Eric Lefebvre

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to deviate slightly from protocol, as I would like to speak about a colleague who is held in high regard by all. His zest for life is unmatched. I am, of course, referring to our colleague from Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, who suffered a serious medical emergency last week. I would like to commend his assistant, Lauriane, who acted with calm and composure. Without her, our colleague would probably no longer be with us today. I thank her for what she did. On behalf of the member for Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, I would also like to thank all my colleagues on both sides of the House who have written to wish him a speedy recovery. It is clear that we can rise above our differences and move beyond party politics. This member is clearly held in high regard by all our colleagues in Ottawa. Finally, on behalf of all parliamentarians, I would like to wish my colleague a speedy recovery. May he get plenty of rest and return to us in fine form in the fall. Be well, my friend. I am very pleased to rise in the House today to speak to Bill C-30, spring economic update 2026 implementation act. As the parliamentary session draws to a close and members return to their communities, I want to take this solemn moment to offer a rigorous assessment of the past few months, an assessment that, unfortunately, can be summed up in a single word: respect. Actually, it is more accurately described as flagrant, persistent, calculated and insulting disrespect on the part of the Liberal government, day after day, toward Parliament, toward our democratic institutions, and toward all Canadians. The Parliament of Canada is a sacred place. This is where 343 duly elected members gather to convey the voices, fears, hopes and needs of over 40 million citizens from coast to coast to coast. It is the beating heart of our democracy. What have the Liberals been doing throughout this parliamentary session, and particularly over the past two weeks? They have been stifling democratic debate. They have been shutting down debate over and over through heavy-handed closure motions on bills that are critically important to the future of our country. They shut down debate on Bill C‑14. They shut down debate on Bill C‑26. They shut down debate on Bill C‑20. They shut down debate on Bill C‑9. Finally, they shut down debate on Bill C‑30. Elected officials did not have the time to study the legislation, question experts in committee or amend the clauses, which needed quite a bit of work. I have a simple question, one that millions of taxpayers are asking: How can Canadians trust the Liberals to manage their money? That is a fundamental question. The Conservatives are asking this on behalf of Canadians, who are still awaiting an answer. This government's contempt does not stop there. The Liberals have shown that they have no respect for taxpayers' money. Day after day, Canadians send money to Ottawa and ask us to manage it wisely in order to deliver services. That is what we need to do. However, what the Liberals have done is add more bureaucracy and create a never‑ending financial fiasco. Facts are facts. The Cúram software project had an initial budget of $1.75 billion. It ended up costing $6.6 billion. Instead of calling for an investigation, expressing outrage and saying that this is unacceptable, what did the Liberals do in the economic update? They added another $500 million to that project. Employees are telling us that what they need is not more money, but to be heard. Employees working with the Cúram system have written to me and spoken to me over the phone. They say that the system is not working and that they are not being listened to, unfortunately. I reached out to the minister. I offered to meet with her and with the employees who use the Cúram system so that they can tell us what is not working so that she could fix it. She turned down my offer. Employees are willing to help us and to help the Liberal government fix this fiasco, but what did the Liberals do? They turned a deaf ear. The situation involving Maritime Launch Services is a financial scandal. A private company is leasing a parcel of land for $13,500 and subleasing it to the federal government for $20 million a year for 10 years, for a total of $200 million. Then the government asks Canadians to send a portion of their hard-earned paycheque every Thursday, telling them that it is going to manage the money properly. It is embarrassing. I asked the minister some clear questions. Who signed the contract? Who read the contract? When did the minister meet with that company? I did not get any answers. For the past few years, we have been fortunate to have social media to keep us connected to the population. People are furious. They are writing to ask me whether the minister gave me an answer and whether he told me who signed the contract. They are asking why I am not allowed to know who signed the contract. This is a flagrant breakdown in transparency on the part of the government. I asked the minister if I could go meet with the government employees who are telling us that things are not working right but that they are prepared to help us. They have been working with the system for years and are ready to help us because they know it inside out. I am asking the minister to let me go meet with these employees so that they can explain what is going wrong, because that is our role. The minister refuses to meet with them. This is no joke. People working for the government want to help us, but the government refuses to meet with them. Canadians are frustrated about the way things are being handled, and opposition members are frustrated about how we are being treated right now. When I asked the minister a question about the lease, he said he would set up a meeting so I could get to know some astronauts. Quite frankly, that is embarrassing. I do not want to meet with the astronauts; I want to meet with the managers. Our role is to manage the money that Canadians entrust to us. We must manage this money the way good fathers and mothers do and, above all, the way good managers do. We need to use that money wisely. We must give Canadians services that are worth the money they entrust to us. That is our role. However, right now, the government is operating by stifling debate over and over. The government is muzzling the opposition and working without respecting Canadians and the money they entrust to us. We are getting ready to go back to our ridings, get back to our communities and see our constituents. I hope that my Liberal colleagues will also go out and meet with Canadians and listen to them. I have had the privilege of serving at both the municipal and provincial levels, and now I have the privilege of serving at the federal level. I have always said the same thing: It is a great privilege to be the eyes, ears and voice of our constituents. I hope the Liberals will be the eyes, ears and voice of their constituents this summer, because they are probably going to be surprised by what they hear. Canadians are not happy that their public finances are being mismanaged. They do not like that. In closing, I would like to share my hopes for when Parliament returns from the summer recess. I hope the government will respect Parliament and answer questions honestly, so that we get real answers. I hope the government will invest in the community rather than continuing to fund bureaucracy. I hope the government will manage Canadians' money in a responsible, disciplined and transparent manner. The people listening to us are probably thinking I am dreaming. On this side of the House, we will always be there to stand up for Canadians and to ensure that their money is managed wisely.

Mr. Speaker, I do not need any lectures from my colleague across the aisle. This is the same member who said that nobody in his riding was calling him about Cúram, even though 48,000 seniors have been waiting for their money for eight or nine months. He was corrected by the government whip. I will take no lessons from him.

Mr. Speaker, Liberal government members should make the most of the summer by going into communities and meeting with Canadians, who will tell them exactly what my colleague just said: People are struggling and cannot afford the cost of either groceries or rent. Just yesterday evening, a 53-year-old man wrote to me about how he recently moved back in with his mother. He has a job, but he cannot afford to pay rent. It is time for the Liberals to get back out into communities and listen to Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, we will soon be adjourning for the summer and going home to our communities. The Prime Minister says that the cost of living is the best it has been in decades. The reality is that the country is in a recession, and Canadians know it. Canadians know that grocery prices have gone up. Canadians know that food banks are overwhelmed. Canadians know that rents are unaffordable, on the eve of July 1. We know that 48,000 seniors are still waiting for their benefits because the Cúram system is a Liberal fiasco. Will the Prime Minister admit that his first year in government has been a flop?

Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate my colleague. Could he explain how the Liberal government led Canada into the only recession in the G20? This was due to a multitude of bad decisions and poor management. There are two issues I am still waiting for answers on: the $5-billion cost overruns for Cúram and the $200-million lease on a parcel of land. My questions are simple. When was the minister informed? Who signed those contracts? Lastly, will the Prime Minister scrap his failed policies?

Mr. Speaker, I have a brief reminder for the minister. The country's best years were under the Conservatives. Slower growth and a higher deficit: That is the alarming assessment from the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The result is that GDP per capita growth in Canada remains among the lowest in the G20; the Canadian economy has contracted over the last two quarters; and under this Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country in recession. I have a simple multiple-choice question for the Prime Minister: Has Canada entered a recession or a technical recession?

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I asked whether we were in a technical recession or a recession. Once again, there is no answer. In order to solve a problem, we first have to acknowledge that a problem exists. However, the Liberals still refuse to acknowledge that Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the Liberals are going to add $318 billion to the national debt by 2031, assuming no other measures are put in place. There is no limit on the Liberal credit card. Will the government finally put an end to its mismanagement, which has, unfortunately, plunged Canada into a recession?

Mr. Speaker, what is our role here as elected officials? We have a legislative role when it comes to bills. We must ensure the sound management of public finances. We represent the people of our ridings. We are the eyes, voice and ears of the people. Earlier, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House said that we were against the development of the aerospace industry. We are not against the development of the aerospace industry; we are against the mismanagement of public finances. We are dealing a financial scandal involving Maritime Launch Services, a private company that leases 135 hectares of land from the Nova Scotia provincial government. This private company took its contract and decided to lease the land to the federal Liberal government for $20 million a year for 10 years, for a total of $200 million. My question for the Liberal government is simple. If it had been their own money, would they have signed this contract? The answer is clear. Of course, no one here would have done that. No Canadian would have signed a contract like that. Why did the Liberal government sign a contract like that? The Maritime Launch Services site is on a gravel road. There are two shipping containers and a concrete pad measuring 25 feet by 35 feet. That is the infrastructure that the government is renting for $20 million a year for the next 10 years. Over the past few days, I asked the Minister of Finance some questions. Who signed the contract? Who read the contract? When was the minister informed of this contract? I asked him if he had met with officials from Maritime Launch Services. He did not recall. I reminded him of the exact date he met with them. I asked him if his chief of staff had ever met with officials from Maritime Launch Services. He did not know. When he was industry minister, his chief of staff met with them 14 times, seven times in 2023 and seven times in 2024. Again, he met with them 14 times. How is it possible that the minister does not remember that he had these important meetings with his chief of staff? The minister is currently taking Canadians' concerns so lightly that he offered to introduce me to some astronauts. I do not want to meet astronauts. I want to meet with experienced stewards who will sign contracts that meet the expectations of Canadians, the people who elected us to ensure the sound management of public finances. This is unacceptable to us. Canadians work hard every day to earn a living, to be able to pay for a place to live, a vehicle to drive and food to eat. They send a portion of their wages to us here as taxes. Our role is to be good stewards and to serve Canadians. That is our role. It is to be good stewards. Right now, the federal government is being a very poor steward. This is just one example. Then people wonder why the country's deficit, which was $700 billion when the Liberals took office 10 years ago, is now at $1.4 trillion. Bad decisions like this add up. I can say that Canadians are extremely frustrated right now. A lot of people are telling me that. Frédéric told me that the government never answers questions and that I will definitely never get any answers. Nathalie wonders why they do not answer and adds that ministers are all the same when they have to be accountable. Mathieu says it is not easy to answer such a simple question. Stéphane says that he has rarely seen someone dodge such a simple question. Patrick says that he cannot get over how some people never answer questions. Sébastien says that the minister never manages to answer and that he always runs out the clock. Guylaine said that he stalls for time and never answers my questions. Sylvie says that his total disregard for us and the way he treats us like idiots is unbelievable. This is what people are writing to tell me about this matter. Faced with such a case, how are Canadians supposed to trust a Liberal government? On August 13, 2024, the Minister of Finance and National Revenue met with representatives of Maritime Launch Services. The former Nova Scotia Liberal minister sits on the advisory board of Maritime Launch Services. I remember that Maritime Launch Services had signed an agreement with the Nova Scotia provincial government and, lo and behold, the former premier of Nova Scotia also sits on its advisory board. According to the Halifax Examiner, the former premier of Nova Scotia had written a letter of support on the company's behalf even before the project had been submitted for an environmental assessment. Mr. McNeil was appointed to the Maritime Launch Services advisory board in 2023 after announcing his resignation in 2021. It is only natural to ask questions. How can anyone agree to a deal like that? Who signed that agreement? Someone accepted it; someone put their signature to it. There had to have been a point when the minister knew this agreement was going to be signed. When was he made aware of it? As MPs who are mandated to be the eyes, voice and ears of our constituents, we cannot accept this situation. It is our role to strongly call this out. What would make me happy is if the Liberal MPs who also just found out about this in recent weeks were as outraged as we are and said that this is unacceptable. After all, this money is coming from their constituents too, and they are suffering as a result. Canadians have worked hard for the money they send to us. They want us to recognize the value of every single dollar they send to us. The minister finds this funny. The minister just walked into the House and he finds this funny. We are talking about a land lease, minister, which you arranged for $20 million a year—

Personally, Mr. Speaker, I do not see the humour in the situation. What is funny, however, is that the site is located in a Liberal riding. The former aide to the Minister of Justice was a lobbyist for the project. The former Liberal premier of Nova Scotia sits on the advisory board. Furthermore, the president of the Canadian Space Agency has stated that she was never consulted about the choice of site. The minister told me this week that he wanted to introduce me to some astronauts so that I could understand why he had chosen this site. The president of the Canadian Space Agency was not consulted. I think that says it all. Everything is in place. This is a financial scandal, and on this side of the House, we will stand up for Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, it is pathetic to hear the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader speak. The parliamentary secretary is doing the Liberal government's dirty work, which is indefensible. It is indefensible. We are not against aerospace development. We are against financial scandals. Now the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader is trying to defend them. I commend the parliamentary secretary for courageously doing his party's dirty work. That is to his credit, but it does not reflect well on his party because, right now, this is a financial scandal, and we are going to stand up for our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, whom I hold in particularly high regard and who lives in an incredible part of the country. This is sad. It is something we often say, for example during oral question period, which is aptly named. It is a question period, not an answer period. It is the same in committee. We ask questions, and sadly, we get no answers. There are Canadians who listen to question period and committee hearings. Unfortunately, all this does is fuel their cynicism about politics. People can clearly see that we are not getting any answers from the government. This applies even more in the case of financial scandals like this one.

Mr. Speaker, I want to note that I will be sharing my time with the member for Newmarket—Aurora. I rise today in the House to support the Conservative motion calling on the Prime Minister to take action to deal with the recession. I do so with a deep sense of responsibility, but also with great concern for the economic future of our country and that of our children and our grandchildren. The facts are unequivocal, stark and beyond dispute: Canada is in a recession. The motion tabled today makes that clear. It calls on the House to recognize that the Liberal Prime Minister has given Canada the only economy in recession in the G7. The current Prime Minister has the unenviable distinction of being the only leader among all our partners to have led his country down this path. While our international partners are tackling global challenges with resilience, Canada is sinking. The Liberals like to hide behind flowery words and their speeches. They call this situation a technical recession. Let us be very clear: There is absolutely nothing technical about this. There is nothing technical about a family having to choose between filling up the gas tank and buying groceries. There is nothing technical about the thousands of workers who have lost their jobs, while our country now has the second-highest unemployment rate in the G7, one-third higher than that of the United States. There is nothing technical about people seeing their dream of home ownership vanish forever because this government's policies have led us to the highest housing costs in the G7. What the Liberals call a technical anomaly is in reality a crisis of their own making, caused by their own decisions that are suffocating the public by creating the highest household debt in the G7. This is very bad news for Canada, for Canadians, for Quebeckers, and for the people of Beauce, as my colleague would proudly say. People from coast to coast to coast need a strong economy and a government that supports it, rather than weakened Liberals. Unfortunately, I am not surprised. No one on our side of the House is surprised. This recession is not just happenstance or the result of unpredictable international circumstances. It is the direct result of a decade of Liberal mismanagement. After 10 years of this government, Canada's federal debt has more than doubled, soaring from $616 billion to $1.473 trillion. This Liberal government has racked up more debt on Canada's credit card than all previous governments put together. The Liberals have flooded the economy with printed money, triggered an inflationary crisis and made life more expensive for everyone from coast to coast to coast. The economy is suffering, and Canadians are being left to foot the bill. Where is the Prime Minister's leadership while our economy is collapsing? What is his response to this major crisis affecting Canadian families? It is silence. The Prime Minister has not said a word about the recession. He refuses even to utter the word. He refuses to face reality. He refuses to answer Canadians' valid questions. Instead of presenting a serious economic plan, he prefers to look the other way and feign ignorance. This silence is an insult to workers who are losing their jobs and to families who are asking for only one thing: leadership. The Prime Minister has chosen to hide behind his ministers and stock phrases. His lack of public comment on the matter demonstrates a complete disconnect and a profound disregard for the economic hardship Canadians are facing. Let us talk about the Liberals' disastrous mismanagement and its devastating effects. While ordinary Canadians are being forced to stretch their own budgets and food banks across the country are seeing record demand, this government continues to squander taxpayers' money on misguided projects, crony contracts and inefficient bureaucracies. Public funds are being managed as though there were no obligation to be a good steward. Let us look at a few flagrant examples of this waste. First, let us consider the ArriveCAN scandal. This app was supposed to cost $80,000 and ended up costing $60 million. Worse still was the Cúram fiasco, which was supposed to cost $1.75 billion and ended up costing $6.6 billion. In the most recent update, the government added an additional $500 million for this system. That is a cost overrun of over $5 billion. Who is paying for that? It is Canadians. It is those who work hard every day. It will be our children and grandchildren who will pay for the Liberals' mismanagement. That is a national disgrace. The list goes on. I spoke about this next example already this week. A private company is leasing a plot of land from the provincial government for $13,500. That company then turned around and sublet the same land to the Liberal federal government for $20 million a year on a 10-year contract, for a total of $200 million. That is $200 million out of Canadians' pockets for a plot of land that is worth $13,500. Instead of providing real answers, the minister told me this week that he would love to arrange for me to meet with some astronauts. I will invite my friend from Beauce to come to the meeting. The minister's brilliant management tactic is to offer us a meeting with astronauts in order to explain how a $13,500 lease turned into $20 million in subletting fees every year for 10 years. Come on. The recession we are in today is no accident. It is the inevitable result of 10 years of structural deficits, stifling bureaucracy, punitive taxes and blatant contempt for sound fiscal management. Spending money does not lead to prosperity. Taxing people does not enrich this country. That is why our motion today is centred on the need for the House to call on the Liberal Prime Minister to immediately present a plan to reverse all the economic policies of the Liberal government that have given Canada the G7's worst economy. Canadians are fed up with their government asking them to tighten their belts while the Prime Minister stays silent and his ministers squander billions of dollars on a defective IT system. There is nothing that could justify wasting so much taxpayer money. Quebeckers and Canadians deserve a responsible government, one that respects every hard-earned dollar of its citizens. They deserve a government that understands that taxpayers' money does not belong to the state. That is why I support this motion with pride and determination. It is high time to cut Liberal waste, abolish Liberal taxes, restore a balanced budget, reverse these destructive policies and finally give Canadians back control of their economy, along with the hope and the chance to dream once again of a great and proud country.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague opposite, whom I like a lot, also has the privilege of being a grandfather. It is unacceptable that our children and grandchildren are already $44,000 in debt the day they are born because the Liberal government caused the deficit to balloon from around $700 billion to $1.4 trillion in the space of 10 years.

Mr. Speaker, this year, the Victoriaville CEGEP's Vulkins sports program is proudly celebrating its 55th anniversary. For over half a century, the Vulkins have embodied the pursuit of excellence, perseverance and teamwork. The CEGEP's dynamic teams and athletes have made Victoriaville famous across Quebec and far beyond. This anniversary is significant for me personally because my brother Carl and I were lucky enough to wear Vulkin purple. During our time as Vulkin athletes, we developed values, friendships and a sense of belonging that have stayed with us to this day. I want to pay tribute to all the generations of athletes, coaches, volunteers and staff members who built the big Vulkin family over the past 55 years. I also want to take this opportunity to invite all alumni and members of the public to the Vulkin reunion from October 9 to 11 and to the inauguration of the Boralex sports centre, which is happening around the same time. As they say in Victoriaville, once a Vulkin, always a Vulkin.

Mr. Speaker, here is a sad reality: Canada is the only G7 country in a recession. The Liberals have been racking up deficits for 10 years. Since they took office, the debt has risen from $700 billion to $1.4 trillion. They are engaging in inflationary spending. There have been 10 years of economic mismanagement. The result is clear, and the facts are undeniable: 112,000 Canadians have lost their jobs over the past three months. Many Canadians are struggling to pay their mortgages and buy groceries. Two million Canadians visit food banks every month—