Parliamentary Speeches

Mr. Speaker, it was a real pleasure to be at TIFF over the last week and connect with creators from Canada and around the world. I had the opportunity to sign two co-production agreements: one with the United Kingdom and the other with Spain. This is part of a network of 60 agreements that we have around the world that generate about $500 million in our economy. They need the support of the Canadian government, but at the same time, it reinforces our cultural sovereignty, which we need to do now more than ever.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for reading her question with such conviction. While the Bloc Québécois spends its time loafing about, we are taking action. In the last budget, we invested $772 million in arts and culture. During my last press conference, I announced $600 million for culture, including Quebec culture. I almost forgot the $100 million that was invested in the creative export strategy, which allows programs like Empathie and TV5MONDE programs, which include Quebec television programs, to reach foreign audiences.

Mr. Speaker, while the Bloc Québécois spends its fourth decade here in Ottawa getting absolutely nothing done, we are taking action. In the most recent budget, we invested $750 million in the National Film Board of Canada, CBC/Radio-Canada and Telefilm Canada. Now, Bloc members are turning their noses up at $600 million per year. They did not read the press release. We are taking action. We are investing in Quebec and Canadian culture.

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by wishing a happy Portuguese Heritage Month and a feliz Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas to all Luso-Canadians. Since the 1950s, generations of Portuguese immigrants have come to Canada and today nearly half a million Canadians trace their roots to Portugal. Across every sector, Luso-Canadians continue to enrich our society through their hard work, talent and commitment to their communities, including in this House. It is a chance to reflect on the values that unite us and to celebrate the diversity that makes us strong.

Mr. Speaker, only the Bloc Québécois would stand up in the House and vote against three-quarters of a billion dollars for culture, for CBC/Radio-Canada, for Telefilm Canada and for the National Film Board of Canada. Next, the Bloc Québécois members are going to turn their noses up at the $600 million offered to a cultural sector that we love and must support. While they pretend to support culture, we are taking action.

Mr. Speaker, at least the Conservatives are honest enough to say they do not care about culture. Now Bloc Québécois members are standing up in the House, one after another, to vote against culture, that is, against the $750 million in the latest budget for Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board of Canada, Radio-Canada, and so on. The height of hypocrisy is that they are voting against $600 million for the cultural industry. It is a massive amount, it is immediate, and it is going to be effective for our content producers.

moved: That, in relation to Bill C-31, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to the consideration at second reading stage of the bill; and That, 15 minutes before the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on the day allotted to the consideration at second reading stage of the said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this order, and, in turn, every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill shall be put forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment.

Madam Speaker, the member has talked a lot. I think I will try to talk a little less. The member now starts ranting on about our not wanting to debate it, but it is very obvious that there has been sufficient and complete debate on this budget, which is important for getting money back into Canadians' hands and reinvesting into the economy. To the member opposite's point, it is important to invest in an industry that has been underinvested in for a long time, and to make sure Canadians are safe and protected by our military, the servicemen and servicewomen who serve this country and who are prepared to lay down their lives for it. As I have heard the member opposite for the last 10 years talk about the military, it is interesting that he gets one chance to support it but starts coming up with a whole bunch of theories about why we should not continue or why we should not accelerate and get it into the hands of the people best equipped to protect us. It is very odd, to say the least. If there is any any proof of that behaviour, it is in the amendment that the Conservatives suggested, which just wants to shut down the bill in the first place.

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for this relevant question. Overall, I think that today's debate should stick to what is in the budget. Some highly complex discussions are certainly under way with the United States, but I think it would be irresponsible to discuss them in the House of Commons. However, I want the member to know that we are still there to defend the forestry industry in Quebec and across Canada.

You have had your chance to talk. Why don't you stand up and ask a question? Madam Speaker, if the member wants to talk, they should stand up and ask a question. Members opposite have been saying for years that we need to accelerate investing in Canada homes, delivering a clean electricity investment tax, introducing a productivity superdeduction and accelerating the path in constructing Alto high-speed rail. Now we give them the opportunity to put this through in a budgetary implementation act that is consistent with other budget implementation acts, and they are starting to balk.

Madam Speaker, I think my colleague has presented the reality of the situation just as well as the minister responsible for this file. I would say that, yes, cultural communities, creators and those who shape the vision of who we are as a country have welcomed this investment, especially knowing that this budget was meant to be prudent, particularly with regard to cost-cutting. Under the Prime Minister's leadership, we are investing up to $750 million in Canadian arts and culture, because it is important, at this stage in our evolution as a country, to make significant investments, whether in CBC/Radio-Canada or in small communities like the one represented by the member that have things like theatre groups, and to ensure that the federal government is there to showcase all the talent that exists across the country.

Madam Speaker, again the Conservatives' actions speak louder than their words. They would not have put forward the amendment they are proposing if they wanted to continue debate on the budget. The Conservatives do not believe what we have to say, so let me quote Bloomberg as to what its people thought about the budget: “Canada’s government is taking aim at competition in the financial sector, pledging to tackle fees, make it easier for consumers to switch banks and reduce regulatory burdens for smaller lenders.” The Council of Canadian Innovators said, “Today’s budget represents an important step toward building trust with Canada’s innovators and the broader business community. For the first time, we’re seeing the federal government embrace a serious conversation about economic sovereignty—and that shift in focus is both welcome and overdue.”

Madam Speaker, I do not wish to be disrespectful towards the hon. member. I note, and we all should note, that the Bloc Québécois is offering some support for the budget. However, what he says is a little odd. Members have had several weeks to read the bill, yet the member said they were waiting for the briefing. I realize that the briefing could have been given earlier, but even though I am sometimes surprised to see proof to the contrary, I was under the impression that MPs could read.

Madam Speaker, again, they want to hear answers, but all they do is heckle. They have been asking us to move faster and faster, but when it comes time to move fast, they start squealing. It makes no sense. One of the members talked about food banks. We have an initiative to make the school food plan permanent. The Conservatives have had no comment on that. They want to put money here and there, but where is not entirely clear. However, then they stand up and complain that we should be going slower. What is it: faster or slower?

I do not know which Trudeau the Conservatives are more obsessed with, Madam Speaker. Maybe it is a tie. What is clear here is that the member opposite seemed to suggest that he supported investments in the defence industry, yet his leader stands up consistently and talks about the deficit related to the spending in our defence policy. Which is it? Is it more money into the defence industry that does not come from the government? That does not make sense, because Canadians expect us to invest in our defence. People pay taxes just so we can invest in our armed forces, which we are going to do. The Conservatives have spent weeks complaining about a deficit the vast majority of which is invested in our armed forces and to hit our NATO targets, which they have been asking us to do for 10 years. I would think the least the member could do is stand up and thank us.

Madam Speaker, what I made very clear when I was appointed to this position is that I was fed up with the politicization of the language debate. It is true. The reality is that politicizing this debate makes it impossible to get to the heart of the matter to ensure that the common language in Quebec is and remains French. As a government, we support minority languages both outside and within Quebec. We do so with a clear-eyed perspective, without seeking to gain political capital at the expense of indigenous peoples, immigrants, English-speaking minority communities, and French-speaking minority communities outside Quebec. That was the point. I think this is a very important point to make, because right now, the member is going off in all sorts of directions to raise a very ridiculous point about today's debate.

Madam Speaker, it is not arrogant to point out that this is the third time he has asked me the same question. If he is interested in the bill, now is the time for him to ask me questions about it. He will also be able to ask me questions in the coming hours. I agreed with him that, yes, as a member of Parliament—and this applies to all members—he must be able to receive a proper briefing. I also told him that he had had three weeks to read the bill, but that I would be surprised if all members had taken that much time to read it.

Madam Speaker, first and foremost, I would like to wish a great Filipino Heritage Month to everyone celebrating and to all Canadians, whether they are Filipino or not. This is a community that has grown, I think, to well over a million strong over the last few years: a million and one, if we count the member for Winnipeg North, who appears to be an honorary member of the Filipino community and certainly behaves as such. He has been a fierce defender of their rights and has magnified their struggle to be in Canada and to thrive as Canadian citizens. I wish all of those celebrating a great Filipino Heritage Month as we celebrate this month of June, recognizing their contributions to Canada, present and future.

Mr. Speaker, indeed, last week I was in Shanghai and Beijing to speak with my counterpart, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, notably to discuss the importance of our creative industries and our cultural exports. Together, we agreed to increase our exchange of cultural exports, specifically in the creative industries. I will be following that up in the fall with a proper trade mission focusing specifically on those important drivers of economic growth, our cultural industry, as well as the creative industry. This is really important as we diversify our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Madawaska—Restigouche for his excellent question and his excellent work. I share his appreciation for Acfas, which is carrying out critical work to promote science and research in French. That is a top priority for our government. First, on April 1, we announced $1 million in funding to promote research in French. Second, we are currently reviewing the recommendations of the advisory panel on research in French as part of the action plan for official languages 2023‑28, and we will be publishing the report shortly. We are proud of the work of our francophone researchers.