Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Amnesty International has launched a campaign to denounce the glaring underfunding of housing in indigenous communities. The organization focused on the situation in the Atikamekw community of Manawan. Isolated and dependent on federal funding, Manawan is facing a severe housing crisis. Housing is inadequate, often unsanitary, overcrowded and poorly maintained: conditions that violate…
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Mr. Speaker, Amnesty International has denounced the inhumane housing crisis that the Atikamekw nation of Manawan is experiencing. In Manawan, as many as 23 people may be crammed into housing that is often unsanitary. These conditions contribute to the spread of respiratory illnesses. They hinder children's development, their academic success, and even their basic needs. They exacerbate domestic v…
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Mr. Speaker, we are discussing an important bill. I would like to know what my colleague thinks of the Barreau du Québec's response to this bill. The Barreau du Québec agrees with the principles, but it has some reservations. It describes the objectives of protecting against gender-based violence, improving evidentiary procedures and modernizing criminal law as commendable. However, the Barreau du…
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Mr. Speaker, I am extremely concerned about the number of femicides committed each year in Quebec and across Canada. There have already been 10 in Quebec this year. This bill will take a step toward reducing them, but I feel it is insufficient. What does my hon. colleague and friend think?
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Mr. Speaker, we support Bill C-16, as does the Barreau du Québec. However, in a statement, it indicated that while it feels the bill's objectives are laudable, it believes that “incorporating them into a single piece of legislation creates regulatory complexity that will hinder the analysis, review and practical application of these provisions”. What are my hon. colleague's thoughts on that?
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Mr. Speaker, does my colleague believe that the Liberals improperly broadened the scope of the provisions on bail conditions and other procedural safeguards that are applicable to intimate partner offences? This raises serious concerns in our view. The amendments I am referring to simply remove the violence criterion from the procedural safeguards for crimes committed between intimate partners, wi…
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Mr. Speaker, the tariff crisis has just forced Matawinie's biggest employer to seek protection under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. The Saint-Michel sawmill and its 250 jobs need immediate, debt-free liquidity, otherwise it is all over. The Bloc Québécois warned the government that its support measures for the forestry sector would not be enough. Ottawa needs to buy back 50% of the countervail…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals announced on Thursday that they were eliminating the Canadian consumer protection initiative. That is a fund that supported research into things like the cost of living and competition. It would have gotten $7 million between 2025 and 2027. That is peanuts to a government that is handing out tens of billions of dollars to oil companies. However, losing that funding reduce…
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Mr. Speaker, I hope that is the case, because eliminating the Canadian consumer protection initiative will have no impact on public finances. It is a drop in the bucket. Then again, eliminating it is quite a gift for large corporations that cut corners. The Liberals are preventing consumer protection agencies from investigating things like shrinkflation in grocery stores, contracts in the telecomm…
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Mr. Speaker, as we have seen, the reduction in the federal excise tax has been offset by the increase in refining costs, which means that the price at the pump has not gone down. I would like my colleague to tell me the following: How many billions of dollars will all the measures in the federal government's budget cost? How do the Conservatives plan to pay for that? Will they further increase the…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague and friend for his very interesting speech. Throughout his speech, and especially at the end, he drew a parallel between the measures put in place by the pro-oil Liberal Party and the Conservatives' position. In fact, since the new Prime Minister has been in office, there is no difference between these parties when it comes to defending the oil and gas com…
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Mr. Speaker, the poor Conservative Party has been outmanoeuvred by the Liberals on its own turf, not on some minor detail or side issue, but on a central priority. The Liberals are rolling out the red carpet for the fossil fuel industry as if it were a gala. They are telling the industry to step right in, make itself at home, and take everything. They want more oil, more gas, and more pipelines. W…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, this measure is well targeted and it helps people. It is the type of thing we are asking for. What is poorly targeted is the $10 billion invested last year to help oil companies. I quoted former environment minister Catherine McKenna, who said how much they do not need it and that they are taking advantage of the system. I have a question. We know that Brookfield has a $16‑billio…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend for his question. First, the price of a barrel follows the global price. When there is trouble in Iran, there could potentially be a shortage of oil to the tune of 20%, which drives up prices, including the prices here, even though extraction costs do not go up. When the excise tax on gasoline was reduced by 10¢, we saw that the price at the pump went d…
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Mr. Speaker, it is also a pleasure to work with the parliamentary secretary, particularly on social housing issues. Do I agree with those investments? They are important, but the government is also taking steps backwards. For example, there is $5 billion less for public transit, and we have other similar concerns. The government is taking several steps backwards, while still providing a lot of ass…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. parliamentary secretary kept repeating throughout his speech that the Conservatives are members of a far right party. I think we need to be very careful and cautious with our words. By repeating this over and over again, we end up diminishing the weight of those words. Even though I do not share the values of Conservative members, I believe that the Conservative Party is clea…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader is proposing to lower fuel taxes, but the Liberals already did that more than a month ago by reducing the excise tax by 10¢. We saw that the price at the pump dropped temporarily, but then refinery margins rose by more than 10¢, filling the gap and leaving us with an unchanged price at the pump and a deficit that has grown by $2.4 billion. What the Conservative…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to commend my colleague on her speech, which she gave entirely in impeccable French. It is always very moving to hear that. I will come back to the Liberal government's announcement to suspend the excise tax until September. That meant a savings of 10¢, but it was quickly offset by an increase of more than 10¢ in refinery margins. The way I see it, refinerie…
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Mr. Speaker, does my colleague think that the government is doing too much for the oil industry? The industry got $10 billion in subsidies last year. The government is rolling out the red carpet for oil and gas and suspending environmental regulations and laws. Meanwhile, globally, oil prices are through the roof, yet production costs here have not gone up. As a result, oil companies are generatin…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Robert Boyer, a man who continues to light up our lives. Following a career with the Sûreté du Québec, he served as a trusted confidante to our former leader, Gilles Duceppe, inspiring confidence in everything he did. In Rawdon, his memory still moves everyone who knew him and those who are mourning his passing. He had a quick smile and had lived a thous…
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Mr. Speaker, the SMEs at risk of closing because of the tariffs do not need more loans. They need wage subsidies and direct support, without incurring debt. We do not want to be the bearer of bad news, but the crisis is far from over. Businesses are currently surviving thanks to contracts signed before the new tariffs took effect. Under the new tariffs, they are no longer competitive, and there wi…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a somewhat technical question. The bill impacts several laws, including the Bank Act. If I understand correctly, the government is making it easier for foreign entities to take control of Canadian banks. The government was elected on a promise to protect the public from President Trump, yet it now appears to be facilitating the takeover of Canadian banks by various entities, pa…
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Mr. Speaker, I would first like to welcome the newly elected member and congratulate her on her excellent speech. I believe this is her first speech. Large parts of it were delivered in impeccable French. It is heartwarming to hear that. I was very moved by my colleague's concern for health care. That is the top priority for people in Quebec. People often speak to me about it. Unfortunately, our h…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague on his very interesting speech. I will come back to what he said at the beginning about the deficit, which is lower than expected because growth was higher than expected, given that government spending was deferred. There is also another factor. The disaster mitigation and adaptation fund was used less than anticipated. If there had been more floods…
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moved: That the House: (a) condemn the imposition of new United States tariffs that came into force on April 6, 2026, as contrary to the principles of free trade; (b) note that the application of additional tariffs on the full value of products containing steel, aluminium or copper is affecting a growing number of businesses, particularly SMEs; (c) express concern that this new trade environment w…
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Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that the executive order seemed to catch the government off guard. Our leader asked the Prime Minister about it, and the Prime Minister was not aware of it. The following week, he said that yes, the government was aware of it and that the economic update would provide a response. The economic update talked about this executive order but offered no solutions. At the s…
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Mr. Speaker, just because we build a pipeline does not mean that Trump will lift his tariffs. What I said in my speech is that the government is creating a $25-billion sovereign debt fund specifically to build pipelines. What we are saying is that, before building pipelines, we need to save the businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises located throughout the regions across the country—many…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a Liberal promise that appeals to those who want to believe it. It is impossible to resolve a conflict when the U.S. President does not want to resolve it and wants to make it worse. That means it was a false promise. Given the current tariffs, what we need is to support businesses. What the government does not seem to grasp is the gravity of the situation in the short term. I…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by congratulating my colleague on his excellent speech and his answers. Can he tell us how important SMEs are to Quebec's economy? Jacques Parizeau said that Quebec's economy relies mainly on regional SMEs. The reason there are so many jobs in all medium-sized cities across Quebec is often thanks to metallurgical SMEs that often focus on exports to the United Sta…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the parliamentary secretary for his speech. I welcome the fact that the government is leaving the door open to further support measures should it deem them necessary. We will continue to try to convince it that this is the case. As for the support program announced yesterday, the government says it is for SMEs with minimum annual sales of $5 million, for a minimu…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like the leader of the Bloc Québécois to say a few words about how important it is for local businesses affected by tariffs to reach out to their customers in the United States, so that American companies can put pressure on the Trump administration. I would like him to talk about the importance of members of the House of Commons putting pressure on U.S. lawmakers, so that the…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to congratulate my colleague for his excellent speech. What SMEs told us in committee, during an emergency study of this matter, is that they need help, that the 25% tariffs are a disaster, but that the loans have to stop. They are already carrying too much debt. That is why we are proposing a wage subsidy, which has the advantage of maintaining the employme…
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Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate the member on his very good speech. I welcome the big-picture vision that the comprehensive response is based on. For example, there is talk of strengthening the domestic market for products that SMEs can no longer export to the United States because of the 25% tariffs. The domestic economy can compensate for that. However, does he think that the gov…
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Mr. Speaker, I fully understand the government's plan to diversify the economy and stimulate growth in various sectors. Towards the end of his speech, my colleague said, “We are going to make sure that no one is left behind.” What worries us is that many small and medium-sized businesses in Quebec, Ontario and elsewhere are being hit hard by the new 25% tariffs on the value of goods that were expo…
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, things always get a bit loud right before oral question period. I want to congratulate my colleague on her speech. I also have some questions for her about forestry. Can she explain to us again what we are proposing, what the industry and the unions are proposing, which is that the government take on part of the countervailing duties? Once the dispute is resolved, it will be r…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the member for Campton—Stanstead on her bill and her speech, which was rich in content and information. It was well researched. I would like to come back to the case of unused spectrums. Why do the cell phone companies choose not to develop them, in the hon. member's view? To me that is absurd.
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague for his speech. The lesson to be learned from this parable is that we have a good Samaritan for connectivity in the House. I want to salute the hon. member for Compton—Stanstead and announce that my party will also support Bill C-268, even if it is the member for Compton—Stanstead's bill. It goes to show that anything is possible. I am kidding, of course, t…
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Mr. Speaker, the revised U.S. tariff schedule in effect since April 6 is a disaster for Quebec's manufacturing industry. The Desjardins Group reports that a quarter of all Quebec exports to the United States are now subject to tariffs. We are talking about a 60% increase overnight. Moreover, it is our small and medium-sized businesses that are being hit. Today's announcement ignores the businesses…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague and friend, the member for Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères. What is the point of the Canada Strong fund? Initially, we were told that it is a sovereign wealth fund. When I hear the word “sovereign” I think it must be autonomous, independent, somewhat proud, a fund that makes decisions on its own. We are told, however, that it is the g…
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I completely agree with my colleague. The Prime Minister tells us that we are going to invest to build Canada strong, but in reality, it is the private sector that is going to invest in oil projects, ports and all that. There is money to be made. He waited a while, did some networking, travelled around the world, and then realized that no one was showing up. Then he wondered what he should do and …
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals wanted a sovereign wealth fund too, and they decided to call it the Canada Strong fund. Sovereign wealth funds are built using surpluses, but Canada is deeply in debt, so the government decided to go even deeper into debt to set this up. What are the details? They were supposed to be part of the economic update, but when the update was presented, we were told the details …
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Mr. Speaker, I 100% agree with what my colleague just said. A sovereign wealth fund is funded by surpluses. The government has no surplus, so it is going into debt to make it look like it does. That is not a sovereign wealth fund at all. There is a reason most analysts in the media are wondering what the point of it is. As Francis Vailles of La Presse said, it is a gimmick. Sovereign wealth funds …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for a very interesting speech. I have two questions for him. First, in my colleague's constituency of La Pointe-de-l'Île, there is a company that has had problems with Measurement Canada. The appeal processes proved to be truly ineffective, inefficient and flawed, and justice was not done. I wonder if my hon. colleague would be in favour of creating …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to being by saying that the Bloc Québécois supports the idea of modernizing the Weights and Measures Act. We have a lot of questions, and there will be a lot of work to do in committee in order to hear from a number of experts on the matter, given that this is a highly technical and specialized issue. Before discussing the substance of the bill itself, I would like to sha…
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Mr. Speaker, the update fails to take into account the U.S. President's April 2 order, which slapped a 25% tariff on most of the goods exported to the United States from Quebec and even Ontario. What good is an update that is not up to date? When we asked the Prime Minister questions about this, he said the answer would be in this update. What good is yesterday's weather forecast?
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Mr. Speaker, I first want to commend my colleague and friend from Mirabel on his excellent speech. With regard to the $25-billion fund to build Canada strong, when we look at the revenues and expenditures set out in this update, we do not see that $25 billion figure. One has to go to page 129, under non-budgetary transactions, where there is a line that refers to enterprise Crown corporations. The…
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Mr. Speaker, jobs must be saved. It is time for Ottawa to recognize how serious the situation is with the new tariff calculation. South Shore Furniture announced this morning that it is closing. This means 126 jobs will be lost in Sainte‑Croix and Coaticook. Cyrell AMP in Beloeil has had to raise its prices by 50% because of the tariffs. In Joliette, the small business Liard Industries has to pay …
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Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary just referred to parliamentary tradition. It is a parliamentary tradition that we proceed by consensus when it comes to establishing the composition of committees. Up until now, the Liberals have said in their speeches that they would ask for input and collaborate. However, on the first day that the Liberals won a majority, they chose to act unilaterally to…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There is not even quorum in the House, and yet we cannot hear ourselves speak because the Liberals are laughing amongst themselves about this new supermajority. I would ask for a quorum call.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois clearly supports the principles of the bill. I commend the minister and thank her for her speech. Bill C-21 implements the first modern treaty between Canada and a Métis government, which represents a historic milestone for the Red River Métis. Recently, in committee, the president of the Manitoba Métis Federation, David Chartrand, indicated that the treaty is more …
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