Parliamentary Speeches
364 speeches by Marie-Hélène Gaudreau — Page 3 of 8
Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Micheline Labelle was a long-time champion of the separatist cause. She passed away on April 16 at the age of 84. Friends and loved ones may pay their respects to her family on Saturday. Micheline Labelle was one of modern Quebec's great intellectuals, and her kindness and open-mindedness left an indelible mark on all who crossed her path. She obtained a Ph.D. in anthropology from the…
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Madam Speaker, more than 70 committee meetings have dealt with this issue during the last Parliament. There have been meetings with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Communications Security Establishment and the House of Commons administration. The most significant finding pertains to protocol. Each one does its work but no more than that, even though alarm bells are ringing. We are …
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Mr. Speaker, in light of what happened today during question period, I think you would find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion: That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, the proceedings on the opposition motion standing in the name of the member for Trois-Rivières shall conclude no later than 7 p.m. today.
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Madam Speaker, I am glad that my colleague clearly supports what we are proposing. This is where we are today. In this entire months-long process, and considering how close the NDP member is to the government, how is it that he has not leveraged his influence a bit more to have an opposition day like the one we are having today?
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Madam Speaker, I wish to inform you that I will be sharing my time with the member for Beauport—Limoilou. The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has held more than 70 meetings on foreign interference in our elections. There have been two questions of privilege, one raised by the member for Wellington—Halton Hills and one raised by the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, whic…
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Mr. Speaker, in my speech, I never said the government had taken no steps. In my speech, I said that there was negligence and complacency. In short, the alarm has been sounding for months. The government should realize that what is in place is not working. The 70 meetings that the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs held made it clear what steps needed to be taken. It still took the …
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Mr. Speaker, a leader is someone who is able to take responsibility. It is someone who also has the humility to change course. When a leader is worthy of confidence, which is not currently the case, they do what is necessary to prevent, act and correct. Right now, we have reached the limit. I can say to my colleague that we are at the end of our rope. The alarm sounded last week. We do not want an…
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Mr. Speaker, it was bound to come out. Yes, I am aware. When there is an invitation and there are barely 10 of us, perhaps there are reasons we are not there. However, it was not because we did not care. As for choosing to get the security clearance, we need to think about it. I would say to my colleague that many things have happened in recent days. No decision has been made. I took part in all t…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote. We will be voting in favour and adding the votes of the members for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques and Shefford.
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Mr. Speaker, I was wondering whether the government is incompetent or complacent toward the interference confronting us. Had it not been for the work of The Globe and Mail journalists, Parliament never would have been alerted to China's scheming in Canada. We would never have known that Chinese police stations were operating in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. We would never have known that L…
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Mr. Speaker, in the Laurentians, we have our very own Mike Tyson and Mohamed Ali. Her name is Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse and she is the pride of Mont-Laurier. On March 7, Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse became the WBC world champion in front of a jubilant crowd at the Casino de Montréal. After suffering a setback at a world championship bout in 2017, Vanessa returned to training in full force. Her determinat…
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C‑351, which is sponsored by the Conservative member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup. I followed the saga surrounding the transfer of inmate Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security penitentiary to the medium-security facility in La Macaza, because the La Macaza institution is located in my riding of Laurentides—Labelle. On March 27, at th…
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Madam Speaker, given what we know about it, I would like my colleague to explain why the government is disregarding Amnesty International's final report entitled “No More Stolen Sisters”, which was tabled five years after its initial report. We finally managed to make a bit of progress when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission came out in favour of a national inquiry into the disproportionate v…
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Mr. Speaker, I feel like I am living in an old-time movie. As a member of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, and having seen a number of questions of privilege before, I know that we cannot predict the outcome of what happens in this committee. However, an issue this important should be dealt with here, in the House. I want us to discuss it here. The Standing Committee on Proce…
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Mr. Speaker, we understand that the need for reaffiliation and membership is extremely important and that we must move forward. My question for my colleague is this. Why, after five years and after everything that has happened, did his government not take action, and why is its current action so limited?
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Madam Speaker, the federal government continues to say no to Quebec. While there were glimmers of hope for collaboration on the immigration file this week, it only lasted four days. The minister snuffed out that hope in an interview with Le Devoir. He is saying no to requiring French for temporary workers. He is saying no to letting Quebec choose which workers are admitted with the international m…
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Madam Speaker, it is unbelievable. It has become an obsession at this point. Ottawa says no to responsible immigration management, no to the right to opt out of new intrusions in health, no to advance requests for medical assistance in dying, and no to the right to protect state secularism. All of those noes came in the span of just five short weeks in Parliament. With the support of the NDP, the …
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Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to an exceptional man from my riding of Laurentides—Labelle. He is a rare gem who has been volunteering in amateur hockey and baseball in the community of Sainte-Agathe for over 60 years now. Pierre Fournelle was awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Exceptional Merit in January. He clearly deserves this impressive honour. Thanks to his passiona…
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Madam Speaker, I really appreciated my colleague's comments. Quebec has been using the early childhood centre model for 25 years. We are well aware that the role of the official opposition is to oppose, which is what it is doing. However, we know this program's value and its economic benefits. We know how much it contributes economically, and we also know its preventive benefits from a health pers…
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Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to speak to Bill C‑318, which seeks to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code with respect to adoptive and intended parents. We know that when a child comes into our life, it is a huge moment that changes everything, but that also comes with a lot of stress. Those of us here who are parents have all been there. When we enter our home for th…
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Madam Speaker, I would like my colleague to know that I really enjoyed his speech. For years I was president of the CPE La Fourmilière, an early childhood centre, and I can vouch for the important role we played in helping women enter the labour market and our significant contribution to reducing poverty. Early childhood centres pave the way to academic success. Children who previously had no acce…
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Madam Speaker, I am at a loss for words this morning. For 25 years, we have been demonstrating that early childhood centres benefit women. It is very difficult for me to accept that my colleague is trying to find small flaws in our system. I am beginning to wonder whether she is familiar with Quebec's early child care system at all.
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Mr. Speaker, my question is very simple. Did I understand correctly? Will the Conservatives vote against the bill on the pretext that a program like this is not perfect? They will not bother to enshrine in law something that has worked for Quebec for 25 years and that could be good for others. Is that correct?
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Mr. Speaker, we can see during the debate that each party has its own position. When I talk with members, I see the difference of opinion. There are many in the Liberal ranks who agree that we need stringent requirements and an implementation team charged with making sure that the requirements are met. If Quebec is ready, what does my colleague think of an accommodation that would allow Quebec to …
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to try to recover from that. It is a good thing I wrote down a few words, because I have a lot to say tonight. My goal is for those who do not want to listen to me to leave the chamber. They can listen to my speech again tomorrow morning when they are feeling good and ready to hear about the beauty of life and something that is part of life. I will start with this. As we ha…
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Mr. Speaker, as for that vote, I want my colleague to know that it came out to 57%. Also, the member should be careful when talking about provisions that exclude mental disorders. It is time to get educated. Tomorrow morning, I am going to talk about advance requests. Let us imagine that I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and I choose not to put my loved ones through that. The day I am…
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Mr. Speaker, when members talk, they should at least have a basic knowledge of the medical context, of what is happening on the ground. Unfortunately, it is pretty clear that we do not all have the same basic knowledge. I therefore cannot answer my colleague. Does he even know what an advance request is? I hear them talking about euthanasia. We are not talking about the same thing. We need to be o…
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Mr. Speaker, Jacques Duval, founder of The Car Guide, former race car driver and gifted communicator, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 89. Throughout his long career, he staunchly defended the French language, something the auto sector badly needed. He is the reason why in today's Quebec we commonly speak of “pare-chocs” and “pare-brise” instead of bumpers and windshields. Also, he was not shy…
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Mr. Speaker, it is moving to hear and observe how far we have come. The Bloc Québécois is eager to proceed with third reading. I would like to add some more information and take the discussion a step further based on the situation before us. Members will recall that there was a surge in femicides in Quebec and in a number of locations in the west during the critical period of COVID‑19. This alread…
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Madam Speaker, from what I understand there are inconsistencies between the processes in the different provinces. Quebec has done its part. What I am hearing this evening is often what individuals may have experienced. We are talking about human suffering. I know what I am talking about because I have experienced it. Everything my colleague is talking about, everything he got out of all these expe…
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Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. The newest, most recent republic is Barbados. It became a republic on November 30, 2021, so it is not too late to abandon this system, just like it is not too late for Quebec to become independent. Quebec's independence would mean the creation of the Quebec republic. I have been speaking about Canada for the past little while and so I want to talk about Quebec, …
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Madam Speaker, what is the point of the monarchy? Qu'ossa donne? I want to apologize to the interpreters. I doubt it is easy to translate those words from Yvon Deschamps, but, in all honesty, that pretty much sums up my thoughts. In 2024, Canada's head of state is a king. In 2024, Canada's King is represented by the Governor General. In 2024, Canada has lieutenant governors. In 2024, new Canadian …
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Madam Speaker, I seek the unanimous consent of the House to present the report of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
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Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order to seek the unanimous consent of the House to revert to presenting reports from interparliamentary delegations to allow me to table a report from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
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Madam Speaker, we are talking about the Canada-Quebec agreement, which stipulates that Quebec must take in a share of asylum seekers that is at least equal to its percentage of Canada's population. That is not a problem, but we are currently taking in twice our share, or 48% of asylum seekers. In the meantime, British Columbia is taking in 10 times fewer. The four Maritime provinces combined have …
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Madam Speaker, Quebeckers are happy to do their part to welcome asylum seekers. The problem is that the federal government is not asking us to do our fair share. It is asking us to do twice as much. Quebec takes in 48% of Canada's asylum seekers. Ottawa is asking us to pay nearly five times our share, meaning 100% of the bill, or $460 million in total, and that is without taking into account integ…
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Madam Speaker, we are here today to discuss a crucial issue, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act. We have been discussing Bill C-354 for some time now. This bill is designed to establish an assurance mechanism to guarantee that the CRTC consults with the Quebec government before regulating aspects of the Canadian broadcasting network that relate to the province's cu…
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Mr. Speaker, after Chamonix, Val Gardena and Courchevel, it is Mont Tremblant's turn this weekend to host the World Cup women's giant slalom race. What a source of pride for the entire Laurentides—Labelle region and for Quebec. The International Ski Federation chose Mont Tremblant because it tops many lists as the number one ski resort in eastern North America. The know-how of an entire region is …
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Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to speak to Bill C-322, an act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program. Obviously, no one can oppose virtue. Of course, I am moved by this issue, which is crucial for all young people. I work alongside a specialist in educational success, the member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles. It goes without saying that educational success goes hand in…
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Madam Speaker, I agree, it was getting a little hard to concentrate, especially because we are discussing something that is tough on our young people. I was talking about early childhood centres having a program to ensure that children have full tummies and are able to learn so that they can succeed in school and have prosperous futures. We are well aware that early childhood development requires …
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Mr. Speaker, I have a very simple question for my colleague. I understand that the review itself has not been updated in a number of years. This is highly significant considering the scope and the likelihood of foreign interference, as we witnessed with China and others. I have a concern. Our goal is not only economic prosperity, but also to keep our resources as our private preserve. What is miss…
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Mr. Speaker, it all began on March 9, 1933 in a room in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts City Hall. The Sainte-Agathe chamber of commerce was born out of the desire to officially speak for commercial interests. The new chamber of commerce’s first success was establishing a liquor commission store. We can mention early initiatives such as the Carnival and the completion of the old Route 11 as well as the su…
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Mr. Speaker, I am rising this evening to speak to Bill S‑242, an act to amend the Radiocommunication Act, an issue that I care a lot about. I have championed this issue since I was elected in 2019, and yet here we still are four years later. I want to paint a picture of what is happening in Laurentides—Labelle in this regard. I want to show my colleagues this wonderful riding, but they better not …
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Madam Speaker, I just want to say that before becoming an MP, I used to help people who had all sorts of problems. They were vulnerable. The most fundamental thing is to know that they are safe and have a roof over their head. Then, it is time to set about ensuring that they are ready and able to become a member of the workforce. Until it becomes a priority to say that every individual has the rig…
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Madam Speaker, the answer is quite simple. Can we be humble enough to look at what is being done in other countries, where having a roof over one's head is a basic right and where social housing is everywhere? How many years has it been since the government abandoned the community organizations here? The government cannot make up for that with the snap of its fingers. Today, we need to work togeth…
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Madam Speaker, if consultations were held, then where are the results? Why is it that all the provinces and Quebec are unanimously asking to be consulted so that they can tell the government how many people they are able to welcome appropriately? From what I understand, the government is going to have to hold a second round of consultations to get new numbers since the reality may have changed. I …
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Madam Speaker, on October 11, in Val-Morin and Mont-Laurier, I welcomed my colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert as part of his tour across Quebec on housing and homelessness. The situation is the same in both the northern and southern parts of Laurentides—Labelle. The current housing crisis is a national emergency. In Val-Morin this evening, after the first snow hit our region on Monday, one pers…
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Madam Speaker, a year ago, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, of which I am a member, began a study on foreign election interference. We received more than 70 witnesses and sat in committee for more than 100 hours. I personally questioned the government more than 30 times. I spoke with ministers, experts, academics, specialists, intelligence officers. This ended in a public, in…
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Mr. Speaker, my question for my colleague is very simple. We sat on the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs together for several months, and in light of everything we learned about ineffective measures for countering foreign interference, when we talk about industrial looting in this case, we want to ensure the viability of our industry. Based on the conclusions we have drawn in rece…
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Mr. Speaker, for 40 years, Société Alzheimer Laurentides, based in Sainte‑Agathe‑des‑Monts, has worked tirelessly to support people with all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's. It also provides support to caregivers and families in the vast Laurentian region. I would like to highlight the invaluable contribution that this organization makes within the community. All workers and volunteers ar…
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