Parliamentary Speeches

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of tabling a petition today on recognition and support for family caregivers. These women and men play a vital role in supporting people with health conditions who are in the process of losing their autonomy or living with a disability. Their work eases some of the pressure on our health care system. This petition is the outcome of a remarkable grassroots movement le…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by sincerely thanking you for your work, your patience and your remarkable ability to remain calm. I would also like to thank all the members of the political parties for their tributes, which I thought were almost too generous. I want to thank my leader, the member for Beloeil—Chambly, the member for Ville‑Marie—Le Sud‑Ouest—Île‑des‑Soeurs and the member for Lév…

First Session—45th Parliament

It is my duty to inform the House that a Speaker of this House has been duly elected. It is with great pleasure that I do now invite the hon. member for the electoral district of Lac-Saint-Louis to take the chair.

First Session—45th Parliament

I want to remind my colleagues of something I forgot to mention, especially for the benefit of new members. When people are elected, they expect a lot of recognition. Politics is not the place to look for recognition. As a former Quebec premier once told a reporter, people who get into politics looking for recognition would be better off going and buying themselves a nice dog. Before I suspend the…

First Session—45th Parliament

All members having voted, I do now instruct the Clerk to proceed with the counting of the ballots after I have cast my ballot.

First Session—45th Parliament

Pursuant to the Standing Orders, the House will now proceed to elect a Speaker. After the Clerk has opened the envelope containing the ballots, I will suggest a method of proceeding that will help accelerate the voting process. We will now begin to vote pursuant to Standing Order 4. Please allow me to outline the procedure for all hon. members. The names of the candidates for the election are list…

First Session—45th Parliament

I will soon suspend the sitting for 30 minutes. Before I do that, I would like to thank my entire team of volunteers for helping me get elected for the 13th time. I thank them for this exalted throne. I also want to thank my whole family. I do love this throne, but I will have to let the King borrow it tomorrow. The King is welcome to it. Actually, he will be sitting on the throne in the Senate. I…

First Session—45th Parliament

I will now call upon Greg Fergus, the hon. member for Hull—Aylmer, to address the House for not more than five minutes.

First Session—45th Parliament

Further to those statements, the list of candidates is revised accordingly. In all, there will be six candidates. Pursuant to Standing Order 3.1, the House must proceed to the speeches from each candidate for the Speakership. Notwithstanding any standing order, any usual procedure or any practice adopted by this House, and to help the newly elected members identify the candidates for the office of…

First Session—45th Parliament

I want to congratulate everyone who won a seat. This is a meaningful thing to do at an important time. No one can enter here without wearing the mantle of democracy. That is what those who are present here are doing, and I want to commend them for that. I see that there are many new MPs. Many of them seem young to me, and it is no doubt one of them who will beat my 41-year record. I want to give t…

First Session—45th Parliament

I will now call upon Alexandra Mendès, the hon. member for Brossard—Saint-Lambert, to speak to the House for five minutes.

First Session—45th Parliament

I will now call upon Mr. Francis Scarpaleggia, the hon. member for Lac-Saint-Louis.

First Session—45th Parliament

You mentioned my career. When I was elected back in 1984, there were no cellphones, no Internet, no fax machines. It was heaven. I now invite Sherry Romanado, the hon. member of Parliament for Longueuil—Charles‑LeMoyne, to speak for up to five minutes.

First Session—45th Parliament

I will now call upon Robert Oliphant, the hon. member for Don Valley West, to address the House for not more than five minutes.

First Session—45th Parliament

(The Presiding Officer having vacated the chair, and the mace having been laid under the table, the right hon. Prime Minister and the hon. Leader of the Opposition conducted Francis Scarpaleggia from his seat in the House to the chair)

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, ten years ago today, on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, Parliament experienced one of the darkest days in its long history, a day that would forever change life in the House of Commons. Ten years ago, a terrorist killed a man just steps from Parliament before bursting into Centre Block targeting elected representatives with deadly intentions. Ten years ago, Corporal Nathan Cirillo lost h…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I too would like to honour John Fraser today, whom I had the honour of working with for many years when he was a minister and when he was Speaker of the House. He was the proud representative of the riding of Vancouver South from 1972 to 1993. In 1986, Mr. Fraser was the first MP elected Speaker of the House of Commons by secret ballot. Prior to this first election in the House, the P…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, what can I say after all those kind words? I would like to thank the five speakers from the various political parties who spoke so kindly of me. I have served in the governing party, I have served as an independent, I have served in the official opposition, and I have served as a member of the third party. I have known just about every trend and experienced all the highs and lows. I w…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I have fond memories when I talk about this prime minister. I was elected with him as part of his team on September 4, 1984. He was a great Canadian, a great Quebecker and a great prime minister. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would first like to offer my deepest condolences to his wife, Mila, his daughter, Caroline, his sons, Ben, Mark and Nicolas, and his grandchildren. I rememb…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois and as the dean of the House, I have the honour to rise to celebrate the memory of Ed Broadbent, the third leader of the New Democratic Party, who passed away at the age of 87. Canada's big NDP family lost more than a former leader on January 11. It lost the embodiment of a vision that, 35 years after his time as leader of the party, has virtually becom…

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, allow me to take a few moments to pay tribute to Danielle Gamelin, director general of Fondation Santé Bécancour–Nicolet–Yamaska. From the time she started running that organization eight years ago, she proceeded to restructuring internal operations to improve efficiency and organizing fundraisers to stabilize the organization's financial health. What is more, she has reached out many…

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, Hélène Alarie, the Bloc Québécois member for the riding of Louis-Hébert from 1997 to 2000, passed away last week. Without ever raising her voice or losing her cheerful demeanour, Hélène was a calm but forceful presence and a trailblazer. In fact, she was the first woman agronomist in Quebec. While the pesticide industry was in its heyday, she promoted a kind of agriculture that was mo…

I will now call upon Mr. Chris d'Entremont, the hon. member for West Nova.

I will now call upon Peter Schiefke, the member for Vaudreuil—Soulanges, to speak.

Before I suspend the sitting for 30 minutes, may I bring to the attention of hon. members that the bells calling the members back to the House will be sounded for not more than five minutes. The sitting is suspended to the call of the Chair for 30 minutes. (The sitting of the House was suspended at 10:44 a.m.)

Pursuant to the provisions of the Standing Orders, the House will now proceed to elect a Speaker. After the Clerk has unsealed the ballots, I will suggest to the House a procedure that will accelerate the voting process. We will now prepare to begin to vote according to the provisions of Standing Order 4. Please allow me to outline the procedure for all members. The names of the candidates eligibl…

All members having voted, I do now instruct the Clerk to proceed with the counting of the ballots, after I have cast my ballot.

Before I suspend the sitting, I wish to remind hon. members that, when the counting has been completed, the bells to call the members back to the House will be sounded. The sitting is suspended to the call of the Chair. (The sitting of the House was suspended at 12:00 p.m.)

It is my duty to inform the House that a Speaker of the House has been duly elected. It is with great pleasure that I invite the hon. member for the electoral district of Hull—Aylmer to take the chair.

I now invite the right hon. Prime Minister and the hon. Leader of the Opposition to escort the Hon. Greg Fergus to the chair. (The Presiding Officer having vacated the chair, the right hon. Prime Minister and the hon. Leader of the Opposition conducted Mr. Greg Fergus from his seat in the House to the chair)

Pursuant to order made on Tuesday, September 26, the House will now proceed to the election of the Speaker. Before I begin, I would like to tell my predecessor, Mr. Rota, how much I admire all of the work he did during his two terms as Speaker. He was a great Speaker, and he will be remembered for a job well done. I thank Mr. Rota. I was very pleased to fill in as Speaker temporarily. My term will…

Further to that statement, the list of candidates is revised accordingly. Pursuant to Standing Order 3.1, the House must proceed to the speeches from each candidate for Speaker. Notwithstanding any Standing Order, any procedure or any practice adopted by this House, and to help the newly elected members identify the candidates for the office of Speaker, I will recognize in alphabetical order each …

I will now call upon the hon. member for Hull—Aylmer.

I will now call upon the member for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing.

I will now call upon Ms. Elizabeth May, the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. She is not here with us today, but we can watch her on the screen.

I will now call upon the hon. member for Brossard—Saint‑Lambert.

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the Gaspé region lost one of its most stalwart advocates. Former member of Parliament Raynald Blais passed away at the age of 69. Elected three times as the member for Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Raynald Blais represented his region in the House of Commons from 2004 to 2011. I had the honour to work alongside him in the Bloc Québécois. He truly distinguished himself…

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois and as dean of the House of Commons, I am pleased to recognize Geoff Regan, who served as the Speaker of the House from 2015 to 2019. His portrait will now hang in the halls of Parliament as is the custom. He was the 36th Speaker of the House, but the first Speaker from Atlantic Canada in nearly a century. Mr. Regan proudly represented the people of Hal…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for raising those points. You mentioned $2 billion, but when the government slashed transfers in half from 50% to 25%, that represented a lot more than the $2 billion you say you provided. Let me remind you that the federal government's role is to transfer the money to the provinces, not to give that money directly or to opine that one type of care is better …

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, when it comes to mental health, what is happening is terrible. Mental health problems have increased dramatically, so the amount of money that needs to be invested also needs to increase considerably. Once again, this is a health-related issue, and health is a provincial responsibility. That is very clearly stated in the Constitution, in section 92. If the government wants to be gen…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, Bill C-32 has more bulk than substance. My colleagues were right in saying so earlier. Bill C-32 contains 25 different tax measures and a dozen or so non-tax measures. That may seem like a lot, but there are in fact two kinds of measures. Some are minor amendments, like the ones this Parliament adopts on a regular basis to comply with court rulings, treaties and new accounting polic…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I talked about the health transfers that all the provinces have requested. Quebec and all the provinces are calling for a new cost-sharing arrangement with an additional $28 billion going to the provinces. The federal government may say that this is not immediately feasible, but it could at least promise to do it in increments. It could make a two-, three- or four-year agreement to …

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to honour the memory of Bill Blaikie, a prominent figure in the New Democratic Party and, more broadly, the Canadian left. When I was elected in 1984, Bill Blaikie had already been the MP for Winnipeg—Transcona for five years. He was a towering figure in the NDP caucus, both figuratively and literally, as he stood at least a head taller th…

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, we are winding up debate at second reading of Bill C-237. This bill gives the provinces the right to withdraw when the federal government creates a program that should be the exclusive jurisdiction of the provinces. I found the term “exclusive” in the Constitution. When we speak of exclusive jurisdictions, we are referring to matters that fall under the authority of either the provi…

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, I request a recorded division.

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. At the beginning of his speech, he spoke a lot about the need for new housing. However, the housing announced in the budget will not be available for another two or three years, because housing cannot be built instantaneously. Still, there may be a way to help people find housing. For example, in some regions, Airbnb has taken over 20, …

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, my answer is very simple. It is well established in the Canadian Constitution that education and health are areas of provincial jurisdiction. Manitoba has full authority in education and health, as does Quebec. The federal government needs to stop meddling in these areas of jurisdiction.

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, that is not how I see it. My bill simply says that the federal government will transfer the funds. It will still be perfectly possible to uphold the principles in the Canada Health Act, since they are quite general. This does not open the door to privatizing health care. Since this is a provincial jurisdiction, it is possible that a democratically elected government may decide that …

Private Members' Business

moved that Bill C-237, An Act to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act and the Canada Health Act be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, I am very proud to rise today to speak to my bill, Bill C-237, an act to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act and the Canada Health Act. The bill addresses the root cause of the tensions and disputes betw…

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. That is exactly what I said in my speech. Quebec's entire health care community, like every premier in Canada, is calling for health transfers with no conditions because it is the provinces that manage the hospitals, that organize them and the work. The role of the federal government is clearly stated in the Constitution. It consists solely of …