Government Orders
Madam Speaker, in listening to my colleague's speech, I noticed that the Conservative talking point today is that energy policy is part of foreign policy. I see it another way: Are the Conservatives not using foreign policy to benefit their oil?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, if this was not such a serious issue, I would almost be amused by the childishness of the Liberals and the Conservatives. Personally, I find it doubly important that the membership of the committee be unanimous, because we need this committee to be as legitimate as possible given the context. Another reason why I think that is important is that a precedent has already been set in this…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his bill. It is important that we take a health-based approach. That is obviously the Quebec government's approach. However, we know very well that this approach cannot be funded through good intentions alone. I would like to know exactly which section of the bill proposes to increase unconditional health transfers to the provinces so that the Canada health …
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Madam Speaker, earlier I was sure I was lost. I walked into the House and then turned around and left because I was sure I had walked into a day care centre. I did come back eventually, though. We in the Bloc Québécois do not care who the chair is. The important thing is that the work begins, but especially that there is a consensus on the formation of the committee. That is the most important thi…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Winnipeg North knows how much I appreciate him, and I know he feels the same way. I can understand why he was confused about the Bloc Québécois's support for the emergency measures. We supported the idea of taking the appropriate measures at the right time and in accordance with provincial and federal jurisdictions. For more than three weeks, we were suggesting solut…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister, the only Liberal member who has the right to speak freely, just turned what should have been a vote of conscience into a vote of confidence. We can see from our discussions with the Liberal members that many of them are uncomfortable with these extreme measures now that the truckers are gone. Could my colleague set aside what she thinks and the speech she just ga…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, many NDP members have said that they are uncomfortable with the Emergencies Act and have even indicated that they might vote differently if there were no trucks left today. When faced with the threat that the NDP would vote according to its conscience, the Prime Minister announced that this would be a confidence vote. That means that, today, there are no more parliamentary safeguard…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, during the debates of the past few days, which I diligently attended, Liberal MPs have mentioned that the application of the Emergencies Act was necessary for the police force of Quebec, the Sûreté du Québec, to be present in Ottawa. I looked into this over the past two days, and this appears to be false. It is enough to swear them in, which has been done in the past. If the Emergen…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I will start by commending my colleague for his political courage. The member started his speech by talking about our individual responsibilities as legislators in this evening's vote. By making this a confidence vote, the Prime Minister is doing two things. First, he is preventing members of his own caucus, like the member himself, from voting according to their conscience. Second,…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, we are told that some demonstrators were planning to overthrow the government. I just had a look around outside and was able to see the state of things. I would like the member to tell me one thing: Of the zero trucks parked outside, how many are planning to overthrow the government?
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the Liberal member who just spoke criticized the opposition by saying that if everyone had worked together, we would not find ourselves in this position today. I am astonished. I would like my colleague to tell us how many proposals and suggestions have been made in the past three weeks by the opposition parties, including the Bloc Québécois, so we would not find ourselves in this p…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has never sanctioned what has been happening in the streets of Ottawa. These are reprehensible acts. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to commend the law enforcement officers who have done excellent work and who finally got the resources they needed today to respond adequately. The problem is that this should have been done a long time ago. The problem is th…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I had the honour of having the member for Kingston and the Islands as my municipal councillor and mayor when I was doing my Ph.D. at Queen's University. Every year, Kingston's Homecoming event attracts thousands of people who overturn police cars, commit crimes and turn the city upside down. Police from Toronto, Brockville, Kingston and Cornwall and mounted police are on duty. From …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I hope you will allow me to forgo my colleague's little lesson on logic. Security experts are telling us that communication is the most important tool in such operations. For two to three weeks, we asked that a crisis task force be set up and that the minister conduct briefings. The Liberals did not make a decision about that. They do not make decisions. The Ottawa police chief told…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, we were just talking about logic. According to the convoluted logic of the member's question, when there is a protest or when someone does not like the government, regardless of the threat level, the organization involved or the government's inaction, the solution is the worst, most radical option, the very last resort. We never supported the things that went on in the street. We ne…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my colleague spoke about the consequences of the blockades. In the world I live in, the real word, we have the Criminal Code, municipal bylaws, the highway safety code and the ability to call in other police forces. There are provisions in the Criminal Code to combat hate crimes. Is my colleague aware that all of these laws applied before the emergency declaration was made? I would …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, this is the first time this act has been used since 1988, since it came into force. Despite this, in response to the friend from the NDP—
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I will give her a chance to respond. This is the first time that this legislation has been used since it came into force in 1988. In answer to his NDP buddies earlier, the parliamentary secretary to the minister said that this did not set a precedent. My question for the member is this: How is it possible not to set a precedent when this is the first time that such draconian legisla…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my colleagues just talked about foreign financing and made many references to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FINTRAC. There are two scenarios being advanced. The first is that FINTRAC can get the job done and that there was no need to declare a state of emergency. The second is that FINTRAC is underfunded and understaffed and that this governmen…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, we do not see eye to eye with the Conservative Party on a lot of things, but the Bloc Québécois believes that the fundamental role of the opposition is to monitor what the government does. Slips of the tongue can be quite revealing. Earlier today, the NDP member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke said something like, this act “gives us the power as a government” to take action. I would like …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, earlier the member for Lac-Saint-Louis told us that the opposition does not get it, and that the government did not control the police services, as if there was no middle ground between controlling the police services and taking action, as if the only option left was to use the emergency measures. How is it that the Ottawa chief of police asked for 1,800 RCMP officers? How is it tha…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, we agree the situation is serious. The problem is, for over two weeks, only the opposition parties recognized it as an emergency. The Prime Minister failed in his duty to use tools that were available to him before. Quebeckers and Canadians deserve better. I would like to know if the hon. minister is proud to be seated next to a last-resort Prime Minister.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my colleague did say that her government would not let these events tarnish Canada's reputation. The flag that she holds so dear has now become a global symbol of the far right movement and chaos. I would like to know, given that her speech seems to have been written three weeks ago, if my hon. colleague is getting help with her agenda.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, earlier, in criticizing the bill, the member for Perth—Wellington compared it to Groundhog Day. If memory serves, when the groundhog woke up on September 21, the composition of Parliament was the same, or almost the same, as it is today. I would like the member for Trois-Rivières, an expert in ethics issues and legitimacy, to tell us how legitimate this bill still is and whether this …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I believe you have the wrong riding and you meant to recognize the hon. member for Trois-Rivières.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, if I understand correctly what the minister said, the payment will be made only in July because the calculation is updated in July. If I were to accept this explanation, I would have to ask the minister why the correction was not made last July given that the Bloc Québécois finance critic pointed out the problem to the government in April 2020. Why did the government decide to trigger…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois recognizes the merits of Bill C‑12. We know that it is an error that will be corrected. Nevertheless, we also would have liked to propose amendments to this bill. I know that the parliamentary secretary mentioned that the bill is only five lines long. I would like to know if the parliamentary secretary is aware that the word “March” is only five letters long and cou…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, when we suggested some improvements to the short Bill C‑12, I heard some Liberal Party members talk about how making improvements is partisan. That explains a lot. I am starting to understand them more. I can be slow to catch on, so I would appreciate it if my colleague could explain why, after seniors have endured 21 months of reduced benefits, it is partisan to ask for the payment t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the answer is yes, absolutely. Another member made that point earlier. It is always hard to get money from Ottawa, except for the banks. Certain government offices need to be more available to seniors and vulnerable people, rather than to Bay Street.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we are talking about people with limited access to the Internet, but in general, I would say that it is important to take care of all seniors. As I said before, these people gave their all. They built our communities. They are active members of society. They are still involved. They deserve all the help they can get.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, a society is judged by the way it treats those who built it. If the motion as moved is adopted, low-income seniors will have gone an entire year without their most significant source of income. The Liberal government deserves to be harshly judged for that. To receive the guaranteed income supplement, a person needs to have worked and to be retired. The people whose GIS payments have…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, if the member was a sovereignist like me, he would know that I commented extensively on the Quebec pension plan at the Caisse de dépôt et placement. I think he is getting mixed up. If he would like to cross over to this side of the House and support sovereignty, I invite him to do so. In 2015, the members opposite boasted about reducing the retirement age from 67 to 65 years of age.…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, generally speaking, the policy is problematic in terms of transparency and understanding. It is very difficult for seniors and many other people to understand certain rules. We need to recognize that. As I said in my speech, when many intelligent people have a hard time understanding a rule, it could mean that the policy is not properly designed and needs more work. I think we shoul…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as I said earlier, we met with the minister about 21 months ago to fix the guaranteed income supplement problem. Then the Liberal government decided to call an election. After the election, it decided not to recall Parliament, not to sit, essentially. Can my colleague explain that problem? Why would the government have done that? I am having a hard time understanding.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this debate is about Bill C-8. I am wondering if my colleague from Carleton is off topic.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as my colleague knows, if it were up to me, there would be an international border along the Ottawa River. Of course, that would not stop me from inviting my colleague for the weekend. I would say that the first thing would be to recognize Quebec as a distinct society and the legal implications that entails.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I feel like I am dealing in antiques today. The motion we are debating would amend a Constitution that was ill-conceived and that has aged poorly. The Constitution has so many holes, it looks like moths got at it. The holes in this Constitution are costing the provinces, Quebec and taxpayers a lot of money and preventing the provinces from properly and independently funding their pu…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague from Winnipeg North is so disconnected that I think I will ask a page to take him an adapter. There are 10 provincial premiers, all of whom are asking for an unconditional increase in health transfers and for Ottawa to mind its own business. Would my colleague say they do not represent anyone? Do those people not matter? This is the attitude I am talking about, the Libe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has always been an ally of the taxpayer in the fight against tax evasion. When it comes to funding health care, I would like to point out that we heard the Minister of Health across the way tell us about the pandemic and say that suddenly there was money and commitment, but only when the solution was temporary. For a permanent solution there is never one cent. It …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, to me it looks like this crisis has everyone going around in circles. People are going around in circles because, on the one hand, we have a government that has decided not to govern, not to assume its responsibilities, and now it is getting too late. On the other hand, we have an official opposition, the Conservatives, that has suddenly abandoned its traditional passion for law and o…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his engaging and moving speech and appreciated the focus on his constituents. We cannot help but empathize. Mr. Speaker, if you had not told me, I would never have guessed that my colleague was a member of the party in power. I started counting the number of concrete solutions he proposed, but I did not get past zero. Where is the crisis table with the police …
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I would like to go back to the first part of my colleague's speech. I, too, support the right to protest and freedom. However, people who believe freedom means financing illegal activities with foreign money, throwing rocks at an ambulance, preventing a child from receiving cancer treatment, setting off fireworks in densely populated areas, or setting fire to the home of someone who h…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things that I disagree with my colleague about, but we agree on one thing. It is important to get out and talk to our constituents. I have talked to many of my constituents in many municipalities in my riding. Initially, these people supported the convoy enthusiastically. When I talk to them today, however, they realize that this might not have been the right soluti…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague from Brandon—Souris that it is our role as opposition members to criticize the government's policies. We must do that. It is also our role to convey the suffering of our constituents, who have paid a high price during this crisis. I commend the fact that my colleague is openly saying today that protests have to be peaceful and legal. However, we are here th…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, the theme of my colleague's speech today was responsible leadership. However, in order for the leadership to be responsible, there has to be some leadership in the first place. Today, I would like us to talk about perceptions. In a country that is greatly divided, people seem to be unanimous in agreeing that the government was irresponsible, did not show leadership and did not do it…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her compassionate speech. It is important to represent the voice of these people who are suffering because of what is happening right now. It is true that some extremely inappropriate and unacceptable symbols have been brandished in this protest. No member of the House has inadvertently or unwittingly taken a photo next to these symbols. It is unacce…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my Conservative colleagues spend a fair amount of time describing the impact inflation is having on the budgets of families and the middle class. However, it is important to note that inflation will also impact the provincial governments, particularly health care systems, which have to hire people and buy equipment and supplies. Can my colleague tell me why he thinks that the Liberal …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Jean Bouchard, a former mayor of Mirabel, passed away surrounded by loved ones on December 9 at the Pallia-Vie hospice. For the past 30 years, Jean Bouchard dedicated his life to the city he loved so much, first as a firefighter, then as a building inspector, a city councillor, and finally as mayor, from 2013 to 2021. Without question, Jean Bouchard was a fighter. As he said himself r…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague clearly has a lot of empathy for her constituents in Elgin—Middlesex—London. I want to point out that, between 2011 and 2016, during the Harper era, Canada lost more than 320,000 housing units for the least fortunate Canadians. I would like to know how my colleague defines a housing bubble. Once prices stabilize, will the Conservative Party lose interest in the housing sh…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois made a very simple proposal during the last election campaign. It proposed that, year after year and without exception, the government dedicate 1% of the spending budget to housing, not only to affordable housing, but also to social housing. I have not heard much about tenants. In Quebec, however, there are over 400,000 tenants who spend more than 30% of their incom…
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