Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there are so many issues we could have discussed in committee, so many concerns we could have addressed, had we been able to properly debate Bill C‑9, which, as we all agree, deals with some very sensitive issues. Unfortunately, the Conservatives engaged in extensive filibustering. Nevertheless, we can still ask the government some questions, including, for instance, on subjects that …
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Mr. Speaker, since the start of this debate, I have been wondering whether there are any concrete examples of religious discourse by a pastor, a minister or a rabbi, or any texts or contexts that might cause issues. For example, I recall a Conservative MP questioning me about a previous Bloc proposal to remove this religious exemption. He told me that his pastor would no longer be allowed to speak…
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad I was here for my colleague's speech. It was surreal. The fact is, we were treated to some name calling and all sorts of veiled insults. My colleague across the aisle listed some of them. It was very entertaining. The member talked about radical secularists, radical separatists and radical socialists. One would think we were listening to Donald Trump or one of his buffoons t…
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Mr. Speaker, I find it very strange to hear my colleague say that there was only one request. We had a number of amendments, and we would have had more if the Conservatives had stopped filibustering and if we had been able to discuss a serious and sensitive bill like grown-ups. That said, the Conservative member, in his speech, and even in his answer to my colleague from Winnipeg North, talked abo…
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Mr. Speaker, I heard my colleague say in his speech that, with the Bloc Québécois's support, the government was preventing or stifling the debate on that. The Conservatives filibustered nine meetings of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, thereby preventing constructive debate on this sensitive issue. It is true that the Conservatives have been spreading somewhat distorted informat…
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Mr. Speaker, imagine the quality of the debates we could have had if the Conservatives had not filibustered during nine meetings of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. We could have discussed a great many matters as interesting as this one. I want to go back to the issue of disinformation and the misrepresentation of facts in which the Conservative Party engaged in order to incite …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Winnipeg North for yet another brief, but interesting, speech. Earlier, my colleague from La Pointe-de-l'Île mentioned that it took the federal government two years to negotiate agreements with the Quebec government under the Canada housing infrastructure fund. By the time the agreement was finally signed, there was not enough money left in the fund to meet Queb…
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Mr. Speaker, when the federal government, and especially this Liberal government, sticks its nose into something that is working relatively well, usually something managed by municipalities in Quebec and in the provinces or by the provincial governments or the Quebec government, it always creates a terrible disaster involving mismanagement, cost overruns and money not getting where it needs to go.…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my entertaining friend from St. Catharines for his speech and his enthusiasm. It is always enjoyable to listen to what he has to say and to ask him questions. I look forward to hearing his answer to my question. At the beginning of his speech he talked about the holistic approach of Build Canada Homes. However, the words “holistic” and “Liberal government” do not go to…
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Mr. Speaker, next Tuesday, Quebec will once again put pressure on UNESCO to protect the diversity of cultural expressions in the from the hegemony of the web giants. Quebec will join forces with European countries to ensure that the 2005 UNESCO convention, which protects different cultures from globalization, also applies to the digital world. However, this is not a done deal. Since Quebec is not …
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Mr. Speaker, that is music to my ears. Canada is voting on Quebec's behalf at UNESCO. Last June, it did not vote in favour of a binding protocol that would protect our cultural sovereignty from the web giants. Worse still, it later scrapped the digital services tax, which would have forced web giants to pay a modest levy that could have been used to support our culture and media. Next week, Canada…
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Mr. Speaker, Franco Nuovo just passed away unexpectedly, without warning, almost brazenly. We thought he was away for what, a week? Now, we are left wondering who will brighten our Sunday mornings, who will join us for a coffee. As Leonard Cohen put it, “Hey, that's no way to say goodbye”. As a commentator, critic and host, Nuovo picked up where Le Bigot left off as our weekend companion. He was a…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to celebrate the retirement of an Alouette who refuses to have his feathers ruffled. Marc‑Antoine Dequoy is retiring after leaving his mark on the Montreal Alouettes. Although he was a defensive back in the team that won the 2023 Grey Cup against all odds, the broader public recently got to know him better through his appearances on television. The charismatic Marc‑Antoin…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-245, which was introduced by the Bloc Québécois, seeks to exclude Quebec from Canadian multiculturalism so that it can implement its own model for integrating immigrants. It is simple. The bill has just one provision, but the other parties are having a hard time understanding it. First, what is multiculturalism? We are hearing all sorts of things in the House, including a lot o…
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Mr. Speaker, I love when you speak French and when you say the word “multiculturalism” in French. I know it is hard to say, and I commend you for it, which is why we are requesting a recorded division.
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Mr. Speaker, if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent among the parties for the following motion: That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, the member for Drummond be permitted to give the five-minute right of reply to close the debate on Bill C-245 on behalf of the member for Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères.
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Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague's speech and I think we are more or less on the same page when it comes to supporting Bill C‑19. We consider it necessary because of the imperative need to support Quebeckers and Canadians through the extremely harsh financial circumstances facing families. Once again, however, I get a sense that we are good at extending support programs to help people in ne…
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Mr. Speaker, this government has perfected the art of devising band-aid solutions. Putting big band-aids on big problems is a good look for the government, since it creates the appearance of coming to people's aid. A measure is being introduced to assist people for five years. After that, these people will probably feel some anxiety, especially seniors, the most vulnerable in society, whose number…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would like to clarify something, because I find the point of order raised by the government whip interesting. In your decision, I understand that the situation applied to the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley, but the point raised here is nevertheless very interesting. In the case of a member who votes in person from their seat, then leaves the House befor…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Shefford on her speech and on her commitment to seniors. When the measure proposed by the government in Bill C‑19 ends in five years, seniors especially but also families will be faced with the prospect of losing it. There is also a growing number of seniors, particularly those between 65 and 74 years of age, for whom my colleague has been advo…
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Mr. Speaker, on January, 29, 2017, at approximately 7:45 p.m., we lost six Quebeckers in the tragic events that took place at the Quebec City mosque. Six Muslims were murdered for the sole reason that they were Muslims, for the sole reason that they had gone to pray that evening with their fellow believers. Quebec lost six of its own. Today, our thoughts are with the loved ones, families and frien…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague opposite on her speech. I am pleased that we are talking about Bill C-16, because I have a concern about victims, especially victims of aggravated and violent sexual assault. I spoke just last week with one such victim, the survivor of an extremely violent sexual assault by a repeat offender who recently completed his federal sentence and is now out of the …
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Mr. Speaker, it was on a sunny day in September 1759 that the beautiful partnership between the French and the English began. This beautiful friendship, born on the Plains of Abraham, would give rise to moments filled with affection, including the banning of French in schools, the hanging of patriots, the Durham report, the execution of Riel, the Quebec City riot over conscription, the War Measure…
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Mr. Speaker, that is wonderful. Rewriting the facts is contagious and rampant across the Liberal caucus. To hear the Prime Minister, it seems that Montcalm's dying words would have been: I die disappointed, saddened not to see the English reach Quebec City. The truth is that we were conquered, and since then the federal government has gone to great lengths trying to force us into submission. The P…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Vancouver East made her disdain for Bill C-12 clear. It goes without saying that I respect her opinion. There are groups that claim this bill will not stand up in court. I would like to know what my colleague thinks of the possibility of certain parts of the bill being challenged in court. I would like to hear her opinion. Does she think that is the case? Which parts…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his speech. The collaboration between the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois on improving Bill C-12 has been mentioned several times since the beginning of today's debate. In fact, the original version of the bill was unacceptable or at least, as my colleague said, parts of it were extremely hard to swallow. The government had made commitments, includi…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑12 is the new version of Bill C‑2. The Bloc Québécois believes that the government is taking a step in the right direction with this new iteration, but there is still a major problem. In their platform, the Liberals proposed hiring 1,000 additional RCMP officers and 1,000 additional CBSA officers. The RCMP will be fine; it was in the throne speech. However, that is not the case…
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Mr. Speaker, it takes a lot of humility on my part to speak to this topic, especially after the Conservative member for Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake and after my colleague from Etobicoke North, who have family roots in Ukraine and ties to the Ukrainian community. It takes a lot of humility for me, a little Quebecker with no official or family ties to Ukraine, to take the floor and defend B…
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Mr. Speaker, I feel compelled to comment on the remark just made by the Conservative member. I understand that he is new to the House. He will have opportunities to experience other moments like the one before us this evening, with a bill intended to establish a heritage month. Other heritage months have been instituted in the past. More will be proposed and debated in the future. Usually, this is…
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Mr. Speaker, earlier, in my speech, I spoke at length about how facts are being distorted and twisted in order to make people who are sincerely concerned accept the position of a political party. I find that unacceptable. I believe we have a duty to be honest. We have a duty to speak responsibly to voters and tell them the truth, the real facts. In this case, I get the impression that a message of…
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Madam Speaker, I wonder what is in the Kool-Aid that the religious right is giving to the Conservatives. It must be pretty strong, because it is effective. The Conservatives seem to really believe what they are saying. They are claiming that this measure is directed at freedom of religious expression or freedom of religion. It is unbelievable. My question is for the member for Winnipeg North, who …
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Mr. Speaker, I would say that when we ask the Conservative caucus from Quebec this question, we do not get an answer right away. I look forward to hearing a speech on this from a Quebec Conservative. We might hear a bit more about their position and their arguments. That was an excellent question from my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean.
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Mr. Speaker, much has been said about decorum in the House. How many warnings do you have to give, how many times do you have to yell “order” before you dish out consequences? It is starting to get embarrassing, quite frankly. Mr. Speaker, thank you for bringing some order and for enforcing your authority in the House.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by congratulating my colleague from Rivière‑du‑Nord for his brilliant speech and for his thorough work on this file, which he has been adeptly looking after for years. The Bloc Québécois has been calling for this religious exemption in section 319 of the Criminal Code to be repealed for quite some time, long before this year and long before this Parliament. Earli…
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Madam Speaker, I must admit that I am having a very hard time understanding the Conservatives' position on this issue. The Conservative Party is known as the party of law and order, but they are completely off track when it comes to the religious exemption in the Criminal Code. Last year, when we proposed repealing the religious exemption, a Conservative member came to tell me that his party was o…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the cold weather is returning, and lights are starting to sprout again in the trees. It can mean only one thing: The holiday season is back. Also back for its 25th year is the media food drive's traditional street corner collection day. This marks 25 years of generous support for families who need a little help to have a merry Christmas. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I encourage ev…
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons should visit Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean. He would find out that people certainly are talking about building a country, the country of Quebec. I have even more suggestions for the “no” side. The federal government could respect Quebec laws, such as state secularism and the Charter of the French Language. It could fight the decli…
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Mr. Speaker, I made a passing reference to that in my speech, but it was not really the main point of my speech. That said, I will reserve my comments and response for later, once we have completed the study that is currently being conducted. With each new meeting during this study, we are learning some extremely interesting things. The report on this study will be published at some point. At that…
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that my colleague is not reading that right. That is not at all the case. I will take another approach. Hate speech and the propagation of hatred are indeed prohibited under section 319, but there is a religious exemption. If the religious exemption is not needed, then let us simply remove it. If it has not been used as a defence or has not been successfully used as a def…
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Mr. Speaker, I know what the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture should be fed up with. He should be fed up with Ottawa twiddling its thumbs while French is in decline. He should be fed up with Ottawa continuing to fund English in Quebec while French is under threat. He should be fed up with the fact that fewer and fewer Quebeckers are able to listen to music in French, read in French and se…
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to pick up where my Conservative colleague left off. My question to the leader of the Green Party is one I ask with both consternation and curiosity, as there was a great deal of speculation around her support for the budget prior to the vote. It was not completely clear, but it seems that she found reassurance in commitments made by the Prime Minister. Today, I find it har…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just announced that he is approving the construction of a pipeline to transport oil from Alberta, through British Columbia, to the Pacific Ocean. First nations in British Columbia are threatening to take legal action because they disagree with this decision. There is no social licence for it, unlike what my Conservative colleague said earlier. The Government of Brit…
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Madam Speaker, earlier, my colleague from Lac‑Saint‑Jean asked a Conservative member a question after his speech. He noted that the Conservatives tore apart the Liberal budget in their speeches, and rightly so. However, my colleague wanted to know what efforts the Conservatives made to defeat this budget. The Conservative member replied that his party tried its best to defeat that budget when it c…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was in Alberta, where he announced federal approval for the pipeline project that crosses British Columbia and terminates at a deep-water port on the Pacific coast. Yesterday, the Bloc Québécois asked the government a question, and the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons spontaneously answered yes to that question. The question was whether this project …
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Mr. Speaker, this weekend, we learned of the death of the great journalist Madeleine Poulin. Originally, she was not interested in journalism as a career. In fact, she wanted to teach. In the end, that is what she did. Through her professionalism, she ensured that generations of Quebeckers and francophones across Canada were better educated on social issues, politics and current events in general.…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean asked a question earlier about the digital services tax and the weakness shown by the Prime Minister, who held out for only 24 hours before obeying a tweet from the U.S. President and eliminating the digital services tax. The Bloc Québécois put forward a proposal to save the cultural industry and the media sector, especially the news media, which are c…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech, and I want to congratulate her on the quality of her French. It is always much appreciated. I want to talk about the media crisis. The Bloc Québécois is very concerned about this issue, particularly this week. There is an easy solution that is within reach and that will not affect taxpayers. I am referring to the much-discussed digital services tax…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about CBC/Radio-Canada and about the Conservative position. As I said in my speech, I am in favour of a public broadcaster, but I am also in favour of private media and of news and information that is fair and equitable. I am not in favour of just one broadcaster getting preferential treatment over the others. We did not agree with the Conservatives' campaign propo…
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Mr. Speaker, with your permission and that of the House, I would like to share my time with the member for Rimouski—La Matapédia
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Mr. Speaker, we do enjoy the theatre. That said, one would certainly have expected something more rigorous from an expert in economics and finance. We are somewhat surprised to see so much creative accounting in this budget. There are billions of dollars in spending that the government is treating as assets. We also know that if the same accounting approach were applied to Justin Trudeau's budgets…
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