Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague. The blockades had almost all been removed before the emergency measures came into force. Could my colleague talk about the consequences of invoking the Emergencies Act when it is not required?
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Madam Speaker, we knew that there were extremists within the convoy when we first heard it was coming. We knew there were far-right groups involved. It seems they were allowed to settle in anyway. Once that happened, I think the Prime Minister could have showed more initiative and made sure that the police forces were coordinating their efforts, but nothing was done. What does my colleague think a…
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Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed my colleague's presentation, in which he gave examples of situations that appeared to be far more serious, but for which we did not invoke the Emergencies Act. What does he think of the fact that, three days before invoking the Act, the Prime Minister seemed to be saying that the police had all the tools they needed? Are the government and the Prime Minister not using…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Drummond. As we all know, the Bloc Québécois is opposed to invoking the Emergencies Act, especially as written in the orders, since the measures would apply to Quebec, even though the Quebec National Assembly, including the provincial Liberals, voted unanimously to oppose the imposition of emergency measures within its borders. As we all…
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Mr. Speaker, we are talking about a poll of about 300 people. In any case, what does my colleague think about the fact that the Quebec National Assembly voted unanimously against the use of emergency measures? After seeing what has been happening in Ottawa for the past three weeks, it is only natural that people want it to stop. However, putting an end to this situation does not require emergency …
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Mr. Speaker, my Liberal colleagues often say in Parliament that they are in talks with the Government of Quebec, but there is a difference between talking and really listening and discussing. As my colleague said, seven out of 10 provinces are against using the Emergencies Act. The Prime Minister says he consulted everyone and managed to get a consensus, but that is far from the case.
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Mr. Speaker, the chief of the Ottawa Police Service said that the Emergencies Act was useful. However, as constitutional expert Patrick Taillon said, the act must not only be useful, it must be essential. I think that everything we saw could have been done differently. For the past two weeks, we constantly asked the Prime Minister to meet with all stakeholders, to set up an all-party committee wit…
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Mr. Speaker, what does my colleague think that it would take to revoke the emergency measures?
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Mr. Speaker, for operations that call for multiple police forces to intervene, emergency measures are not needed. Why were such operations not carried out sooner?
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Madam Speaker, if I understood correctly, earlier, our Liberal colleague chastised the Bloc Québécois and the Conservatives for voting against the motion. We are not against the motion. What we were against was closure. I think my colleague explained it well. Bloc Québécois members sent letters to the Minister of Seniors before the election because we saw this coming. As of July 2021, seniors' GIS…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are the ones politicizing this issue. They could have taken action last year. We saw this coming, and we wrote to them in May, but they did nothing. Instead, they called a pointless election, and seniors paid the price. The Liberals are blaming us and invoking closure. We asked them to send the payment to seniors sooner, in March. The Liberals did not want to, so the paym…
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Madam Speaker, we agree that more rapid tests are needed. However, Quebec's health care systems and hospitals were already in trouble because of the federal health transfer formula, which does not even cover the increase in health care system costs. As we know, Quebec and all the provinces are calling for health transfers to increase to 35%. Can my colleague talk to us about this without distracti…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to know one thing. My colleague said that the Conservatives are not opposed to vaccination. As we know, after the SARS crisis in 2003, the Naylor report criticized Canada for not having the capacity to manufacture vaccines. Of all the G7 countries, Canada is the only one that does not manufacture vaccines domestically. That is in part the result of the Trudeau governmen…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the following. Would it not have been a big help if the Liberal government had taken action and we were able to manufacture vaccines in Quebec or Canada?
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Madam Speaker, we agree with the idea of funding rapid tests, but we do not agree with seeing health transfers decline year after year. In the 1960s, the federal government covered 50% of health care costs, but now, it contributes only 22%. At the same time, it is interfering in other sectors while continuing to refuse to increase health transfers. We often see the NDP supporting these federal att…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑10 establishes a one-time payment of $2.5 billion to Quebec and the Canadian provinces for expenses incurred since January 1, 2022, in relation to testing. We agree with that, but the main problem, and my colleague spoke at length about this before me, is that cuts to federal health transfers are compromising the health care system in Quebec and in the Canadian provinces. From …
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Mr. Speaker, equality is exactly what we are asking for. When we talk about increasing health transfers to 35%, it is not only Quebec asking for this, but all the provinces. This is not something that only Quebec is asking for, as I just said. This really illustrates the problem we have with the federal system. We have a government that constantly centralizes power and makes decisions that interfe…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has said it before, and we will say it again: Quebec leads the way on prescription drug insurance. We are not opposed to the idea of Canada as a whole taking our lead and doing likewise. However, we do not want Quebec to be penalized because we are ahead of the curve. We agree with my colleague's proposal, as long as there is a clause that lets Quebec opt out with f…
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Mr. Speaker, I would say that we in the Bloc Québécois love Quebec enough to hope that it manages to get by after all these decisions, which basically make us less effective in our government administration. There is only one truly sustainable solution that would free us from being at the mercy of the federal government's health transfer cuts, and that is Quebec independence. That is what I want. …
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Mr. Speaker, I already asked the member this, but I think he told me that the NDP would support health transfers up to 50%, even. I asked him why he often proposes programs that would infringe on the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces. We are not against pharmacare or dental insurance. However, as these fall under provincial jurisdiction, we want them to be put in place by Quebec and the pr…
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Mr. Speaker, I wanted to hear my colleague's thoughts on vaccination. What does he think about the fact that there are still thousands of people in hospital and a large number of the patients in the ICU are unvaccinated?
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Mr. Speaker, hospitals were already weakened as a result of underfunding and reduced health transfers. No matter what anyone says, the fact that the federal government covered 50% of health care spending in the 1960s and 1970s but only 22% today is what has made hospitals very fragile. Cases have to be triaged, which means that some cancer patients were unable to access care because the hospitals …
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Mr. Speaker, we cannot discuss the Constitution without addressing the elephant in the room. Quebec did not sign the Constitution of 1982, which was imposed on it by the English Canadian majority. This considerably reduces the autonomy of Quebec’s National Assembly, for example on language policy. French is in decline across Canada, but also in Quebec. As the Bélanger-Campeau Commission found 30 y…
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Madam Speaker, the economic update does not include any solutions to address the labour shortage or any ideas on how to increase productivity. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.
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Madam Speaker, the economic update held the Canadian health transfer escalator to 3%. That is well below the annual health care cost increase. We know the federal government paid for 50% of health care spending in the 1970s. Since then, it has steadily reduced its share down to the 22% we are at now. Right now, Quebec and the Canadian provinces are unanimously calling on the government to increase…
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Madam Speaker, the Canada emergency business account provides interest-free loans of up to $60,000. Initially, repaying the balance of the loan on or before December 31, would have resulted in loan forgiveness of up to 33 per cent. However, in Quebec we are seeing that almost a quarter of SMEs might not survive, and we think more needs to be done. For example, we have proposed increasing the loan …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, the government's only mention of climate change in the throne speech was a comment that Canada must move talk into action, which is a very vague commitment. The government claims to want to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, but since it did not define these subsidies, it could ultimately conceal them in the form of funding to make oil and gas less carbon intensive. The Liberal govern…
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Madam Speaker, right in the middle of a pandemic, the health care system was compromised in Quebec and all the other provinces. In the 1970s, health transfers covered 50% of health care spending. They were cut back and now they cover 22%. Quebec and the Canadian provinces all agree that health transfers should be increased from 22% to 35%, and yet nothing is being done. The health care system was …
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Mr. Speaker, further to my earlier question to the member's colleague, I would like to know if a Conservative government will impose federal standards in areas of provincial jurisdiction.
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke at length about issues dividing Canadians. The best example of that is health transfers. In the 1970s, health transfers covered 50% of health spending in Quebec and the Canadian provinces. Now they cover just 22% of health care costs. The pressure on our health care systems is intense, but the Liberal government is using that money to interfere in areas under provin…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, the latest Speech from the Throne continues to commit to the equality of both official languages, French and English. However, since the coming into force of the Official Languages Act, we know the opposite has been achieved, namely, there has been a growing assimilation of francophone and Acadian communities. In Quebec, there is a decline in French. The action the federal governmen…
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With regard to the Department of Canadian Heritage’s official languages funding programs over the past 10 years, broken down by year: (a) what amounts were allocated, broken down by province, by program and by component; and (b) what is the breakdown of the amounts allocated in (a) to the various institutions across the country, broken down by province, by level of education (primary, secondary, p…
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With regard to the $10-a-day national child care program that would provide universal access to all Canadian families as of 2026 and the bilateral agreements that the federal government has signed with the various provinces and territories regarding this program: (a) do the eight agreements already signed with British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, M…
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With regard to federal source revenue of post-secondary institutions in Quebec over the last 10 years, broken down by year: (a) what is the total revenue from federal sources, broken down by institution; (b) what share of the revenue in (a) came from (i) the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, (ii) Health Canada, (iii) the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, (iv) the Ca…
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Madam Speaker, it has been said that this is not a good time to bring this bill forward, especially with respect to eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for firearms offences, such as discharging a firearm with intent or robbery or extortion with a firearm. What does my colleague think about that?
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Madam Speaker, banning demonstrations aimed at intimidating health care workers or hindering the smooth running of hospitals is a good thing. However, does my colleague not think that there is a risk that this will backfire on workers who want to demonstrate, on the right of unions to demonstrate? What could we do to clarify that aspect?
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Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your re-election, as well as your appointment to the chair. Bill C-3 does not really change much. The offences in question are already covered by the law. As stated earlier, intimidation is illegal everywhere, and this bill simply reiterates that. It seems that Bill C-3 is really more about creating the perception that the government is doing something on the health…
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Madam Speaker, I too congratulate you on your appointment. My colleague spoke about the environment. How does she explain the fact that the Liberal government has spent more on fossil fuels than the previous Conservative government? I think that there is no such thing as clean oil and that we must reduce our dependence on oil. Furthermore, there has been a lot of talk lately about the 80% refusal …
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Madam Speaker, we know that there have been massive cuts to health transfers since the 1970s. At that time, the federal government covered almost 50% of health spending, while today it covers only 22%. Quebec and the provinces are calling for an increase in health transfers to 35%. I would like my colleague’s opinion on respect for the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague thinks of the fact that Bill C-2contains nothing for self-employed workers in the cultural sector, even though they are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Does he not think that there should be something in the bill for self-employed workers in the cultural sector?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Aéroports de Montréal's decision to jack up user fees at Mirabel airport by 7,000% is a devastating blow to French-language flight schools. Essentially, ADM is kicking the schools out and showing francophone students the door. Once again, a federally regulated corporation is showing little concern for the future of the French language. Will the new Minister of Official Languages reach…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate you on your re-election to the Chair, and I thank all my constituents in La Pointe-de-l’Île for putting their trust in me. My question is this: Given that we can now go to a gym, to a restaurant, to the movies, and even to a hockey game, is the role of Parliament not important enough for us to sit here? Let us remember that there are not always 338 members in attendance…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague why the Liberals absolutely do not want to provide stable and adequate funding for health care systems by increasing health transfers. Health care systems in Quebec and the provinces have reached the breaking point. Cuts in health transfers have left them with insufficient funding. In the meantime, the Liberal government is meddling in Quebec's jurisdi…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, when we asked the minister if she thought that her Bill C‑32 would protect French better than Bill 101 in Quebec, she said, and I quote, “Indeed, our remarks involve the entire country. Why? Because that is important. That is how we strengthen our federalism.” That is great for her federalism, but her bill is supposed to strengthen French in Quebec. Does she realize that sh…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister is not doing a very good job of explaining how two different language regimes in Quebec will protect French better than simply applying the Charter of the French Language. She is sending businesses the message that they have the choice to side with Bill 101 and French or with both official languages. What is worse, she is telling all of the businesses that chose francizat…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑32 invalidates Quebec’s Bill 96 and its intent to apply Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses. Bill C-32 does not force the francization of businesses; it simply tolerates that workers speak in French. Bill C-32 does not recognize French as Quebec’s only official language, nor does it do anything to make up for its threatened minority status. Bill C-32 therefore prevents Q…
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec wants Bill 101 to apply to federally regulated businesses. Quite simply, this means applying the existing legislation. As a matter of fact, the Bloc Québécois bill does just that. There is no need for a federal bill dumped on us six days before the end of the session that will not be debated or voted on. Our bill will be voted on in half an hour; it is as simple as that. Will t…
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Mr. Speaker, in the series “Ottawa is 50 years too late”, after declaring that French is an official language, the Liberals are proud to announce that Quebec workers have the right to work and to be supervised in French. I want to make sure that I understand. Does the new official languages bill say that, from now on, there is only one common language for employees of federally regulated private b…
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Mr. Speaker, that does not really mean much. What Quebec wants is not the right to speak French, but for the language of work in Quebec for all Quebeckers to be French. We do not want merely to be able to speak French at work; we want to have to speak French at work. Instead of introducing a bill that will never be passed, the government should simply support our bill that will ensure that the Cha…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that English-language institutions, whether in health or post-secondary education, often receive massive funding from the federal government. The official languages program solely supports and protects English. Does my colleague have any data on whether this is also the case for culture? Does he have data that quantifies support for francophone and Quebec culture as compared t…
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