The impact is also being felt on store shelves. Goods cost more to produce and transport and, of course, consumers are the ones who end up paying the price. Who is actually profiting? The government. For every litre of gasoline…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the achievements of the Blais family from my riding, who were named farm family of the year for 2021. Marcel Blais acquired a small farm in Honfleur in 1969. He married Monique Bélanger the same year, and they would go on to have two children, Dominic and Guillaume. In the early days, the business operated with 23 cows, 92 acres of crops and …
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Mr. Speaker, the right thing to do is to make home ownership a possibility for aspiring Canadian homeowners. Right now, in the Quebec City region, property and house prices have gone up 21%. Even with a good job, home ownership is not a given. Young families are completely giving up on their dream of owning a home. Unfortunately, the Liberals are unsympathetic to their plight. Will this government…
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Mr. Speaker, that is quite vague. Small businesses suffered enormously during the pandemic. As everyone knows, many of them had to temporarily close. Now they are dealing with serious labour shortages and unacceptable delays thanks to Immigration Canada. A landscaping company in my riding has to wait 10 to 12 weeks to get a work permit for temporary foreign workers. In 12 weeks, summer will be ove…
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Mr. Speaker, the delays in processing passport applications are completely unacceptable. People are saying that it is chaos at Service Canada. People are getting abominable service, and some have had to cancel their travel plans. However, this government has a ready-made solution: allow employees to return to work in person at the Service Canada passport offices. When does it plan to recall govern…
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Madam Speaker, now that the pandemic is coming to an end, people are starting to travel again, which is good news. They need to renew their passports, but unfortunately, the wait times are atrocious. People need an appointment to visit some Service Canada locations, but first they have to wait on the phone for hours just to get an appointment. That is completely unacceptable. The problem is that t…
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Madam Speaker, the problems people are running into right now could have easily been foreseen. Telework works up to a certain point, but in the case of passport offices, employees need to be physically on site to provide proper service. We have all come back to work in person here on Parliament Hill. Why then are Service Canada employees not back at work on site?
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is experiencing the sharpest rise in inflation it has seen in the past three decades. Unfortunately, wages are not keeping up, and households are struggling to keep their heads above water. Nearly three-quarters of Quebeckers think inflation is a serious problem. What does this government say? It says it is a global problem. What does the Prime Minister have to say to families …
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Mr. Speaker, the finance minister is saying that constituents who come see us in our constituency offices are liars. The reality is that house prices have gone up by 21% in the Quebec City area. Owning a house now costs 21% more. Gas now costs nearly 2% more. What do the Liberals have to say to Canadians, to Quebeckers and to our constituents who come to our constituency offices and are fed up? Th…
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Mr. Speaker, that is not an answer. Again, the protest this past weekend was orderly. It was simply a matter of leadership. The Minister of Public Safety said, “first of all, we are relieved because of the good work of the police forces on the ground, including the RCMP, which added resources to assure everyone that public safety would be maintained.” That is what he is repeating today. How can he…
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Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, there were protests in downtown Ottawa. The police, the City and the various stakeholders managed the situation effectively and quickly. It was simply a matter of leadership. However, last January, the government was completely overwhelmed by the events on Parliament Hill and hid behind the Emergencies Act. Will the Prime Minister finally admit that he failed to sho…
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Mr. Speaker, when asked about his very luxurious and illegal trip, the Prime Minister says that it happened six years ago and that there is no point talking about it anymore. However, any other Canadian would have had to face due process. Apparently the Prime Minister thinks he is above the law. Is the Minister of Justice okay with this? Does he not think the case should be reopened in light of th…
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Mr. Speaker, real estate costs have risen sharply. Under the Liberals, the average cost of a house doubled from $434,000 to $868,000. That is just insane. Young people cannot even dream of buying their first home. In the rental market, even shacks are out of reach. The government created this real estate chaos, so will it now give a little hope to our young people, who are once again victims of it…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians have had enough. The cost of living and inflation are at a 30-year high, and Canadians overburdened. Everything is more expensive and wages are not going up. The government does not realize how stressful this is for thousands of Canadians. The media and our constituents are telling us about untenable situations and about the difficult choices that have to be made, such as de…
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