Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' soft stance on crime only helps criminals. They are too tolerant of lawbreakers. The poor victims in all of this are our children, who are not even protected. This government has no regard for law-abiding Canadians and their safety. A responsible government would make Canadians safer. Why does this government put criminals ahead of victims?
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Mr. Speaker, there is an urgent need to take action on the labour shortage. There are solutions, but this government has lost control. For example, a temporary foreign worker who has been coming here every year for the past 10 years has to attend an eligibility interview this year. However, he has been coming here for 10 years now. Another example that I have is a manufacturer with plants in Ontar…
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Madam Speaker, I like what my colleague, the Minister of Official Languages, is saying, but the government is not walking the talk. In my opinion, Bill C-13 is very important because it establishes rules to ensure that, in 50 years, Canada will still be a bilingual country, where both French and English are spoken. The minister is from New Brunswick, the only bilingual province in Canada, yet she …
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Madam Speaker, I want to commend my colleague, the chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. We are working together to advance the cause. We now have the proof that this government is not really paying attention to the French language and has no real intention of protecting it. I would remind members that the first speech, the first debate, was on a Wednesday afternoon. I want to mak…
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Madam Speaker, right now, the House is debating Bill C‑13. We are not debating procedure. I do not need a lecture from the NDP—
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Madam Speaker, I listened closely to my Bloc colleague's speech. However, it seems as though some people are having conversations in the House right now. Could you please intervene, Madam Speaker?
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques for his intervention. I think he and I share the same concern for the French fact. His concern is focused more on French in Quebec, while the French fact as a whole, in Quebec and across Canada, is what matters to me. My colleague said that he is not in favour of Bill C‑13. He gave an ultimatum. I am privileged to b…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Joliette. I have enjoyed working with him since 2015. My colleague pointed to a glaring issue. How can we trust such an inconsistent government? In my speech, I presented what I feel are some very concrete facts to demonstrate this government's inconsistency. It makes us doubt, as Canadians, that the government will actually appoint a bilingual lieu…
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Madam Speaker, I had the privilege of meeting with many organizations from Quebec and elsewhere in Canada who made their case. The list of things we will protect via amendment is long. First up is the central agency. Canada's governmental structure and governance include three organizations that can give instructions in various departments: the Department of Finance, the Privy Council and Treasury…
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Madam Speaker, yes, the francophone community is strong. We are fortunate that this is part of Canada's history, because it means that French is still spoken here in our country and we have a bilingual country. Yes, we must invest in and support our linguistic communities, especially in minority settings. I strongly suggest that as part of our committee study, we ensure that communities all across…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, thank you for your kind description of my speech. Today is the second time I rise in the House to speak to the bill to modernize official languages. What parliamentarians are trying to do here today is establish rules to stop the decline of French, protect it and promote it. I am obviously talking about the modernization of the Official Languages Act. Of the two official languages, …
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Madam Speaker, how does the minister feel today knowing that the House is debating Bill C‑13 while government lawyers are preparing a court challenge against francophones in British Columbia?
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Madam Speaker, I think the Minister of Official Languages needs to understand that this issue is very important to the Conservative Party of Canada, and it is something we want to work on. If she had listened to my speech during the first day of debate in the House of Commons, during which she gave parliamentarians the privilege of speaking, I made it clear that the Conservative Party was reaching…
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Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has had a tremendous negative impact. The cost of living is rising, businesses are having real supply chain issues and we are experiencing an unprecedented labour shortage. Another major problem is the huge rise in mental health issues. This Liberal government must act now. Its 2022 budget is not enough. Will the Prime Minister commit to swiftly presenting a plan to prote…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, five-year-old Florence Gagné has lost her battle with diffuse brain stem glioma. This cruel form of cancer primarily affects children between the ages of five and seven. It is inoperable and incurable. This adorable and delightful princess touched the hearts of thousands of people in Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier and elsewhere. This cause became close to everyone's hearts. Her parents, S…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell the minister that her solution is not working. This government lacks vision. It is always reacting. It was to be expected that there would be an unprecedented demand for the renewal of Canadian passports because of the pandemic. My riding office is seeing many cases, lots of Julies, Carls and Marie-Annes. According to the Passport Canada site, people can expect to…
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Mr. Speaker, the government promised that by 2035, every car sold in Canada would be zero-emission. RBC estimates that building the network of charging stations will require an annual investment of $25 billion. Officials have said in committee that the construction of this network has not even been costed yet. Is the government choosing to stay in the dark or does it just not care that it is sendi…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, back when I was studying communications, I had the privilege of interviewing the king of radio, André Arthur, for a school assignment. He was very generous in answering my questions. His popularity was impressive, and people had strong feelings about him. He portrayed himself as a defender of widows and orphans. Steeped in culture, he was a master of the French language and excelled a…
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Mr. Speaker, this government seems to think that everything is going well. Inflation has not been this high in 30 years, the deficit is huge, immigration is in a terrible state and every young Canadian's dream of owning property is shattered. What is this government going to do so that our young people can believe in the future and own property? What is it going to do now, not in 10 years or five …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I would like my colleague from Salaberry—Suroît to know that we, Conservatives, will not argue with the Bloc Québécois. I, too, love the French language. Several elements of Bill C-238 lead me to believe in a future for French in Canada. In my colleague’s opinion, is this the most effective way to stop the decline of French in Quebec and across Canada?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, today I am speaking to Bill C-238, an act respecting the French language, which was introduced by the member for Salaberry—Suroît. I thank her for her work on this important piece of legislation. Bill C‑238 does several things. It amends the Canada Labour Code and certain provisions of the Official Languages Act and the Citizenship Act. It also makes a change to the Canada Business …
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Mr. Speaker, business owners from such sectors as manufacturing, agriculture or tourism are struggling to address the labour shortage. It is even worse for francophone business owners. On top of all of the red tape, they are having to wait up to 30 months, which is two and a half years. Does the Minister of Immigration realize how much irremediable damage this is doing to our economy? What will he…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, with whom I am privileged to sit on the Standing Committee on Official Languages. This week, the committee was told that the francophone immigration target should be increased, because it is now only 4.4%. This is therefore a very important measure to include in Bill C‑13. Instead of having a short paragraph on immi…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the Minister of Official Languages. I appreciate her openness, her intention and her drive. Lately, situations have come up where we have felt that the federal government did not show official languages, especially French, the proper respect, and I got the impression that the minister was isolated and alone. Can she confirm that she will be able to persuade her…
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Madam Speaker, today is April 1, but I hope the government will not be playing any April Fool's jokes on francophones and anglophones with the Official Languages Act. Hon. colleagues, I rise today to speak to Bill C-13, an act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the use of French in federally regulated private businesses act and to make related amendments to other acts. I address this Ho…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, who represents the people of Nickel Belt. It is a pleasure for me to work with him on the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I do not know whether my colleague listened carefully to my speech, but I clearly said that we need to take our time. We are at second reading. I do n…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that the update to the Official Languages Act drafted in 1968 was done under a Conservative government. Also, in November 2020, an emergency debate was held at the request of the Conservatives. Perhaps my colleague should look up what happened in the history books. There are reasons why we have to manage public funds wisely. We were in an economic…
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Madam Speaker, I commend and congratulate my colleague for her impressive French. Moreover, she is a Conservative member. We are all working together for all of the provinces. I think that is important. We need to implement measures for the entire country. There are minority francophones in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and all of the Maritime provinces. Quebec's situa…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate that the Bloc Québécois recognizes that this bill is poorly written and that it contains a number of flaws. There is a problem with translation. Both official languages merit respect throughout Canada. I am reaching out to the Bloc Québécois as well, because we need to work together to improve this bill so that it becomes an effective law that is capable of stopping the…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, Canadian are proud of both official languages, English and French. They must be protected and integrated into federal-provincial agreements. If the federal government does not enforce the Official Languages Act, who will? Furthermore, the decline of French in Canada must stop now. Will the Minister of Official Languages commit to amending Bill C-13 to include language clauses, among…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in addition to having 40 of the most beautiful villages in Quebec, Cap‑Santé, the major centre of Portneuf in my riding of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, is known for its artists, artisans, agriculture and heritage, as well as its amazing old-fashioned Christmas market. I would like to share with the House one of this municipality's recent initiatives, which is worthy of note. I am referri…
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Mr. Speaker, this government obviously does not want to help and protect francophone minority communities in Canada. After postponing the introduction of its bill to modernize the Official Languages Act, supposedly to take the January ruling into account, now it is appealing that ruling. The minister did not take any questions from journalists at a press conference this morning. Why? Is the Minist…
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Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Official Languages. This government is talking out of both sides of its mouth. First, the Minister of Official Languages claims to want to protect the French language, but then, her colleague, the Minister of Justice, rejects the ruling from the Federal Court of Appeal and wants to take francophones to court. Talk about hypocrisy. Will the Minister…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, nearly 120 members of the 5e régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada are now deployed in Latvia for Operation Reassurance. The regiment is stationed on the Valcartier military base in my riding, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, and has participated in numerous missions since it originated in May 1968, including combat operations in Kandahar, peacekeeping missions in Cyprus, Haiti and Bosnia…
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Madam Speaker, I would like my Bloc Québécois colleague to be called to order. It is not the federal government, but rather the Liberals who are against francophones. A Le Droit headline reads, “The federal government is dragging francophones to the Supreme Court of Canada”. How can the Minister of Official Languages accept and endorse the fact that her government is attacking francophones and blo…
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Mr. Speaker, there was nothing left in the streets of Ottawa. The border crossings at Coutts, Emerson and Windsor were cleared without the use of the Emergencies Act. Here in Ottawa, the Prime Minister waited three weeks and then decided one morning that he would invoke the Emergencies Act. Late once again, when there was nothing left in the streets of Ottawa, the NDP and the Liberals voted in fav…
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Mr. Speaker, this is the story of a protest that dragged on because of the inaction of a Prime Minister who did nothing for three weeks. It was disappointing. Suddenly, on February 14, this Prime Minister invoked the Emergencies Act. Three days of debate followed. On February 21, the Liberals and the NDP voted in favour of that legislation. On Wednesday, February 23, this Prime Minister contradict…
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Mr. Speaker, the Emergencies Act authorizes the freezing of bank accounts. Many Canadians know very little about the rules, the duration or the guidelines. The legislation must not be trivialized. It is very troubling and, worse still, the Minister of Finance wants to introduce legislation to give more powers, without a warrant. Will the minister commit to including a mechanism to appeal abusive d…
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Mr. Speaker, it is the government that is being irresponsible. I will repeat my question, and I invite the leader to listen. Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Alberta and Quebec no longer want health measures. What is the government waiting for? It must commit to not forcing the provinces to impose health measures.
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Mr. Speaker, we all want to resolve the impasse in front of Parliament in Ottawa, and we want it to end quickly and peacefully. Because this government failed to act earlier, now it has to play catch-up and is invoking the Emergencies Act. The government should have emulated the provincial premiers, who managed to control the protests without any special legislation. Will the Prime Minister commit…
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Mr. Speaker, the government is ruining Canada's future. This government has carelessly wasted astronomical sums of money on its universal programs. Think of the 65-year-old seniors who have been abandoned. Now it is access to property. Canadians need to be able to pay their rent. Housing costs are skyrocketing. We have to take action now. What is this government going to do right now to put an end…
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Mr. Speaker, we want our businesses to believe in the future of our country. We want entrepreneurs to invest and keep running their businesses. Programs were created to help them during the crisis, but some entrepreneurs do not have access to that financial assistance because they started their businesses in 2020. They are part of the economic recovery, but there is no help for them. What will the…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the labour shortage problem and delays in obtaining work permits for foreign workers: (a) how many foreign workers are waiting for a response (i) in Canada, (ii) for the province of Quebec, (iii) in the riding of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier; (b) what time frame does the government deem acceptable for ensuring that a work permit is obtained for a foreign worker; (c) what is the current …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, an outstanding project has come to fruition thanks to the perseverance of an inspiring woman: Danielle Du Sablon. She has produced a book immortalizing 40 equally inspiring, active women from one of the 18 municipalities of the Portneuf RCM. Allow me to name these exceptional women: Ysabel, Marian and Allyson Jacob, Christine Genest, Carmelle Matte, Johannie-Kym Cavanagh, Mélanie Laje…
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Madam Speaker, the government must take our official languages seriously. This week the commissioner tabled a report indicating that francophone immigration is seriously falling behind. He said, “It is time to do more and do better.” Why not kill two birds with one stone and welcome foreign francophone workers to solve the labour shortage problem and increase the number of French-speaking citizens…
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Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from Saint‑Hyacinthe—Bagot, who was very open and engaged in our conversation when I tried to convince him to vote for me to become Speaker. I obviously was not elected, and I acknowledge that, since politics involves dealing with disappointment. That is what I did last week, and I am finally starting to accept it. As for the member's question about solutions, I w…
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Madam Chair, my colleague is probably an exception to the rule tonight because he is one of the only Liberals who represents a riding that includes rural areas. I am not saying conflict is entirely avoidable, but what keeps me up at night as an MP is the Liberal government's failure to act and the fact that it is not holding the cards or negotiating from a position of strength. I would like to tal…
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Madam Chair, thank you for reminding me. It is very important. I wish to inform the House that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, an extraordinary member from British Columbia. To continue, the topic we are debating tonight is an important sector of the Canadian economy. It is important in British Columbia, Quebec and other provinces in Can…
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Madam Chair, I will take this opportunity to thank my constituents for voting for me to represent Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier in the House of Commons for a third time. I want to thank the many volunteers who worked hard to get out the vote and ensure that people voted for me. It was an extraordinary success, and I received 51.6% of the vote, which was more than I had hoped or aimed for. I am very ple…
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Mr. Speaker, according to signs posted at the industrial parks in Portneuf—Jacques‑Cartier, they are at capacity and are now hiring. Businesses are having to cut back on production, cancel orders or, at worst, close their doors. One solution to the labour shortage is to hire foreign workers. A quick and simple solution would be to set up dedicated teams to clear the backlog and hire more staff in …
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