Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know if he agrees that the government took a really boneheaded approach to writing Bill C‑31. We agree with the principles, but it is written all wrong. Allow me to provide some examples. Rent relief will be provided via the Canada housing benefit, but no one in Quebec receives that. Quebec has its own program with the right to opt out with compensation. There is not a…
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Mr. Speaker, I wish to say hello to the parliamentary secretary and thank her for her speech. Her speech focused on inflation. In fact, Bill C-30 is a response to inflation. How will her government support developing countries that are dealing with serious inflation problems? They are facing a food shortage and an energy crisis. International institutions encouraged these countries to take on mass…
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Madam Speaker, I would ask for the consent of the House to share my time with my esteemed colleague, the member for Trois-Rivières.
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Madam Speaker, to address inflation, Bill C-30 proposes an additional GST rebate for the less fortunate. It is a good measure. We have been asking for this for quite some time, and we will be voting for it. It is good, but it is long overdue. This measure was announced at the same time as the measures introduced in Bill C-31, namely rent relief and dental insurance. We support those measures in pr…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his speech. Bill C‑30 talks about increasing the GST rebate. That is a good measure that could have been brought in sooner. This measure was announced at the same time as the measures in Bill C‑31 concerning a dental plan and rent assistance. However, if we look closely at the bill, the rent assistance is provided through the Canada housing benefit. This ben…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his speech. As I said to his colleague, the minister, we are in favour of increasing the GST credit as set out in Bill C‑30. That is actually something we have been calling for, and we think it should have been done long ago to help the less fortunate fight inflation. The measures in Bill C‑30 were proposed at the same time as those in Bill C‑…
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Madam Speaker, I want to commend my colleague on his speech. I am fortunate to serve with him on the Standing Committee on Finance. The government has announced three measures to fight inflation: the payment of GST refunds under Bill C-30, and dental benefits and rental assistance under Bill C-31. My colleague was with me for the briefing on Bill C-30, and it went well. However, members of the Hou…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Guelph for his comments and his question. I quite agree with the issues he raised. The global economic outlook is uncertain, especially considering the central banks' fight against inflation and the entire context that I referred to. Most economists expect there will be a recession in Europe, especially with the war in Ukraine, which is having serious conse…
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Madam Speaker, I want to remind my hon. colleague that bills are introduced by the government. That is why I chided the government and not the NDP. Bill C-30 is well written. It is a few pages long and everything is clear. We support that bill. The Bloc Québécois was already asking the government last fall to increase the GST/HST credit to fight inflation, so we are very happy to see that. Bill C-…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to acknowledge my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands, who has been a very active member of the Standing Committee on Finance since the beginning of the parliamentary session. We find the idea of a universal guaranteed livable income interesting, because everyone would have the right to it. That said, we have to determine how it can be applied, particularly in the conte…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his speech. The government has introduced three measures to combat inflation. The Bloc Québécois is in favour of increasing the GST/HST credit as set out in Bill C‑30. Bill C‑31 contains two more measures: dental insurance for children 11 and under and housing assistance. With respect to housing, the Bloc Québécois is concerned that the people o…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the leader of the official opposition for his speech. I would like to hear his thoughts on the leader of the government's comments about the Quebec nation, which I felt were condescending. This evening is when we would normally be celebrating Quebec's national holiday in Montreal, Quebec City and elsewhere. We leave June 23 on the calendar for any emergencies we have to deal…
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Mr. Speaker, today, June 23, and tomorrow, Quebeckers will gather to celebrate. I invite everyone to proudly celebrate our national holiday. The large celebrations in Quebec City and Montreal will be held tonight. In my riding, we will be celebrating this evening in Joliette, Saint-Charles-Borromée, Notre-Dame-des-Prairies, Rawdon, Crabtree, Saint-Michel-des-Saints and Sainte-Marcelline. After two…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her remarks, but I do not agree with her assertion. The Bloc Québécois believes the hybrid Parliament is for when people have COVID‑19 or are in contact with people who have it and could be contagious. We can use the hybrid model until the pandemic is over. We see no urgent need to adopt this motion today, June 23, when everyone in Quebec is celebrating our na…
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Mr. Speaker, he says that while standing up, taking the time to ask a question and prolonging the debate. Then he calls us hypocrites. It is unbelievable. That is it, cut the debate short. There is nothing else to say.
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Mr. Speaker, yes, we would have preferred to be in our ridings to celebrate our national holiday, but as elected representatives, obviously we have a duty to be here in Parliament to debate. We would have preferred that this debate on extending the hybrid model take place at another time. There was no need to rush this motion through. We could have had this debate in the fall, especially since the…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, but I do not share his opinion. I think that, despite his verve and bombastic style, the member for Kingston and the Islands has a lot to offer to this House. We are in favour of having debates in the House, but perhaps not on the eve of Quebec's national holiday, when everyone in our ridings is celebrating.
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We will check. And the count having been taken: We do indeed have quorum, so the member for Kitchener—Conestoga may continue.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, this Saturday will be our last opportunity to hear Joël Le Bigot's smooth voice on Radio-Canada's radio show Samedi et rien d'autre. He is retiring at the end of this season. Joël Le Bigot delighted listeners every weekday morning as host of CBF-Bonjour for nearly 20 years with his team of contributors. After taking a year off, our seafaring broadcaster headed back to land to become…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, yesterday, we were looking forward to hearing the Minister of Finance provide details on her plan to help citizens and businesses deal with inflation. What a letdown. There will be no increase in the GST tax credit for people with low incomes and no monthly payments. There will be nothing for industries affected by fuel prices, such as the trucking, agricultural and taxi industries.…
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Madam Speaker, it was the same old talking points. There is no one in this government to listen to Quebeckers. Ever since the Minister of Finance started covering for both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, there is no one we can talk to about making progress on the issues that matter to businesses and citizens. The minister's three jobs, coupled with her refusal to delegate t…
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That is a point of debate, in my opinion. The hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.
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I thank the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes for his intervention. I want to remind all hon. members that when presenting petitions in the House, they must try to avoid giving their opinion on it. The hon. member for Carleton.
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The hon. member has 10 seconds to finish presenting his petition.
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Is that agreed?
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Is that agreed?
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Before giving the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby the floor, I see that the hon. member for Durham is rising on a point of order.
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All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.
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The hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes is rising on a point of order.
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We will check. And the count having been taken: We have quorum, and I therefore invite the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby to complete his question. He has a few seconds left.
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I have to interrupt the hon. member because the hon. Minister of Seniors is rising on a point of order.
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Pursuant to order made on Monday, May 2, the Minister of Seniors' request to extend the said sitting is deemed adopted. I invite the member for Flamborough—Glanbrook to continue his speech.
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Madam Chair, I want to commend and congratulate my colleague on his speech. As my colleague said, the war in Ukraine means that there is less food globally, which is deplorable, hence the explosion that we can already see in food prices. We may be facing a worldwide shortage and famine. At the same time, we see that our farmers here need fertilizers, which are produced primarily in Russia on a glo…
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Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all of my Bloc Québécois colleagues, I, too, wish to salute Mr. Dufresne and congratulate him on his appointment. In the House, in committee and elsewhere, Mr. Dufresne was the epitome of diligence, honesty and integrity. Whenever we had a question or an interaction with him, we could be sure that he had done his homework, knew his files, and would tell the truth. I will …
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Madam Chair, the economic situation is out of control. People are worried about inflation, and rightly so. For instance, gas is at $2.24 a litre today in my riding, Joliette. This is devastating. The hardest hit are obviously low-income families whose obligations force them to drive a lot. The current reality is also really tough for businesses in certain sectors such as transportation, of course,…
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Mr. Chair, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, or the FAO, said that the current global food shortage and the current risk of famine have two root causes: the war in Ukraine and climate change. We have a collective duty, here in the House as well, to go green as quickly as possible in order to limit upheaval and ensure greater stability over the seasons so that there are fewer cr…
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his question. Obviously, more needs to be done to protect our ecosystems. That includes the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway, which provide drinking water to many communities in both Ontario and Quebec. More needs to be done. Do we need to do a better job of protecting riparian buffers? We need to consult and listen to the experts. With respect to fertili…
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague from Beauce and I commend him for all his work and the positive contribution he makes to the House. There are many things that can be done. When I tour my riding and I meet with our farmers, I am always very touched. In the agricultural sector, the women and men who put food on our tables are not, in my opinion, given enough credit by the public, by the entire popul…
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Mr. Chair, that is a very good question. In the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, recommended that developing countries that were struggling—the ones with subsistence agriculture that were struggling to feed their people—specialize in growing cotton, for example. They were telling these countries that they would be able …
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Mr. Chair, I want to congratulate my colleague on her speech and commend her for her commitment to the cause. It is sincere. I want to clarify something. When we refer to the price of agricultural inputs, even in the Canadian market, it is all in the perspective of global production and global prices. It is pretty clear that a people at risk of starvation is about as serious as it gets, despite al…
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Mr. Chair, I would like my colleague to elaborate on those examples and tell us how our own expertise can support and develop production in developing countries that are facing food shortages.
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Mr. Chair, I thank the member for his speech. My question has come up a lot in this evening's debate. Farmers from here who bought Russian fertilizer, who placed and paid for their orders before the war, will have to pay a 35% tariff that is supposedly meant to punish the Russian economy. We agree with the general principle of punishing Russia's economy for the invasion, but in this case the Russi…
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Madam Chair, I thank the member for his very interesting speech. I have a twofold question. I found his approach to the taxation of fertilizer tariffs very interesting. Is he in favour of lifting the tariffs on purchases made before March 2 or even on those made after? That is my first question. My second question is this: With the expected global food shortage, more and more countries are stoppin…
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Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, war and climate change are the main causes of global food insecurity. For example, last summer, droughts in western Canada, the United States and Russia, as well as flooding in Germany, resulted in disastrous harvests. It was hoped that this year, stocks could be repl…
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Madam Chair, I am going to come back to the same issue again, because farmers in our ridings keep asking us about it. The fertilizers were purchased and paid for before the war broke out. They are now paying a 35% tariff that was imposed when the war started. However, the farmers had already paid for their orders. Now they have to add a 35% tax, which goes to the government and does absolutely no …
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Madam Chair, I thank my friend from Saanich—Gulf Islands for her speech. As I have already told the House, I think it is deplorable that some members do not have as much speaking time as others just because they represent a party with fewer than 12 seats in the House. After all, the voice of the people they represent is just as legitimate and important. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to speak to Bill C‑228, which was introduced by the member for Sarnia—Lambton. This is a very important bill. I sincerely commend my colleague and congratulate her on the work she does in the House. In theory, every elected member is allowed to introduce their own bill in the House of Commons during every Parliament. Not everyone has the opportunity to do…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, today is Véronique Hivon's last day in the Quebec National Assembly. Ms. Hivon is the member for Joliette. Véronique is, to me, the quintessential politician. She supports independence because she loves Quebeckers. She works across party lines to bring her ideas to fruition. She is engaged and she works hard, always in pursuit of the common good. That is how she is in Joliette too. Sh…
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Madam Speaker, I want to salute my colleague and thank him for his speech. There is all kinds of stuff in this omnibus bill, which deals with such topics as space jurisdiction, strip searches in prison and whatever else, but 170 pages are dedicated to the new Liberal luxury tax. This tax will have a significant impact on entire sectors of our economy. One example frequently mentioned by Conservati…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise a point of order. I would like you to shed some light on the process for voting on private member's bills. To my knowledge, it is customary to vote by row, not by party. Is the Chair allowing members to stand when their row has already voted and is she allowing members to vote by party? I would like some clarification on that.
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