Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I remind the House that the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands is the one who brought up the participation of the member from Alberta who spoke earlier. I apologize, but I cannot remember his riding name. If he was called out by the government member, it is perfectly normal and appropriate for him to get a chance to explain himself. That is why I think he should have the floor. …
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Mr. Speaker, I think you have noticed that we welcome each and every member who would like to table a document. This is quite important. I have done that many times and unfortunately the government refuses to do so when I try. What is important is that the documents be in both official languages. Unfortunately, the member tabled a document in English only. I invite him to fix this.
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Mr. Speaker, we, the Conservatives are for culture and against censorship. The problem with Bill C-10 is that it was literally thrown together by the Minister of Canadian Heritage after he withdrew the much-talked-about clause 4.1 resulting in Canadians' freedom of expression no longer being protected and even threatened. We are not the only ones saying this. Academics, observers, former members o…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that it is the Deputy Prime Minister answering the question. I can also understand why because every time the Minister of Canadian Heritage speaks, he gets tangled in his own web. On the weekend, it was something else. In the span of 24 hours, he had to clarify his position twice and apologize. As a result, the parliamentary secretary is taking the scrums now. The …
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I quoted someone else, but today I will quote you. During question period you said that we are on “week five of a long stretch”. We are coming to the end of a fifth consecutive week where we all worked in the House of Commons. Next week, we will all be in our ridings to continue working for our constituents. Now I would like to ask my government counterpart, the minister an…
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Madam Speaker, I first want to thank the hon. member and parliamentary secretary. I, too, extend my most sincere condolences to him. I know he is an honourable man and that he learned a great deal from his father, as all of us should. My question for the parliamentary secretary is actually quite simple. When there is a minority government, an election can be triggered in two ways. First, the gover…
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Mr. Speaker, to instill confidence during a pandemic, the Prime Minister must absolutely tell Canadians the truth. It was surprising to say the least to hear him talking yesterday about a one-dose summer. What does that mean? We all know that two doses are required. I am sorry, but one dose is not enough, it is a failure and it confirms that the government is unable to deal with the situation prop…
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Mr. Speaker, giving people one dose of a vaccine is not a success; it is a failure. The Prime Minister has said that it takes two doses, but he is not able to get them distributed for this summer. A year ago, when we were looking for vaccines, the Prime Minister's first move was to sign an agreement with China, which then changed its mind and left us with nothing at all. We went 10 days without re…
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Mr. Speaker, I take him at his word: reopen in September with two doses. However, he had said that the second doses would be given by September. As we speak, Europe is reopening. As we speak, our American neighbours can go to events and gatherings. In contrast, Canadians are still dealing with lockdowns. Canadians want access to vaccines. The Prime Minister promised that everyone would be vaccinat…
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Mr. Speaker, during question period, in response to the fourth question asked by the member for Richmond—Arthabaska, the Prime Minister said, “The Conservatives are deliberately misleading Canadians”. Obviously, I do not agree with that remark. I am sure the Prime Minister recognizes that he cannot say such things in the House, and I invite him to do the right thing, which is to stand up and withd…
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Mr. Speaker, I just quoted the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister said that the Conservatives deliberately misinformed Canadians. He said: The exact words that the Prime Minister used were, “The Conservatives are deliberately misleading Canadians”. However, here in the House, we are not allowed to deliberately mislead the House or claim that colleagues are deliberately misleading the House. It…
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Madam Speaker, we all recognize that it was human error caused by a technical issue, and that is fine. Even if we disagree on Bill C-15, we recognize how important it is to first nations, and we will proceed with the debate.
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Madam Speaker, what a sad day for parliamentary democracy. A time allocation motion is unpleasant at any time, even if sometimes it is a necessary evil, but a time allocation motion on a bill dealing with Canadians' right to vote is rubbing salt in the wound. What we are debating today is the way Canadians will vote in the next election if it is held during the current pandemic, which could very w…
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Mr. Speaker, how can we believe the government? It changed its story three times. On Friday, the chief of staff had a golden opportunity to tell Canadians the truth and provide tangible evidence. She was not able to do so. I will repeat my question to the Deputy Prime Minister of this self-proclaimed feminist government. How can the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada defend the indefensible?
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Mr. Speaker, on Friday, the Prime Minister's chief of staff testified in committee. We expected her to provide compelling evidence. She did not. No one believes Katie Telford. A source close to the government told the Toronto Star that it was going too far to say that they did not know that it was a #MeToo complaint. Someone close to the government told the Toronto Star this. In addition, I remind…
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Mr. Speaker, the Premier of Quebec is getting impatient, and for good reason. Ottawa is dragging its feet on immigration files. The QMI Agency reported this morning that Ottawa has a backlog of 51,446 immigration applications. This means that more than 51,000 people around the world are hoping and dreaming of living in Quebec, but Ottawa is dragging its feet. Even though Quebec has more than 100,0…
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Mr. Speaker, some people really can make figures say anything. Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, an immigration lawyer, stated this week to Radio-Canada, “In 2020, it was the federal government that was incapable of meeting Quebec's targets”. That is the statement of an independent observer. Chambers of commerce and business people want Ottawa to clear the backlog. We certainly do not want any conflict bet…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on the same point of order. It is good that we welcome everybody to participate in this debate. We praise the member for Kingston and the Islands, who gives tremendous performances in the House, especially yesterday. We appreciated his great performance and speech yesterday.
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Mr. Speaker, as you know, this being Thursday, it is time for an update on our parliamentary agenda. I would also like to remind the House that next week will be the fifth consecutive week of parliamentary work in the House and that we continue to work in our ridings seven days a week. I would like my ministerial colleague, the Quebec lieutenant and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I admire her very much, and I admire her deeply sincere political engagement. I would like to remind her that nobody has a crystal ball. We do not know what will happen. I remember back when I was a kid, there were ads on TV saying there would be no more oil by the 1980s. That is what we were told back then. I want to say that the concern the m…
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Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure, but also a sense of urgency, that I rise today to participate in this emergency debate. I would like to say that I will be splitting my time with my colleague from Peace River—Westlock. The word “emergency” is indeed very appropriate because if nothing changes, in a matter of days, on May 12, the entire Canadian economy might be shaken by a serious economic …
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Mr. Speaker, I can assure my colleague of one thing. I was not a witness to that conversation, but I have witnessed the hard work and passion of the leader of the official opposition in this Parliament when we had the time to talk about the Canadian economy. I can assure the member that the first point our leader addressed with the Prime Minister when he was elected the new Leader of the Oppositio…
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Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from my colleague. I am sure he knows that Canada has the highest standards for producing petroleum and natural resources. We have to be proud of that and do what we can to sell the proudness that we have for our natural resources. Yes, I am proud, as a Canadian, of the petroleum industry and the hydroelectricity in Quebec. We have to be proud of ourselves and…
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Madam Speaker, we do accept that, but we want to raise the point that it is very important, especially for this specific debate where we are talking about billions of dollars, to be sure that everything is said. I want to remind everyone that the best place to talk is here in the House of Commons.
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Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of emotion that I take part in this debate since it is about the Canadian Armed Forces. We have the privilege of living in a free and democratic country because there are men and women who ensure its security by serving in the armed forces and because men and women have fought in horrible wars so that we could live in a free country. My father, who will soon be…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I always appreciate her support in the House. That is why I am surprised that, as a woman and a proud representative for her constituents, she went along with her party's decision to work with the Liberals on not one, but two separate occasions. The first occasion was when they kiboshed the investigation at the Standing Committee on National Defe…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for her participation in this very important debate. We need to be frank and open with the reality. We need to know the truth. This is why the ombudsman's help would be welcome. However, we had a report that was published six years ago, which gave all Canadians, no matter which party we are, a road map to address this terrific issue of the fact that w…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to pay all my respects to my colleague from Kamloops, British Columbia, for whom I have a lot of respect. I am sad that she will not renew her mandate, but I wish her the best for the future, because she serves so well here in the House of Commons. It is quite important to have confidence in our leader, so when we have the government leader, the Prime Minister of Canada, saying…
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Mr. Speaker, in the sorry saga of General Vance and sexual harassment of women in uniform, the Liberals are continuing their cover-up in an absolutely repugnant way. The Standing Committee on National Defence was to meet this morning to discuss the case. What did the Liberal government do, through its Liberal committee chair? It cancelled the meeting. That is completely unacceptable. Why are the L…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not quite sure that the best way to go deep into the reality is to shut down the committee, as the hon. member did this morning. If the member is willing to answer questions, could she explain to us why the chief of staff received an email on March 2, 2018, that specifically used the words sexual harassment, even though the Prime Minister continues to claim that, for three years,…
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Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded division.
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Mr. Speaker, our Conservative government asked Justice Marie Deschamps to conduct a review of harassment and assault in the Canadian military. She submitted that report in 2015. Today, six years later, the government is all proud to announce an inquiry into harassment and assault in the Canadian military, led by Justice Louise Arbour. It is exactly the same thing, but six years later. Does that no…
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Mr. Speaker, our thoughts are with the victims the minister was talking about. Our thoughts are also with those who have been the victims of harassment in the Canadian military and who see that this government has done nothing for six years, despite the 2015 report that we commissioned. What is more, the government continues to keep Canadians in the dark regarding the Prime Minister's behaviour. A…
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Mr. Speaker, per our Thursday tradition, I am pleased to ask my counterpart on the government side and colleague from Honoré-Mercier what parliamentarians can look forward to in the coming days.
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Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to be taking part in the debate started today by our leader, the Leader of the Opposition. I will be sharing my time with the member for Regina—Lewvan. We are gathered here today to take stock of the effects of the pandemic. As we speak, in my riding, shops are closed, there is a lockdown and a curfew has been imposed. All these measures were implemented by the Que…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, and I commend his contribution to the debate. I am sure my colleague would agree that we all want everything to reopen. However, lockdowns need to be lifted in an orderly fashion and with everyone following public health guidelines. We must therefore work with the provinces, which are on the front lines. If we had had access to the n…
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Madam Speaker, I think there is a good collaboration between the Bloc and the Liberals, not because of the question, but because of the fact that the member who asked me the previous question is the member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, and this member is the member for Kingston and the Islands. I am joking. I know there is a more serious issue, and this is why we have to address it correctly. We all…
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Madam Speaker, I just want to remind my hon. colleague that Great Britain had exactly the same situation when COVID exploded at the beginning of 2020. What did they do? They took control of the situation and they made all the necessary decisions to produce some vaccines in Great Britain, which is not the case that has happened with us here in Canada. The government at that time turned around and a…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to respond to the point of order by my colleague and I do agree with him. I would suggest to him to talk to the Prime Minister because the member for Papineau is always using that kind of argument when we are asking questions. He did that today.
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Mr. Speaker, I first want to pay my respect to the hon. minister, who said some sentences in French. I deeply appreciate the fact that she did that, especially since this is a conflict concerning Montreal. However, that is the end of my applause for her because it is anything but good. Today is anything but a good day for Parliament, for the economy or for the social and labour movements. The gove…
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Mr. Speaker, I am sure you will find that I have the unanimous consent of the House for my speech to be considered a 20-minute speech and for me to share my time with the member for Chilliwack—Hope.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased and honoured to be a member of the House and to have had the opportunity to duly represent the people of Louis-Saint-Laurent for nearly five and a half or six years now. Normally, I am always pleased and enthusiastic to rise in the House. However, today, it is quite the opposite. Rising in the House to debate and pass special legislation to force employees back to work is…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to pay my respects to the member for the experience he provides as a negotiator on the union side. It is very sad what we have to address today, because there is no winner. The hon. member talks about how the Montreal Port Authority would be on the winning side, but there is no winner. A special law is anything but a win, but we have to address it. I think about the thousands o…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question. The fact is that by letting things drag on, unfortunately, the government has set the stage for the special legislation. The Prime Minister should have picked up the phone and taken action instead of introducing special legislation. I have said it before. That is what we believe. Therefore, it is important to note that, in our hearts and minds, we …
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Mr. Speaker, this is why we are here today, because of lack of leadership. There are times when we need more action instead of talking. This is exactly where we are today. A special law to get back to work is anything but good. It is not good for union people, not good for the business community, because we are all losers in that situation, especially we parliamentarians. The point is that instead…
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Mr. Speaker, it is really appalling to see the Prime Minister and his government refusing to take any responsibility. When asked what he thought of the way he has handled this pandemic, the Prime Minister said that he had no regrets. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are currently grappling with the pandemic. There were delays in managing the border and with rapid testing, and most importantly, t…
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Mr. Speaker, it is the same old bad Liberal approach. They keep saying that they are doing their job and that it is the provinces that are not doing their job. They have such contempt for our provincial partners. The reality is that in January and February, Canada went 10 days without any vaccine deliveries, and that had nothing to do with the provinces. The government and the Minister of Health s…
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Mr. Speaker, there was a 10-day period in January and February when Canada did not receive any vaccines and we are seeing the results of that now. As a result of that gap created by the Prime Minister, the third wave is much worse in Canada than anywhere else, resulting in very strict lockdown measures being imposed on Canadians. They are being told not to travel. Not so long ago, however, the Pri…
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Mr. Speaker, I certainly do not need to go to great lengths to find examples. In fact, let us look to another country and talk about CNN. Not long ago, CNN said that this was a real failure by the Prime Minister's government and that Canadians deserve better. That is what other countries think about the Prime Minister's management. The spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians remember that we received vaccines in December 2020. The Prime Minister put on a dog and pony show, but Canadians also remember that there were no vaccines for 10 days in January and February. Today, the consequence is that the third wave is hitting harder in Canada than elsewhere because the Prime Minister created unfavourable conditions for this third wave, which has cause…
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