Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to Lucie Côté, a friend who left us far too soon because of COVID‑19. Lucie was a determined woman who was proud of her roots. She was a loving partner to her husband Rémy and a devoted sister to Diane and Sylvie, who cared about her a lot. She was the mother of four children, Jean-François, Jocelyn, Caroline and Isabelle, the beloved grandmother of 1…
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Madam Speaker, the fight to end violence against women is a critical issue for our country and one that requires action and political decisions. All leaders in the House of Commons and the Senate need to set partisanship aside and take a firm stand on this issue. Will the government support Bill S-231 and Bill C-293 and help move them forward as quickly as possible before this session of Parliamen…
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Madam Speaker, I listened with interest to my colleague's speech. At its last convention, the Conservative Party put in place a national commission on energy security, with a component on energy transportation of all kinds. What does my colleague think of that initiative?
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Madam Speaker, could you please ask my colleague to turn down his microphone? There is no interpretation.
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-293, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to another Act (interim release and domestic violence recognizance orders). Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I introduce, in both official languages, this bill to amend the Criminal Code and make consequential amendments to another act, in relation to interim release and domestic…
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Mr. Speaker, during these difficult times we are living in, and as the new season approaches, food sovereignty is all the more important for the well-being of Canadians. I encourage everyone, big or small, to try their hand at the good old-fashioned pastime of gardening and discover the pleasure of growing their own produce. It is essential nowadays to buy local in order to support those whose uns…
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Mr. Speaker, incoming temporary workers are taking longer to get to Quebec farms because they are still waiting for the results of their supposedly rapid tests from a company that, in addition to being slow, operates in English only. This is a waste of valuable time and a blatant lack of respect on the part of this government for our francophone farmers in Quebec. What will the government do to sp…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend Mario Grenier, an extraordinary man who left us far too soon. It was a shared passion for politics that brought us together as friends. Mario was the mayor of Saint-Sylvestre, in the Lotbinière RCM, for 25 years, and a municipal councillor for 10 years before that. He therefore dedicated 35 years of his life to municipal politics. He was, witho…
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Mr. Speaker, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, the Liberals adopted a motion Monday at the Standing Committee on National Defence to end its investigation into sexual misconduct in the highest ranks of the Canadian Armed Forces. What is behind this alliance between the Prime Minister and the Bloc Québécois leader, to the point that they want to shut down important testimony that will shed li…
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Mr. Speaker, in light of all the administrative problems that the Canada Revenue Agency is having due to the Liberals' poor planning, Canadians will have a hard time producing the necessary documents to file their 2020 tax return by the April 30 deadline. Can the government extend the filing deadline without penalizing Canadian taxpayers?
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence was informed of the workplace violence at the CFB Valcartier fire department a year ago. An internal disclosure investigation has been requested, but there has been no co-operation from National Defence. Can the minister tell us more about these cases of workplace violence?
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in the debate on Bill C-14, an act to implement certain provisions of the economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 30, 2020 and other measures. Every time I have the privilege of rising in the House, I make a point of reminding members of how diligent the Conservative Party of Canada has had to be, since 2015, in monitoring and critiquing this Li…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, and I unreservedly accept his great fondness for me. With regard to culture and the French language, the Conservative Party has made major advances. The difference between the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois is that we will act for Quebeckers. We will give Quebec more power with respect to the French language. We will have federal institutio…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are also willing to help society's most disadvantaged, who have suffered heavy losses during the pandemic. However, we are not willing to give the Liberal government a blank cheque. From an ethics perspective, when the Liberals have spending power, there are plenty of cronies who benefit, unfortunately. If we give the Liberal government the power to borrow up to 1.8 …
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Mr. Speaker, my friend hit the nail on the head. Allowing the government to spend hundreds of billions more dollars without any oversight is unacceptable to this side of the House. I am sure that even the Bloc Québécois and the NDP would agree with us. We are prepared to pay what was owed until the next budget, which is right around the corner. After that, we will take a close look at all the init…
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Madam Speaker, I want to begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Red Deer—Lacombe. I am pleased to take part in today's debate on the motion moved by the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, and to point out to the House that we must once again expose the bad faith of the Liberal government, which is attempting to shirk its responsibility for …
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Madam Speaker, such questions were asked, and if memory serves, WE Charity was unfortunately the only organization that could implement this type of program. Therein lies the problem. Why was such a major program, worth almost a billion dollars, awarded without a call for tenders? Any Canadian who wants to win a federal contract worth more than $25,000 normally has to respond to a call for tenders…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. All I want is for the committee to be able to do its job. I attended the committee meetings, and I can say that countless hours were lost due to filibustering aimed at preventing witnesses from doing what they needed to do and testifying. My only hope is that we can work during the hours allocated for committee meetings and get to…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. Various facts lead us to believe that there were very close ties between the Prime Minister's Office and WE Charity. Last summer, in August, the Clerk of the Privy Council told us that WE Charity had helped Liberal officials develop the program at the recommendation of the finance minister. That was reported to the Standing Committee on Access …
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Mr. Speaker, thousands of Canadians are returning from Florida with vaccination certificates and negative COVID-19 tests in hand. Will these Canadians be able to go directly home for the mandatory three-day period, without having to quarantine in a hotel?
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take part in this debate today and to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our seniors who have worked so hard to build the country that we have today. The current pandemic deeply affects them because the virus has serious consequences for seniors in poor health. The reason we have been able to respond to this challenge with an array of economic measures is that tho…
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Mr. Speaker, speaking of history, the Bloc Québécois has never voted for a financial measure or bill that helped Canadian seniors here in the House. That is the reality. The only bill it has managed to get passed was to change the name of a riding and create a national day. That is the reality. The Conservative Party has very good intentions, and Canadians know very well that we have always taken …
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Mr. Speaker, that is why I spoke about the guaranteed income supplement in my speech. This benefit is particularly important, because the seniors who receive it do not have many other income sources and have very limited total income. If we are going to give our most vulnerable seniors a substantial income boost, it should be done through the guaranteed income supplement.
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Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind my dear colleague that this measure was never implemented. Not one Quebecker or Canadian lost a single cent because of such a measure. Today we are talking about increasing income for the most financially vulnerable seniors. The Liberals will not do it, but I think that with some goodwill, all the other parties will no doubt support us when we change sides in the…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to once again tell my dear colleague that I very much appreciate that the Bloc is speaking on behalf of seniors. We, the Conservatives, can act on behalf of seniors, and that is what we will do.
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Mr. Speaker, the government messed up vaccine and PPE procurement, and it has no idea how much everything cost. There is an $11-billion gap between the Minister of Finance's budget and the estimated costs. Why is there such a massive gap, which will drive us into an even deeper deficit?
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Mr. Speaker, dairy farmers and processors have been waiting for months to get the compensation that the Liberal government promised them to make up for the market share they lost as a result of the free trade agreements signed with our trade partners. Will the government provide some predictability and, most importantly, will it do so before March 31, 2021? Could the minister confirm that?
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Madam Speaker, Canada gave money to an international organization to distribute vaccines to disadvantaged countries. Now we are asking that same organization to give us vaccine doses from that same supply to make up for the Prime Minister's failure. It is a disgrace, an embarrassment to proud Canadians. That is why we want to get to the bottom of the situation. When will the government release the…
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Mr. Speaker, buying local is even more important during this COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever, our small shop owners, artisans and farmers need the public to stand behind them and buy their products and services. I would like to draw the attention of the House to the human dimension of buying local and having contact with the person whose work gives us an exceptional quality of life. By extension…
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Mr. Speaker, the fact is that billions of dollars have been spent and we have very little vaccine to show for it. The European Union is considering restricting vaccine exports, we do not have an agreement with the Americans, and Canada's vaccine production capacity is non-existent. This government has weakened Canada's vaccine supply position. No Canadian believes that we will all be vaccinated by…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's small and medium-sized businesses are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitality, culture and arts sectors have had to cut a massive number of jobs. For men and women across the country, dreams of owning a business and creating a legacy have been dashed. Small and medium-sized businesses in Canada need a solid recovery plan. The Conservatives are known for …
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With regard to the government's promise of $1.75 billion over eight years in compensation to dairy farmers resulting from concessions made under Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership: (a) how much compensation has been or will be delivered to dairy farmers, broken down by each of the next eight…
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