Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the regions of Quebec have run out of patience. The Liberal government's inaction is costing them dearly. That is not according to me; it is according to mayors, business people and organizations in the Chaudière-Appalaches region who are here in Ottawa to sound the alarm. The Prime Minister promised to get rid of U.S. tariffs on steel and softwood lumber. He failed. He plunged the im…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, it is a pleasure and an honour for me to represent the magnificent region of Beauce in the House. Today, I rise to speak to Bill C-18 on the Canada-Indonesia economic agreement. Beauce is considered the entrepreneurial capital of Canada. We have a large number of businesses and entrepreneurs. We also have many farmers. Beauce is home to some of the best farmers in the wo…
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Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. Yes, we need to diversify our markets everywhere, we need to improve our businesses, and we need to enter into agreements. However, allow me to repeat myself, the way I do as a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade: When it comes to non-tariff barriers, the details of agreements are important. Simply signing agreements is not enough. Si…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Shefford for the question. It is much appreciated. I would like to acknowledge my committee colleague, who is looking at me and wants to hear my response. I will respond to my colleague's first comment about the importance of diversifying our sector and diversifying the countries we trade with. Yes, I agree that we need to expand our circle of friends in busi…
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is simple. Canadians do not believe it because all they hear are words. They are not seeing any results. Announcements are made, but there is no progress. Since I started here, the government has done nothing but make announcements. It makes sense that people do not believe the government, because no real action is being taken on the ground. The example I can give once agai…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to say good afternoon to my esteemed colleague from Beauport—Limoilou. It is a very beautiful region. My mother-in-law lives in that magnificent region. We are all in favour of developing new markets. However, I will pick up on my colleague's chess analogy. Right now, the government is going after the pawn instead of the king. Strategically, in chess, the goal is to take …
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Mr. Speaker, this weekend, Beauce was deeply shaken by a serious accident involving a bus carrying a group of young cadets. Sadly, Xavier Landry Rousseau, a 13-year-old cadet from Scott, unfortunately lost his life. Several other teenagers were injured, some seriously. This tragedy has devastated families, loved ones and the entire community, including the greater cadet family. In these difficult …
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a petition from the people of Saint‑Martin, in Beauce, who are concerned about the persistent failure of the cellular network in the region. The petitioners note that a number of areas in Saint‑Martin have a weak or even entirely unavailable cellular network. The difficulty they have in making reliable phone calls to their families, businesses and emergency servi…
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Mr. Speaker, a recent RBC survey reveals that 64% of millennials are anxious about their future, and that four in 10 millennials fear they will never be able to pay off their debts. Meanwhile, TransUnion has confirmed that Canadian household debt has reached an all-time high of $2.6 trillion. After years of Liberal inflationary deficits, young Canadians are going into debt just to survive. How man…
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian forestry sector is being hit with unjustified U.S. tariffs of 45%. Liberal inaction continues to threaten the lumber industry and our workers. After 346 jobs were lost at the Domtar plant in Baie Comeau in January, this morning it was announced that 90 forestry workers in La Tuque and Montreal will be losing their jobs. When will the Prime Minister start working with the …
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Madam Speaker, the forestry sector has been under attack by unjustified U.S. tariffs since October. In January, the manufacturing sector was hit hard by the loss of 28,000 jobs. Instead of working to resolve U.S. tariffs and support Canadian businesses, the Prime Minister prefers to buy Chinese cars. Can the Prime Minister work with the Conservatives, address the real issues and stand up for fores…
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Madam Speaker, if that is the number one issue, why is he not dealing with it? The United States is, and always will be, our largest trading partner. Everyone knows that. On January 13, 346 forestry workers at the Domtar plant in Baie-Comeau lost their jobs. When will the Prime Minister start working with the Conservatives and stand up for workers in regions like Beauce?
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Madam Speaker, it is simple. If we want to ensure that people are not dependent on credit cards, we need to make life affordable for Canadians.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my Bloc colleague. I am guessing that the statistics were likely inflated back then. There was no Facebook in those days. I want to come back to cell coverage by sharing an example of the situation in Beauce. It takes 20 minutes to drive from Saint-Georges to Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce. For 15 minutes between these two places, there is no cell coverage. Nothing wor…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague just gave me the perfect opening. I learned the term “filibuster” here, over the past eight months. Let us talk about filibustering. The Liberal chair of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities cancelled the last three meetings, and at four meetings, another member spoke for four hours to save his government. He hid behind his minister. Guess…
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Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to commend the courage of my colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière. He gave a very moving speech that took tremendous courage and a lot of guts, and I am very proud of him today. He has been a mentor to me since I first arrived. I want to congratulate him. Last week, my speech was interrupted while I was talking about the generational budget, which t…
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Mr. Speaker, my question is for the chair of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. The Liberals have been in a panic ever since we brought up in committee how they, through Canada Post, have given contracts to companies involved in the Driver Inc. scheme. The committee chair has cancelled three meetings in the past month. Twice, we have had to use emergency powers to…
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Mr. Speaker, at last we get a good answer. The Minister of Transport is ordering his members to disrupt the work of the committee, with more than 10 hours of Liberal obstruction. What a waste of money. They are throwing money out the window. Why is the minister doing what it takes to avoid transparency? Why does the minister want to hide the truth from Canadians? Why is the minister condoning thes…
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Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak about a budget that, unfortunately, misses the mark on every front. It is a budget that fails to meet the needs of our regions, our businesses, our agriculture and Canadian families. It is a budget that, instead of building for the future, simply kicks the can down the road. It will burden our children with generations of debt by piling deficit upon deficit, debt…
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Mr. Speaker, my father promised me that if I worked hard, I could buy a house and have a nice place to raise my family. Can I promise the same thing to my daughters today? The answer is no. Over the past 10 years, the Liberals have doubled the cost of homes and housing. What are the Liberals doing to solve the problem? They are creating more bureaucracy with Build Canada Homes, which would build h…
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Madam Speaker, the United States is imposing crippling 45% tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber. This weekend, when asked whether he had talked about trade with Donald Trump, the Prime Minister replied, “Who cares?” I can say that people in Beauce care, as do the people in Chaudière-Appalaches, where the softwood lumber industry supports about 8,000 jobs. Does the Prime Minister have the guts to ri…
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Madam Speaker, unlike the Prime Minister, we care about softwood lumber. No loan program can replace $780 million in annual salaries in Chaudière-Appalaches. The Prime Minister promised a quick deal with the Americans. In reality, things have gotten worse. Tariffs have tripled. Loans are not what businesses want. Businesses want a trade agreement with the Americans, our vital market. Will the Prim…
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Mr. Speaker, the only security the Liberals care about is Brookfield's financial security. It gets worse. The Liberal Party refuses to convene the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. It has been blocking the work for four weeks because it does not want to hear from victims of motor vehicle accidents. It is appalling. It is embarrassing. It shows a total lack of respect…
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Mr. Speaker, I have some questions about the budget. On page 96, it mentions the importance of temporary foreign workers in certain rural areas. I come from a rural area where the unemployment rate is the lowest in Canada, at less than 3%. The Conservatives have proposed renewing all temporary foreign worker permits in regions where the unemployment rate is below 5%. This is essential to our regio…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it is with respect that I pay tribute to Normand Lapointe, who passed away on October 22. Mr. Lapointe was the member for Beauce from 1980 to 1984. Here in the House of Commons, he was a committed MP, a bridge between workers and entrepreneurs and the voice of a proud, creative, and entrepreneurial region. In my early days in politics, Mr. Lapointe personally offered me extraordinary …
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Mr. Speaker, members of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities have learned that the Liberal Party is encouraging the Driver Inc. scam. Canada Post is awarding contracts to drivers who have not even been trained. It is unbelievable. It is shameful. How can this government condone practices that jeopardize road safety and the lives of Canadian families? This has to stop…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has presented a red ink budget, a “generational credit card” budget. It is spending money hand over fist, and the taxpayers of today and tomorrow are the ones who will have to pay the price. For the Liberals, one plus one always equals 10. Even Fitch Ratings, which assesses Canada's credit rating, is sounding the alarm. It is warning that the Liberals never stic…
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Mr. Speaker, I think we are entitled to be a little nervous. For the Liberals, one plus one equals 10. That leaves us feeling a little on edge. The Liberals are presenting us with a record deficit. We were expecting $42 billion, and it is going to be a lot worse. This government is spending recklessly and has lost all touch with reality. It is completely disconnected. Every dollar that the Liberal…
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Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Liberals spend comes directly out of the pockets of Canadians in the form of higher taxes and inflation. With the record-setting deficit in this budget, the Liberal government is mortgaging our children's future. That is unacceptable. With the record-setting deficit in this budget, the government is shattering our children's dreams. That is unacceptable. The Liberals …
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Mr. Speaker, the forestry sector is being hit with 45% U.S. tariffs. In Chaudière-Appalaches, the forestry sector represents $781 million in employment earnings. The big banker was supposed to figure it all out. It now costs Europeans less to ship wood from Germany across the Atlantic than it does for us to ship it from Saint-Théophile, in Beauce, across the border. What a great negotiator. Well d…
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Mr. Speaker, some parts of Canada are experiencing very high unemployment. We can agree with that. As our proposal says, regions where unemployment is below 5.5% need foreign workers. That is our proposal, and ours is the best one.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to be representing the people of Beauce today once again in the House. Today, we are debating a bill that goes to the very heart of our country: our ability to welcome, integrate and protect those who choose to come to Canada. The Liberal government's Bill C‑12 is an improvement over Bill C‑2. We must acknowledge this. Bill C‑12 aims to modernize the immigration system…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know if my colleague is familiar with the business world, but it has been left to its own devices. When it comes to the threshold that was approved without consulting the provinces, there is a difference between illegal immigrants and the foreign workers who are needed in our regions, especially those where the unemployment rate is extremely low—that is, less than 5.5%—as the…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question. He is one of my most pleasant colleagues here. I appreciate him. As to his question, I was not in the House at the time. However, I am not sure about this, but I believe he was here and supported a number of the Liberal government's decisions, some of which had to do with Roxham Road. I am surprised that he is talking to me about it, given that he…
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Mr. Speaker, they did nothing for 10 years. The answer to my colleague's question is as simple as that. By anyone's standards, the borders are porous. We have all seen that. Outside those doors, we can all see that one plus one equals two. Only the Liberal government cannot see it. Drugs get through the borders. There are not enough officers. They need support. Announcements have been made, but th…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have been promising that their deficits will stimulate investment for 10 years, and what do we have to show for it? The lowest growth in the G7, a more than 10% drop in investment and a declining economy. Every dollar spent by the Prime Minister comes directly out of the pockets of Canadians. The people of Beauce deserve much better. After doubling the debt, believe it or…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister had promised to resolve the issue of U.S. tariffs by July 21. Today, not only did he fail to keep his promise, but the situation is getting worse. On October 14, Canadian softwood lumber will be hit with another tariff increase, bringing the total duty to 45%. In Beauce and across the country, our market is struggling. Our businesses are suffering while the governme…
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Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of Liberal governance and out-of-control spending, the cost of living is skyrocketing. Our seniors are now skipping a meal a day in order to be able to afford their rent. The Prime Minister broke his promise. He is spending more and delivering fewer results. Every month, the Moisson Beauce food bank receives 6,000 requests for assistance from people and, unfortunately, …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to repeat the question I asked on Friday because, obviously, I did not get an answer. The Liberal government has announced it is building 4,000 new housing units at a cost of $13 billion. That is $3.2 million per home. Are the walls made of gold? With $3.2 million, people in Beauce could build 15 homes, not one. With $13 billion, people in Beauce could build 60,000 homes, not 4…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is still hurting families. On July 15, the Liberals quietly announced that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC, premiums would go up by 3%. Instead of reducing the premiums like we suggested, they increased them. That means that the cost of housing per Canadian family will increase by $500. That is unacceptable. When will this government think a…
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Mr. Speaker, speaking of out-of-control spending, it gets worse. The Liberal government announced it is building 4,000 new housing units at a cost of $13 billion. I must be dreaming, because that is $3.2 million a unit. Something is not adding up. Give the contracts to the people of Beauce. In Beauce, with $3.2 million, they can build 15 units, not one. In Beauce, with $13 billion, they would not …
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Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk. In his wonderful speech, he spoke about agriculture in his region. This week, we have heard a lot about food inflation and the rising cost of housing. When it comes to agriculture, I would like to ask my colleague what he thinks about improving our food sovereignty in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are back again with a new housing bureaucracy that basically causes inflation and solves absolutely nothing. The Prime Minister promised Canadians that he would double housing construction and committed to building 500,000 homes a year. What is he actually doing? He is proposing a new bureaucratic machine that, in reality, will only provide for the construction of 4,000 n…
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Mr. Speaker, more of the empty replies that we keep hearing. I have been here for four weeks. People elected us to ask the Liberals questions and to make them accountable to the people of Beauce. The Liberals are not answering us. They are thumbing their noses at us. It is disrespectful. We are trying to be polite, rigorous, respectful. We always get the same old song from them, the same refrain. …
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Mr. Speaker, Radio-Canada has now documented the fact that housing prices in the Chaudière-Appalaches region have skyrocketed by 46% since 2021. That is insane. I asked the housing minister about his department's biggest program. He could not even answer me. He does not even know about it. That is both disappointing and concerning. I am new here, but does the housing minister actually deal with ho…
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Madam Speaker, there is indeed an energy transition going on. We all know that. However, I will once again bring up the rural reality, which is different from that of the big cities. In my region, we have trucks, sugar shacks and farmers. Sugar shacks mean tractors. Tractors run on gas. Tractors have trailers, and trailers tend to go with quads. There are also chainsaws, which require gas. Our reg…
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Madam Speaker, it is not disinformation. Transporting a tractor to a woodlot requires a trailer. Not everyone has a garage on their woodlot. I have an electric truck, and I know it cannot tow a trailer for more than 100 kilometres. The member for Shefford is the one who is spreading disinformation. The reality is that EVs are simply not designed for towing. I am not against electric trucks, but it…
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Madam Speaker, there are, in fact, many possible solutions to explore. Have the studies had enough of an impact and did they go as far as they should have? I would say no. To answer the question from my colleague from Montmorency—Charlevoix, there is still a lot of work to be done in this area.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to salute a young woman who makes Beauce shine. On May 10, she was named athlete of the year at the 46th Beauce sports awards gala. Emmy Fecteau, a hockey player from Saint‑Odilon, is an exceptional athlete and person. On the ice, she led Team Canada to gold at the University Games. Emmy was named captain of the Concordia Stingers in the 2023-24 season, which ended …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Oshawa. I rise today to defend a very concrete reality that is often overlooked when political decisions are being made in Ottawa or Quebec City. I am talking about the reality of the regions, and my region in particular. Beauce is proud, hard-working, entrepreneurial rural region, where people get up e…
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