Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the minister's answer to the question posed by my colleague from Rivière-du-Nord is inadequate. Yes, in 2021, Quebec ruled on the issue before the report of the expert panel on mental illness was published. However, the minister had a year to implement the most widely held recommendation of the special joint committee on medical assistance in dying concerning advance requests. Even a …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the minister did not answer one aspect of my question. Why the double standard? The minister had a full year to implement the recommendation of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying concerning advance requests. An Ipsos poll of 3,500 people showed 85% support across Canada. If the minister does not know that, he is not staying on top of his file. As far as postpon…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, medical assistance in dying is about freedom of choice. The role of the state is not to decide for the person who is suffering; it is to guarantee the conditions under which people can make a free and informed choice. If someone does not want medical assistance in dying, they can simply not ask for it. The National Assembly is unanimous: Quebec is ready. It has its own legislation. Wi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am sure my colleague's intention is not to exploit the pain of people who have been enduring irremediable suffering for decades. However, she is repeating an argument that we have heard often in this debate and that I feel is something completely separate. The issue of access to primary mental health care has nothing to do with the decision we must make on whether to expand medica…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is a rather accurate summary of what happened in committee. The government decided to include in legislation the committee's main recommendation on mental disorders. My colleague sat on the committee that produced the report tabled in February 2023, which recommended allowing advance requests. Why has his government not introduced a section on advance requests after a year of w…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague gave us a history lesson. He said that his party was not able to move forward because there was an election. I would point out to him that Quebec has had two elections in those six years of work on MAID. That did indeed delay the work, as he will agree. However, I do agree with him that Quebec's approach crosses party lines and is far more thorough. Some people complain…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague participated in all three sessions on the issue. When Quebec tabled its report and when we voted on Bill C-7 in 2021, I was very reluctant to consider opening up MAID to mental disorders. However, I worked my way through the experts' report and I invite my colleague to read it again. My colleague says there is nothing in the legislation. However, it does not have to be in…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know whether my colleague thinks that, one day, it will be possible to alleviate the suffering of people struggling with an irremediable mental disorder. I would also like to know whether he agrees that it would have been wiser for the government to implement the joint committee's leading recommendation regarding advance requests and to take advantage of the introducti…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Quebec would not have to ask for an exemption if Ottawa had implemented the majority recommendations on advance requests issued a year ago by the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying. Quebec is ready today, and patients should not have to suffer because of the government's inaction. If it does not want to condemn people to suffer needlessly, the federal government ha…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, medical assistance in dying is a matter of freedom of choice. The Liberals should understand that. The role of the state is to guarantee the conditions for exercising a free and informed choice. Those who do not want medical assistance in dying do not need to apply for it. It is as simple as that. The National Assembly is unanimous. Quebec is ready. It has its own legislation. Will th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it has been a year since the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying recommended allowing advance requests. That was what the vast majority of the committee members wanted. We need to allow advance requests for people who are suffering from conditions like dementia and Alzheimer's. The federal government has been dragging its feet for a year on implementing the committe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is an interesting question. I would like to point out to my colleague that the committee had very little time to assess whether the system was ready. We had two or three meetings to determine that and the deadline was ridiculous. However, many people came and told us that the system was ready. The Quebec National Assembly took a stand in 2021. Bill C‑7 was passed after that, af…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, briefly put, I would say they lack courage. In this place, courage and compassion are lacking, and action is based far too much on ideology. As I said earlier, only the individual can compare their life in one condition to their life in another condition, and this does not mean comparing two different lives. In that sense, we cannot turn a deaf ear to suffering. We have to listen an…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is an excellent question. In the supplementary report that I tabled, I note that, if we had had more time, we could have engaged with these people. By engaging with these people, we could have understood exactly what their concerns were. A certain number of associations did tell us that everything was ready for us to do this. The member knows that. For example, the Association …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I never thought I would end up debating medical assistance in dying in the House again, or reliving what we went through when we passed Bill C‑14, a bad law. I never expected that the Liberals would again be in the same position, or show the same lack of courage they did with Bill C‑14, which was prescribed by the Carter-Taylor decision. Quebec passed its legislation on end-of-life …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the minister say right off the bat that there was no reason to question whether there is such a thing as an irremediable mental disorder, but the Conservative members do not seem very clear on that. I do not know if she noticed the member for St. Albert—Edmonton's reaction when she said it. I would certainly be worried if I were her, because every …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague is always very eloquent when it comes to defending the “no” camp and the pro-life camp. Does his position represent the position of the Conservative party? Is that the official position of the Conservative Party? I just want us to be able to understand what is at stake in this debate today. Essentially, to him, irremediability is something that can never be proven. That…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments of my colleague, who always speaks very calmly and moderately. It is a pleasure to serve with him. The NDP voted against Bill C‑14, which did not address the Carter decision's requirements at all. Bill C‑7 met the Carter decision's requirements with additional changes that required hard work, to clarify the issue. Is the NDP saying no to the idea of one day…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, of course, we could impose harsher sentences, but in order to be able to do so, we have to be able to bring down the organizations and catch the people who are committing these crimes. Will the member do the honourable thing today and recognize that, by making cuts to the CBSA, the RCMP and ports, the Conservative government made a mistake that is having an impact on what is happening…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I have two points of order. Would you please remind the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis that members may not knowingly mislead the House? The Bloc Québécois voted against the Liberal budget. We do not support it.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, next time I will make it a proper question of privilege, as I have previously done in the House. I am sorry to have to say this, Mr. Speaker, but before the holidays, you unfortunately did not have control of the House, and that interfered with my parliamentary privilege to hear questions and answers during question period. What is more, it also infringed on my right to have and prese…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the government needed a feel-good announcement after its disastrous performance in the fall. Wanting to please its centralizing NDP allies, it chose dental care, a health care service that already exists in Quebec. It chose an area of jurisdiction that falls to Quebec and the provinces. It chose to interfere instead of support. It chose encroachment instead of collaboration. How does …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, since the 1970s, dental care for young people has been covered by Quebec's health insurance plan, or RAMQ. The Quebec government was open to an agreement to improve the plan. All of the transferred funds would have been used for dental care. The Liberals knew that, but they win more votes by diving head first into Quebec's areas of jurisdiction than by transferring money. Quebec has t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Health entitled “Strengthening the Oversight of Breast Implants”, which we hope will bring some hope to those women who have been the victims of adverse effects of breast implants. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive respon…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Though rarer in men, breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Some 28,000 Canadians are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Of course, the survival rate has improved, which is good news. To do even better, we must continue to screen for can…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have already had the opportunity to speak to Bill C‑49 by saying that this attempt to remove the term “petroleum” from the names of the boards was just more smoke and mirrors from the Liberals when it comes to the environment. In Quebec, we do not need to double oil and gas production. Could my colleague explain to me why, from coast to coast to coast, there is so much need for oi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, at first glance, Bill C‑49 does not seem to do away with the annual process for the auction and sale of exploratory drilling permits. Why then was the word “petroleum” removed from the names of the two boards if their mission still involves offshore oil and gas development? Is this more smoke and mirrors from the Liberals when it comes to the environment?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his thoughtful speech. He raised several points. This bill is not nothing. It enacts a reverse onus. The Bloc Québécois said that it will support this bill. However, does the member believe that Bill C-48, as it now stands, passes the constitutional test that he spoke about earlier? If so, why? If not, why?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting in favour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the result of the previous vote and is voting in favour of the motion.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply and will be voting in favour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote no.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, our dean, the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, encountered a serious issue. He was unable to connect to vote. Could we have his vote count? He is voting in favour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the results of the previous vote to this vote, adding the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, and will be voting in favour of the motion.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, in 2022, environmental disasters caused by climate change cost $275 billion. The five biggest oil companies made $220 billion in profits in 2022. Oil companies received $20 billion in funding from the government. I rounded these figures. As my colleague claims, we know that the government spends unwisely. Does he believe that the $20 billion the government spent on an industry that …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I put the question to a Conservative colleague earlier. I am going to ask my colleague the same question because he tells us that he is concerned about the fight against climate change. In 2022, $275 billion was spent to clean up the mess. That same year, the five big oil companies made $220 billion in profits. This government, which spends a lot, but also very badly, because it pri…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about a plan to return to balanced budgets. We agree that governments need to be able to plan ahead. It is only right for us to be able to see a plan. My colleague is worried about inflation. Pensioners on fixed incomes and seniors are struggling to make ends meet. Does he not think that instead of giving $20 billion in subsidies to oil companies that made $220 bil…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will vote in favour.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to close the debate at third reading of the bill. I have five short minutes to hopefully try to convince the very few who are still uncertain about this bill. Here we are at the last step of a parliamentary process to pass my bill, Bill C-282. Today, during these five short minutes, I would like to speak from the heart and set aside the technical aspects of my previo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I hear my colleague. I feel he could at least have the intellectual honesty to correctly quote what the Bloc Québécois said. We are facing a rejection of custom and tradition, and he is acting like it means nothing. He is taking an exceptional pandemic situation, in which we all participated and co-operated, and setting an absolutely shameful precedent. He is talking about the votin…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I wanted to pick up on my colleague's last statement. He talked about phenomenal amounts of money. In 2022 alone, $275 billion were needed to address natural disasters around the world. That same year, big western oil companies made $220 billion in profit. Meanwhile, in Canada, we are giving $20.215 billion to support oil companies. Could my colleague comment on this situation?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I heard the member for Abbotsford say right out of the gate that his bill seeks to reaffirm the dignity and worth of each and every human life. Who could be against that? The dignity of every human life, as I was trying to say to him earlier, depends on autonomy and respect for a person's self-determination. We may have good intentions, but if we claim to know what is good for a so-…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, as I often say in the House, everyone wants to do the right thing. Everyone has the best of intentions and wants to look out for people's best interests. However, being compassionate does not square with undermining human dignity or a person's capacity for self-determination in a decision as personal as deciding one's death. In his bill, my colleague is telling us that mental illnes…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, despite Bill 101, despite 40 years of enforcing Bill 101, and despite the fact that French is the language of work, the fact remains that English attracts five times more learners in Quebec than French. That is the reality.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, since there is no question and comment period at this time under the rules of debate in the House, some of my colleagues push the envelope and sometimes say outrageous things. Having said that, I would first like to recall the purpose of the bill: This enactment amends the Old Age Security Act to increase the amount of the full pension to which all pensioners aged 65 or older are enti…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about health transfers. The provinces said they needed $28 billion a year. The federal government gave them only one-sixth of that amount. That was insulting enough, but that was only to provide care for the current population. That did not take into account the Century Initiative. The Liberal target is a minimum of 500,000 people per year. What studies have they looked at…
Read full speech →