Government Orders
Madam Speaker, if the government does not want to trigger an election and if it is genuine in saying it does not want an election, all it has to do is accept the offer made by the leader of the Bloc Québécois and the proposal he made yesterday. I will ask him a question of my own: Why did the government not take the offer?
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Madam Speaker, in her speech my colleague referred to the fact that much time has passed. It has been 15 years. I may have an explanation for this. Canada is allergic to the recognition of national minorities. Indigenous peoples are a national minority and I have always felt that the Liberal and Conservative governments have been reticent to establish a precedent because they would have been oblig…
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Madam Speaker, I really like the member for Carleton and I enjoy his presentations. He spoke to us about modern monetary theory. We do not agree on it. In terms of approaches to political economics, I do not share the classical view. However, I would like to draw a parallel. In the budget, I would like to see a new theory, modern oil and gas theory. This theory tells us that we can reduce our GHGs…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by reading an excerpt from the request for the emergency debate, and members will all understand why. It reads, “The Minister of Natural Resources has confirmed this one pipeline alone is responsible for 53% of Ontario's crude and 66% of Quebec's.” Members cannot imagine how happy I was to hear the leader of the official opposition mention that 66% earlier. I was…
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Mr. Speaker, I sincerely apologize. I am incorrigible. It will not happen again. I was saying that in light of this promise of renewal and, perhaps, an awakening to the Canadian obsession with oil, I was eager to learn about this real green recovery plan. All we have seen to date of this green recovery plan is a strategy for the electrification of transportation. That is fine and I accept it. This…
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Mr. Speaker, I was pleasantly surprised by what the opposition leader said at the beginning of his intervention. He said that—
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
As I was saying, I was pleasantly surprised by the opposition leader, who started off by saying that Enbridge's Line 5 transports half the oil consumed in Quebec. The reason I was pleasantly surprised is that, throughout the last election campaign, when the subject of the energy corridor came up, the Conservatives were at pains to say that Quebeckers did not consume any Alberta oil. Well, that is …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for his speech. He spoke a lot about team Canada. I hope he will be as passionate and energetic about defending the softwood lumber industry in our dispute with the United States as he is about defending the Enbridge pipeline. I will move on. This crisis is showing us that we may sometimes be unprepared and dependent. One of the solutions to the Enbridge situation…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that is more of a legal debate. I am confident that Line 5 will not be shut down on May 12. I do not want to upset or discourage my colleague, but Quebec could easily obtain conventional oil because of its proximity to seaports. Conventional oil has a much lower carbon footprint than non-conventional oil from the oil sands. However, that is not what I want. With regard to the …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, whose company at the Standing Committee on Natural Resources I very much enjoy. I am well aware that the forestry industry will not be replacing the entire fossil fuel industry anytime soon. I just want to point out to him that, in the early 1970s, everyone said it was impossible to develop the oil sands and nobody would ever figure out the technology to make mon…
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Mr. Speaker, earlier I said that the Great Lakes provide drinking water for 40 million people. We need to send a clear signal to Enbridge that we care about the drinking water of 40 million people. It is not by holding an emergency debate where we tell Enbridge it can do want it wants and we will stand behind it that we will successfully secure the drinking water of these 40 million people. Enbrid…
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Mr. Speaker, I really like my colleague from Calgary Centre. I consider him to be a gentleman, so I do not want to ask him an awkward question. I think the Governor of Michigan's criticisms are valid. Does my colleague agree that we can criticize the government for being slow to act and dragging its feet, but that Enbridge itself might bear some of the blame as well? When the Governor of Michigan …
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Madam Speaker, I understand my colleague's concerns and I am sure she has good intentions. Quebec experienced something similar with the outbreaks in long-term care centres. Everyone was worried. I know it is annoying, but we cannot act as a substitute for the Alberta legislature or take over the role of the opposition party, which will certainly be able to point out the Kenney government's shortc…
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Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the minister. I have no doubt that she genuinely wants to help Alberta, all the provinces and Quebec in the context of this pandemic. However, the best way to help the provinces is to have a robust health care system. Unfortunately, the funding is just not there. I would like to ask the minister whether she agrees with me that the best solution is to increase h…
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Mr. Speaker, there is a problem with the interpretation. We are hearing some very loud static. I am not sure if it is coming from the interpreter's microphone, but we can only hear it on the French channel, not the English one. It is nearly impossible to listen in French right now.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think the issue is coming from the member. I think it is an issue on the interpretation side. The sound is very good on the English channel, but there is static on the French channel, and I am not sure where it is coming from.
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Mr. Speaker, I am sorry I had to interrupt my colleague's tirade earlier because of interpretation issues. I would like to come back to what she was saying at that exact moment. She said that her community could not afford the luxury of a lockdown. That concerned me a bit. What public health is telling us is that social distancing is essential, and I think that we really need to listen to science …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with the charming member for Saanich—Gulf Islands. It is a pleasure for me to do so. First, I would like to say that I completely understand the heartfelt concern of the member for Edmonton Strathcona. I was listening to her earlier, and I understand her concerns because we experienced something similar in Quebec during the fir…
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Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more with my colleague about the access to vaccines. Procurement was not the responsibility of the provincial governments. That responsibility fell to the federal government. As for the way vaccines are distributed once they are received, that is a public health issue, which is a provincial jurisdiction. My colleague said that I would disagree with her. I would simpl…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure I understand my colleague's question. The Emergencies Act was invoked to send the army to Quebec to help out in the long-term care facilities when the situation got out of control. My colleague said that the federal government had made some efforts. I am prepared to agree, but it did not make the effort that it should have to ensure that the health care system is adequat…
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Mr. Speaker, we have to bear in mind the provinces' total spending on health care, not just the per capita amount. It has been shown, not by me, as I am a sovereignist, but by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, that if nothing is done by the end of this decade, the provinces will be posting annual deficits as a result of federal underfunding.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her surreal speech. There is a funny new word that I think might apply. We hear more and more about people being “woke”. This was like a woke debate on acid, but I will leave it at that. My colleague seems to be particularly fond of the concept of toxic masculinity. I find that all the more unusual because she belongs to a party that constantly challenges wome…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I know that a typical Conservative is perhaps not the type of parliamentarian who is the most open to labour unions. However, I would still like to ask my colleague a question. During question period, the member for Beloeil—Chambly proposed a solution. Workers are ready to go back to work tomorrow morning and put an end to the dispute, if the gov…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands for proposing this evening's debate. I think she will be happy to hear me say that I think she is well-intentioned. As I was drafting my remarks for this evening, I was thinking about how one can be well-intentioned in a debate like this one. We must indeed be well-intentioned. The tricky thing about being an MP …
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Mr. Speaker, we talked to people in the biotech sector about the review done by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, the PMPRB. I am not an advocate for big pharmaceutical companies, nor do I want to be, but I was told that could have a devastating effect. Big pharmaceuticals do not do research, and they definitely do not do clinical trials if they know they will not be selling the products …
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. Politicians sometimes tend to look for a scapegoat when something is not working properly. It is true that we sometimes do that. Public policy changes for the better when we learn from our mistakes. To learn from our mistakes, we, as legislators, need to point out the missteps. Pointing out missteps does not mean playing partisan games or criticizing everyth…
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Mr. Speaker, in his great wisdom, my hon. colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé has put his finger on a fundamental problem. I mentioned the Naylor report earlier, which indicated that Canada was not faring very well in terms of basic research. What we are learning from the pandemic is that health crises, which could happen more frequently because of global warming, will leave Canada exposed. This wi…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, as in every debate, when I am faced with a motion, I try to figure out the intent and what the motion hopes to achieve. As I read my colleague's motion, looking for the intent, I was reminded of a comedian that I like, Yvon Deschamps. Deschamps is a master of irony, and his method is simply to take a social issue to its logical extreme to show how absurd it is. That is truly what it…
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Madam Speaker, while listening to my colleague, a very simple question came to mind. We know that his leader made an announcement earlier about carbon pricing. After reading his motion, I am wondering whether my colleague himself believes in carbon pricing. Does he agree with his leader about putting a price on carbon?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Association forestière Saguenay—Lac-St-Jean will soon be celebrating its 80th anniversary. Since 1942, the association has been helping to cultivate an appreciation of forests among young people and the general public and is thereby contributing to the growth and development of this major economic sector while advocating for environmental conservation. The Association forestière S…
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Mr. Speaker, earlier, my colleague from Kingston and the Islands said we were trying to stretch debates out for as long as possible. I just want to point out that the government is responsible for the parliamentary calendar and that there was a prorogation that cost us a lot of time. With respect to time allocation motions, I also want to point out that, when we realized that we were wasting our t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Quebec's forests are a renewable resource with major economic, energy and green potential. Maximizing this resource could allow us to create 16,000 jobs in Quebec while reducing greenhouse gases. The federal government is investing crumbs, just $71 million a year. That is nothing compared to the $24 billion that has been invested in oil and gas since 2017. At their convention, the Lib…
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Mr. Speaker, I will quickly repeat what I said. The oil and gas industry got $24 billion, while the forestry industry got peanuts, a mere $71 million per year. We are talking about 3,500 new jobs in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean and 16,000 potential new jobs in Quebec as a whole. Last week, the Bloc Québécois put forward eight proposals for the forest industry. Now it remains to be seen whether the fede…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to my colleague a big issue with the Canada recovery benefit. Hospitals in Quebec and Ontario are currently in triage mode, and surgeries have been pushed back because of the pandemic. As we know, EI sickness benefits were not extended to 50 weeks. There are people who are not eligible for the Canada recovery benefit, and since their surgery has been pushed b…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very fond of my colleague from Lévis—Lotbinière. In his speech just now, I heard him speak about the French language and Quebec's traditional demands. On the issue of French, we know that there is a little problem that has tripped up the Conservatives. With respect to the single tax return, they supported it, but then voted against it. We do not understand why. At this time, ther…
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Mr. Speaker, I always enjoy debating with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. In my view, we cannot talk about Bill C-14 without talking about long-term care, and we cannot talk about long-term care without talking about health care funding. It goes without saying. I have had this discussion with the parliamentary secretary in the past, but I never …
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Madam Speaker, earlier, I asked a Conservative member from Quebec a question. Since I did not get much of an answer, I will try again with my colleague from Saskatchewan. As members know, Bill C-14 contains provisions regarding long-term care. There is no question that seniors' homes have had some issues during the pandemic. The appropriate solution here is health transfers. Could my colleague fro…
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Madam Speaker, I must admit that I am a big fan of the member for Carleton. Red tape, bureaucracy. I agree with all of the things that he mentioned. I can even point out to him the worst example of red tape and bureaucracy: the Canadian federation. The federal government has never run a hospital, but it wants to tell us what to do with health transfers. What is worse, since the member spoke about …
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. We did not see the member for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques the entire time he was asking his question. There was only the visual. I would like to know if he can start again.
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I have a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, during my colleague's question, someone activated their microphone, and we did not hear a good portion of his question.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comment from my colleague from Lethbridge because the one essential thing we have in politics is our integrity, our ability to act based on the public interest, not special interests. I fully agree with her about the WE scandal. However, another scandal that often gets overlooked is that of the political parties that applied for the wage subsidy during the election ca…
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Mr. Speaker, I really liked my colleague's speech. I cannot ask her to answer for the Liberal Party. However, since she spoke about transparency and ethical breaches, I can ask her to answer for her political party. During the pandemic, the Conservative Party, the NDP and the Liberal Party applied for the wage subsidy. Just now, I asked her colleague from Lethbridge if the Conservative Party inten…
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Mr. Speaker, contrary to what members of the Conservative Party think, climate change exists. What is nearly as disappointing as the Conservatives' denial is the Liberal bill intended to address climate change. The government has set no greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030 and no interim targets for 2025. There is no independent reporting. Basically, the federal government can continue to do …
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Mr. Speaker, it is indeed troubling that the Conservatives refuse to acknowledge climate change. What is also worrisome is investing $12 billion in the Trans Mountain pipeline, approving 100 wells during the pandemic and offering billions of dollars to the oil industry. On my right, we have the Conservatives, who clearly do not believe in climate change. In front of us, we have a party that says i…
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Madam Speaker, I am overwhelmed by the parliamentary secretary's cynicism. Everyone can see that long-term care homes had difficulties. These problems are the result of massive cuts to the health care system. The Liberals played a part in that. The infamous fiscal imbalance did not create itself. That the government is now saying it will implement national standards and the problem will magically …
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Mr. Speaker, I would just like to point out the enormous irony of my colleague telling us, on the one hand, that the NDP, through its motion, is interfering in the affairs of PSP Investments and Revera, and on the other hand, that we need national standards, when standards would be the worst example of interference in provincial jurisdictions. My ears practically started bleeding when I heard that…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak to Bill C-12, since I am concerned about environmental issues. My party is in favour of the principle in Bill C-12, but unfortunately the bill does not go far enough. We were off to a good start, but sadly, the government shows no ambition with Bill C-12. I would like to point out, because it seems essential to me, that all countries that care about the environ…
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Madam Speaker, I understand my colleague's concerns. Indeed, all too often the problem with fighting global warming is that, perhaps for political gain, some politicians will put economic sectors that are very harmful to the environment ahead of setting targets. If we had an independent body that could give us objective, neutral guidance, it would surely make our job as lawmakers easier. To that e…
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Madam Speaker, yes, absolutely. We need to set targets. That is in some way the point of the bill that my party introduced. Let us recall the Montreal Protocol, which made it possible to fight the gases that were causing holes in the ozone layer. Political action was taken and the situation was successfully contained. However, that takes political courage. We need targets, but we also need politic…
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Madam Speaker, I could not agree more. First of all, I thank my hon. colleague, who is so kind and who always makes an effort to address us in French. It is a nice change, compared to some other members. I totally agree with her. There is an old adage in French about how one can never be too bold. I will not get into where it came from, but I am not seeing any boldness from the federal government …
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