Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague said that the laws already exist and that they need to be enforced. At least one area does require a legislative amendment, specifically the religious exemption for incitement to hatred. Under that exemption, anyone who quotes a passage from the Bible or the Quran to incite hatred will be protected and cannot be prosecuted. Does my colleague agree that a legislative amend…
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Conservatives are reluctant to engage in any real debate on a number of points. My colleague said she would like to see this debated further. What solutions would she propose to ensure that we finally reach an agreement?
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois tabled an amendment that has been adopted. It seeks to abolish the religious exemption in the Criminal Code regarding incitement to hatred. I would like to know what my colleague thinks of this. How will this help to foster a more civilized debate and promote respect between different religions and people of all backgrounds?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the repeal of the religious exemption in the Criminal Code for cases of incitement of hatred. It definitely does not mean that reading religious texts of any religion whatsoever is forbidden, but it does prohibit deliberately using religious texts to incite hatred against a group or another religion.
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Mr. Speaker, does my colleague agree that religious texts should never be deliberately used to incite hatred against a particular group? If so, why not abolish the existing religious exemption in the Criminal Code for this type of offence?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I seek the unanimous consent of the House to present the supplementary opinion of the Bloc Québécois.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois's supplementary opinion seeks to address the issues raised by all of the witnesses and stakeholders who participated in this study. It seeks to resolve the underlying problem behind the current crisis facing Quebec broadcasters, which is driving their calls to reduce the quota. I am talking about the unfair competition from foreign digital platforms, the American we…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that, in general, the Conservatives do not support subsidies for the private sector. Would they be willing to eliminate the oil subsidies?
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Mr. Speaker, the government is going to change the mandate of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to include economic considerations. Does my colleague think that hazardous pesticides should be approved for economic reasons?
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Mr. Speaker, the money for health transfers comes from the taxes paid by Quebec and the provinces. Initially, the federal government committed to covering 50% of the provinces' health care costs. It is now covering just 22%. The provinces protested. They wanted the government to raise that amount to 35%. The Bloc Québécois would have liked the government to at least maintain the 6% escalator, but …
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is not happy with the addition of consecutive sentences for offences that do not constitute crimes against the person. For example, while it is true that car theft is a major problem, we do not believe that consecutive sentences will actually deter criminals. Several studies have proven that. I would like my colleague's thoughts on that.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a bit ironic that they are having to impose a super closure motion on Bill C‑26 when it could have been passed much more quickly if the government had been more transparent. The government refused to hold a briefing at the outset. We were not sure if the federal government was going to do what it usually does and impose a whole bunch of conditions that would delay and complicate…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a question that has already been asked, but I do not think the answer was adequate: Why replace existing bodies, such as the CMHC, that could very well have fulfilled the same role? Essentially, we are not going to oppose the bill since an agreement has been reached with the Government of Quebec, but it would have been much easier to simply transfer the money to Quebec.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec's Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain, or FRAPRU, has raised several concerns about the Build Canada Homes project, especially with regard to the high cost of so-called affordable housing that costs much more than the median housing price. For example, the folks at FRAPRU note that many of the projects funded in Quebec include affordable and intermediate housing un…
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that the Canadian economy is not doing well. It is also true that certain Liberal policies have contributed to the fact that we are in a technical recession. However, by painting an overly dire and one-sided picture, are the Conservatives not discrediting themselves? What does my colleague think?
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Mr. Speaker, on the one side, we have the Conservative doomsayers, who exaggerate the problems. On the other, we have the Liberal optimists, who say that everything is fine. I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the fact that Scotiabank and the Bank of Montreal both downgraded their growth projections, which are at less than 1%. The most recent report of the Parliamentary Budget Offi…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the fact that the Parliamentary Budget Officer has cast doubt on the government's ability to maintain one of its fiscal anchors, namely its target to reduce the deficit-to-GDP ratio. She predicts that the deficit will be $6.5 billion higher than projected in the economic update. She does also predict that the debt-to-GDP ratio will f…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke about how the Conservatives want to eliminate all the fuel taxes. That would cost the government at least $5 billion. Would my colleague support scrapping all of the oil subsidies so that the government can recoup that money?
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Madam Speaker, I would like to point out that the Conservative Party, both when it was in power and now that it is in the opposition, made several decisions that have been detrimental to Quebec's economy. Conservative Party MPs opposed including the Davie shipyard in the national shipbuilding strategy, even though Davie is the largest and most efficient shipyard in Canada. They opposed any governm…
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives may be exaggerating a bit, but the fact remains that Liberal policies have in fact contributed to the technical recession we are currently experiencing, although we cannot call it an economic crisis. For example, with their immigration policy that makes no sense whatsoever, they drove up the cost of housing. They also drove up the cost of public services. They do n…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge my former seatmate here. I would like to ask the following. The economic update did not take into account the new 25% tariffs imposed by President Trump on all products containing steel or aluminum. This will have a particular impact on Quebec, as 25% of exports from Quebec SMEs to the United States will be affected. Does my colleague think that measures sh…
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Madam Speaker, the budget implementation bill fails to meet a number of urgent needs in Quebec, as well as elsewhere. In particular, there is the fact that the implementation did not take into account Donald Trump's imposition of tariffs on all aluminum- and steel-based products. That affects 25% of products and accounts for a significant proportion of Quebec's exports. We are proposing a wage sub…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on her speech. With all the subsidies being given to the oil industry, including under Bill C‑31, which is expanding these subsidies, I think my colleague will agree that it is becoming impossible for the government to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets. On one specific issue, the bill will make it possible to consider producing hydrogen from methane…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the billions of dollars in subsidies that are given to the oil companies, and the decision to waive several environmental assessments. Does she think this will be good for the fight against climate change? Does this not ultimately threaten the entire environment, which, I believe, is very important to her?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the fact that the economic update overlooked President Trump's tariff increase. This is a 25% tariff on all products containing aluminum and steel, and it affects 25% of exports from Quebec to the United States. This makes Quebec the location most affected by tariffs. The Bloc Québécois is proposing wage subsidy measures. Does my col…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to table a dissenting opinion.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is issuing a dissenting opinion to ensure that the draft proposed regulations require the government to comply with its own new language law, which stipulates that measures to promote French in Quebec must be implemented as part of official language support programs. Since 2020, several ministers have acknowledged that French is in decline in Quebec and that measure…
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Madam Speaker, a moment ago, my colleague seemed to suggest that culture does not receive subsidies anywhere in the world. The opposite is true. Whether funded through taxes or other means, this happens all over the world, just as it does in Europe. Even the Americans subsidize culture. I do not understand this at all. The Conservatives are in favour of subsidizing oil, but they are not in favour …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank and congratulate my friend and colleague from Joliette—Manawan. I am not an economist, but we saw gas prices drop slightly when the fuel excise tax was abolished only to go back up to where they were before. Could it be that oil companies are pocketing extra profits? We also know that gas prices are rising even though oil from the Strait of Hormuz does not affect…
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Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer found that cutting taxes on fuel, such as the excise tax, mainly benefits the wealthiest Canadians, who use more gas. Over time, oil companies tend to raise their prices to increase their profit margins. What does my colleague think about that?
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague called the Conservatives right-wing. Judging from their current policies, the Liberals themselves seem to be drifting further and further right. Eliminating the excise tax primarily benefits the rich. It also benefits oil companies. We know that their supply costs are not going up, because they get their oil from Canada and the U.S., yet they are basing their prices on th…
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Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has stated that lowering taxes, such as the excise tax, primarily benefits the wealthiest and much less so the poorest. Furthermore, we know that even if taxes are lowered, oil companies always want to make more profits. What is likely to happen is that they will charge citizens just as much and line their own pockets with more money. What does my coll…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-30 will increase food security risks by forcing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to give equal consideration to economic impacts and impacts on our food security. What does my colleague think about that?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear my colleague's point of view. Forcing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to consider both economic impact and impact on people's health equally will increase food safety risks. Furthermore, encouraging foreign platforms to enter an open banking system will reduce the restrictions that prevent foreign banks from taking control of our banks. What does my colleague …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize the Santé-Marche Roussin group in my riding, La Pointe-de-l'Île. It is a walking club for people aged 50 and older, affiliated with the Roussin community centre in Pointe-aux-Trembles. Rain or shine, for the past 32 years, folks have been getting together every morning, Monday through Friday at 9 a.m., at Pointe-aux-Prairies park to walk as a gr…
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that it is important to clarify the issue and debate it. Why do the Conservatives think that we cannot have this debate at the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs?
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Mr. Speaker, we do not have this problem in Quebec because of the province's civil law tradition. Why does my colleague think that everything is happening in secret like this? I think the point of setting up a committee is to be able to debate this issue transparently. Why does he think the government seems to be opposed to that?
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Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague on her excellent speech, which shows her in-depth knowledge of the issue. She already talked about the fact that I asked why the motion was not brought up in committee and that I was told that it was defeated. It appears that is not the case. Can my colleague tell us more about the changes we would like to make to the motion and about the way to create t…
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Mr. Speaker, earlier, I asked why we are not debating this issue at the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. I was told that it got shut down. My Bloc colleague who serves on the committee told me that, to her knowledge, this was not true and that the motion for a study had simply been moved. The committee met this morning and the motion was not brought forward again. If the gove…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative motion states that the committee should study the issue over at least 12 meetings but that the report should be tabled before June 19. Given that this is such a complex and important topic, would it not be appropriate to extend that deadline to the fall, if necessary, to ensure that members can discuss the issues in depth?
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Mr. Speaker, does my colleague agree that we should study the issue either at the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs or at a special committee, as the Conservatives suggest?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to know why the government is stubbornly refusing to give victims the freedom to choose between a court martial and a civilian court. Why did the government ignore the amendments that the opposition members seemed to support quite unanimously? What does my colleague think?
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Mr. Speaker, I was listening to our colleague earlier, and I wonder if the government's rejection of the amendments is not, in part, an attempt to avoid upsetting the military hierarchy too much. Among the amendments, there was one that sought to create an inspector general's office dedicated to addressing sexual misconduct within the military. There was also an amendment calling for veterans to b…
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Mr. Speaker, it reeks of hypocrisy when government members say that they want to consult and work together with the opposition but then they turn around and throw out every amendment. I think that kind of thing fuels criticism toward all politicians. I am going to speak to only one of the opposition's recommendations, which was to create an office of the inspector general for sexual misconduct in …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, as someone who worked for over 25 years at a centre for troubled youth and offenders, I have a special interest in Bill C-240 on offender rehabilitation. While the more corrective aspect of stopping the behaviour is important, it is only part of the solution. In order to work, the process requires rehabilitation and reintegration into society, as well as the resources to achieve thi…
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Madam Speaker, I want to know what my colleague thinks about the fact that the economic update does not take the current tariff crisis into account. It ignores the fact that President Trump's imposition of new 25% tariffs on all products containing steel and aluminum will create major challenges for many businesses in Quebec and the rest of Canada. What does my colleague think about that?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today, May 1, I rise to pay tribute to the folks who are the backbone of Quebec society: workers. On this international day of struggle to assert their rights, and our rights, it is essential that we remember the labour movement's many victories. Let us keep in mind that none of these have come easily, and that goes for more recent gains, like increasing the minimum wage, or what may …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the new U.S. tariffs announced on April 6 specifically target Quebec's SMEs. The economic update should have included protection for Quebec against these tariffs, but it is completely absent from the document. The economic update needs an update, and it needs it now. Quebec lost 300 jobs this week. How many more Quebeckers will face the same fate before the government finally introd…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague on his excellent speech. As we have seen and as we know, the U.S. President has increased tariffs on aluminum- and steel-based products. This will have a major impact on Quebec SMEs. The Bloc Québécois spoke about this often prior to the economic update. The economic update came, but had not a word to say about it. Can my colleague tell us more abou…
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Mr. Speaker, currently, the government has set the increase in health transfers at 5%, which is clearly insufficient because system costs are rising, due to population aging, at a rate closer to 6%. The government has not locked in the increase in health transfers, which means that, by 2027-28, it could drop to 2% or 3%, even though the health care systems in Quebec and other provinces are already…
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