Parliamentary Speeches

Colleagues, before we move to the vote, I would like to recognize a special situation. Today, after over 30 years of service to the House of Commons, we have the retirement of one of our table officers, Michel Patrice. This week, Michel Patrice, deputy clerk of the administration, is retiring after 30 years of service to the Parliament of Canada. Michel was appointed deputy clerk of administration in August 2017. As deputy clerk of the administration, he played a crucial role in ensuring excellent service to members, including at the Board of Internal Economy, where he provided valuable advice to the Speaker and board members. Thanks to his leadership in this position, members of Parliament have benefited from smooth and efficient operations and services from the House of Commons. I understand that he managed meetings exceptionally well, being that I am new here, and made sure they never ran over time. I am sure that this had nothing to do with him wanting to stretch his long legs and enjoy the great outdoors of Sparks Street while lighting up a smoke. He skilfully oversaw the start of Centre Block renovations and the successful relocation of MPs to temporary quarters in the West Block. In his long career on Parliament Hill, Michel served both Houses: the House of Commons and of course the other place. He served them with diligence, intelligence, professionalism, calm and his trademark smile. Many members will remember how quickly this House was able to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that Parliament was able to work on behalf of Canadians in a time of crisis. The accomplishments of this place under Michel's leadership were many and they were significant. With his training as a lawyer, everyone here, as well as in the other place, has benefited from his legal experience and his excellent understanding of complex procedural and administrative issues. These are qualities that made him an invaluable, trusted resource for countless parliamentarians over his career. Michel, on behalf of the members and employees of the House of Commons administration, I would like to thank you most sincerely for your long and valuable contribution to the service of our institution. As a colleague and leader, you have always acted with dignity, humanity and an inspiring sense of duty, and no one will forget your great sense of humour, a vital asset for any workplace. I wish you health and happiness. As you embark on this new chapter of your life, I wish you a happy retirement. Thank you for everything. Michel, please know that you leave this place better for your service, and you take with you the deepest thanks of all members and the entire Parliament Hill family. I wish you all the best.

Hon. members, I want to humbly thank the House for doing me the great honour of selecting me as Speaker. Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge a number of individuals and, indeed, all of you. Let me begin with the hon. member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, the dean of the House of Commons, who has had a lengthy career in the House of Commons. He has been here for 39 years; that is a great inspiration to us all. For the younger members who came in 2021 and those who arrived quite recently following by-elections, you have before you a man who is an inspiration to us all, a man who with close ties to his voters, to his people. He has served in the House with great integrity since 1984. I congratulate him. He may not remember this, but I came here in 1988 as a parliamentary page, and I had the pleasure of serving him water and delivering him messages on paper. He was an upstanding gentleman then, just as he is, even more so, now. I hope I will have the chance to beat his record and be in this chair for longer than five days, at least, but we will see. I will start with one afternoon. I would also like to thank my hon. colleagues who let their names stand to become Speaker of the House of Commons. Let us all give them a huge round of applause. They are amazing Canadians. They have served this House, especially the speakership team. The two assistant deputy speakers and the Deputy Speaker in particular have served the House very well and with great honour and integrity. I hope to continue to count on your sage advice and your support as we move forward for the rest of this Parliament. I really look forward to working collaboratively with all of you. Thank you for the applause. I know that, in politics, there are only two times when people give strong applause and are happy to see you: the day you arrive and, of course, the day you leave. The Speaker, to use the old hockey analogy, is nothing more than a referee. If there is one thing I know, it is that nobody pays good money to go see the referee. They go to see the stars: you, the players on the ice. People go to see the men and women who have long been demonstrating their talents in the minor leagues, who practised at home with their families, and who have since found themselves here in the House. My role as Speaker is to assure you that the rules and regulations will be followed so that you can engage in what I hope will be respectful, friendly, sincere and passionate debates in the House. As I said earlier, in my speech to all of you, respect is a fundamental part of what we do here. We need to make sure that we treat each other with respect and that we show Canadians an example, because there can be no dialogue unless there is a mutual understanding of respect. There can be no ability to pursue arguments, to make points be heard, unless we all agree to extend to each other that sense of respect and decorum. Therefore, I am going to be working hard on this, and I need all of your help to make this happen, because this is the place where hard debates will happen. This is the place to have passionate yet respectful debates. I will soon begin meeting with the table officers. I will be meeting with the Deputy Speaker and the assistant deputy speakers to discuss how we are going to proceed over the next few months to make sure we get things right. We must follow the rules of the House of Commons. By doing so, we can have fruitful and meaningful debates, and we can proceed in a way that promotes mutual respect. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the trust you have placed in me. I hope to prove myself worthy of that trust in the coming years. I hope to have the chance to speak with each and every one of you, to get to know you better. That way, we can set an example and show Canadians that politics is a noble profession. Thank you very much. I wish us all a very successful session. The hon. Prime Minister.

Mr. Chair, thank you. Colleagues, today, like all days, we pay our respects to the Anishinabe Algonquin people on whose unceded land we stand. Regardless of what part of the country we come from, what political party we belong to or what our political ideas are, the fact is that each of us, every one of us in this chamber, frankly, has a lot more in common than we often care to admit. We all remember the first time we walked through the doors of the House of Commons as newly sworn-in members of Parliament. As I am sure everyone here would agree, it was and still remains the proudest day of my life, after the births of my children and grandchildren. It was also the culmination of my lifelong love for Parliament. At the age of 14, I subscribed to and read Hansard. In 1988, I sat right there at the foot of the Speaker's chair as a parliamentary page, where I was awed by the majesty of this sanctum of democracy, and where I learned that every MP, from every party and every region, impressed me with their love for this country and wanting to do better by their people. I still feel that way 35 years later, as I stand here before you asking for your vote to become Speaker of the House of Commons. What brought us here today requires a response. Words matter. Symbols matter. This I know. As your Speaker, I would restore, and quickly bring back, honour to the chamber. The events that bring us together today need to be addressed. The words we use matter. Symbols matter. I know this all too well. As your Speaker, I will act swiftly to restore the honour of the House. What motivates me, and what I vow to work night and day to promote and advance, can be summed up in one word: respect. This is about respect for our democracy and its institutions, respect for our constituents and their intelligence, respect for parliamentary traditions, respect for the rights and privileges of parliamentarians. Finally, there is respect for each other, in the way we treat each other and the way we talk to Canadians. In other words, this is all about decorum. I would be a Speaker who was firm, thoughtful, collaborative, consistent and, certainly, fair. As my record in the House demonstrates, as your Speaker, respect will be my credo. It is what would guide me as a steward of the rights and privileges of all elected members in Parliament and beyond the parliamentary precinct; in fostering and supporting open, frank, honest and respectful debate in the House; and in administering the services and employees of the House. That is why I am committed to vigorously defending and protecting parliamentary privileges. I am also committed to being a tireless advocate of the best ideas, no matter where they come from, to improve the services and resources we need, both individually and collectively, in order to better serve our constituents and everyone who lives in Canada. Colleagues, if there is one thing I would ask you to remember, it is that Canadians look to the House to address their concerns, respond to their needs, set the example and show leadership. At its best, Parliament has lived up to and embodied these high principles. Therefore, I ask you for your support, as Speaker, to work with me in making respect our goal in what we do here every single day when we take our seats in this hallowed chamber.

Madam Speaker, September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Tomorrow, we will gather on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation to commemorate the immense significance of this day, as we come together to remember, to reflect and to take collective action. To be clear, this is not a one-day conversation. It is a call to become lifelong learners, constantly striving to understand a painful history and its ongoing impacts. This day is a time to dive deeper into the complex relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. It is an opportunity to learn, show empathy and grow together. Today, tomorrow and every day, let us take a moment to reflect on the resilience of indigenous communities. Let us commit to standing by their side as we work together to create a better future. Change begins with each of us. Together, we can honour the strength and spirit of indigenous communities by working to create a Canada where reconciliation is more than a word, it is a reality.

Madam Speaker, it is my duty to table a petition on behalf of Canadians, particularly post-doctoral researchers and graduate students. The petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada to do the following: increase the value of tri-agency graduate scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships by 50%; increase the number of tri-agency graduate student scholarships by 50%; increase the number of tri-agency post-doctoral fellowships by 100%; and increase the tri-agency research grant budget provided to faculty by at least 10% per year for the next 10 years, to allow for increased graduate student and post-doctoral pay. This petition was signed by 1,841 people.

Madam Speaker, I enjoyed the speech by my colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable. I would like to ask him a question. I think that his speech, as valid as it was, did not identify the problem properly. Let us think back on the history of innovation in the House of Commons, like when microphones were brought in in 1957, or television cameras in 1977, and then simultaneous interpretation. Why does my colleague not see hybrid Parliament as another step towards innovation to reform our democratic institutions?

Mr. Speaker, after peaking at 8.1% last year, the inflation rate now stands at 4.4%, and the Bank of Canada expects that to drop to less than 3% by the end of the fall. Canada delivered the strongest economic growth last year. The OECD predicts that Canada will once again have the strongest economic growth this year and next. Canadians can and should have confidence in the resilience of our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I invite my hon. colleague to have a look at the budget. He can look directly at the budget to see very clearly that the deficit will continue to decline every year for the next five years, despite the headwinds we face. The Conservative Party's reckless austerity measures would be very problematic. Our government has the lowest deficit in the G7. We have the lowest debt and the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio. It is thanks to our leadership that we have been able to achieve these important goals.

Mr. Speaker, last Monday was the 40th anniversary of Le Gîte Ami, a veritable beacon of compassion and community in my riding. Over the past four decades, this extraordinary organization has touched countless lives by providing shelter and support to those in need. Le Gîte Ami has become an integral part of our region, providing shelter, food and a glimmer of hope to the most vulnerable among us. Its commitment to the fight against homelessness and poverty has transformed lives and inspired a wave of positive change. Thanks to the dedication of its staff and volunteers, Le Gîte Ami has built a legacy of compassion, unity and resilience. It has fostered a sense of belonging and restored dignity to people facing unimaginable challenges. On this milestone anniversary, let us pay tribute to Le Gîte Ami for its outstanding contributions to the people of Outaouais. May its light continue to shine, lighting the way to a more inclusive and compassionate society. Congratulations for 40 amazing years.

Mr. Speaker, 35 years ago, I was a parliamentary page in the House. Many of my page colleagues from 1988-89 are here with us today. We are honouring the memory of one of our colleagues, Carl Gillis, with a gift to the House of Commons. On a beautiful day in May 1996, Carl went rollerblading along one of Ottawa's famous paths. It was to be his last time. He suffered a devastating fall, and the resulting injury was fatal. One of Canada's brightest lights was extinguished. Carl was vibrant, smart, caring and compassionate. We lost a dear friend. His family lost a son, a brother, an uncle and a grandson, and I am convinced that Canada lost a future prime minister. Carl loved Parliament. He loved public service and parliamentary procedure. Even at the tender age of 26, Carl was committed to making a difference as he embarked on his life in politics. Although he was robbed of that chance, he still had an incredible impact on everyone he met. I hope that future pages will like this gift from the class of 1988-89 and know that they are part of a larger family of parliamentary pages. I say, “Here's to Carl.”

Mr. Speaker, this government is steadfast in its commitment to gender equality. Since 2015, the Prime Minister has led a cabinet with gender parity. While a comprehensive response cannot be completed in the time allotted, across government, ministerial exempt staff reflect the diversity of Canada. Currently, across ministers’ offices, the gender balance for chiefs of staff, directors of policy and directors of communication is between 40% and 50%. Further information on ministerial exempt staff can also be found through the GC directory.

Mr. Speaker, I can reassure my colleague opposite by saying that the government will continue to work tirelessly to help Canadians. In budget 2023, we have already put measures in place to tax the wealthiest Canadians. We are proposing a 2% tax on repurchases of equity, and we will tax share dividends received by banks. We are ready to do all that, but the Conservatives always block our measures, obfuscate and filibuster. I urge them to get to work.

Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Ontario, who was born in British Columbia, on the quality of his French. I know that he is of Italian origin and he also speaks English, but it warms my heart to hear him speak French. Often, when people talk about the Century Initiative, they say that it is a federal government initiative. We know that is a false argument because it is just one initiative out of the 3,000 stakeholders that chose to submit ideas to the federal government. The government does not have any intention of increasing the Canadian population to 100 million people. Can my colleague make a few comments on this? How can we encourage francophone immigration in Canada and certainly in Quebec?

Madam Speaker, I am pleased that my hon. colleague from Saint-Jean said that we should take immigrants' interests into account. We should not resort to a utilitarian argument to speak on behalf of these people. I am a Quebecker. If we want to ensure the vitality of the French language in Quebec and if we really want to put ourselves in the immigrants' shoes, we could ask the hundreds of thousands of francophone immigrants from West Africa and the Caribbean who would like to come to Quebec if they are ready to accept the conditions in Quebec and—

Madam Speaker, it is rare that I have an opportunity to debate with the member. These people are francophone and do not need to be francized. We can attract teachers who are ready to teach. They could also offer their services to Quebeckers. Why not let these people determine their own future? Why, as Canadians, should we determine what they should do and in what conditions they should live? Why not let these people vote with their feet?

Mr. Speaker, as a Quebecker, I would like to thank my colleague. We definitely do not have the same point of view. In my community, which is not that far from his, there are many francophones and many new immigrants from western Africa and Haiti. The percentage of these immigrants has increased significantly. Why are these people settling in Quebec? It is because they have the right to continue speaking French, living in French, going to school in French and seeing their family grow in French. These people play such a significant role in building the vibrant province and country I call home, and I believe that is a good thing. I would like to hear my colleague's comments on that, because for me it is obvious.