Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Jean Lapointe has left us. He left an indelible impression on us as a comedian who made Quebeckers laugh for decades, and as a prominent actor in Quebec films such as Les ordres, L'eau chaude, l'eau frette and Le dernier tunnel. We will never forget his star turn as Duplessis, arguably one of the most remarkable performances in the history of Quebec television. We will also never forg…
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Madam Speaker, I congratulate my Conservative colleague for his comments and his speech. The Bloc Québécois expected three things from this economic statement. First, we wanted health transfers with no strings attached, as Quebec and the provinces have been unanimously calling for for quite some time. There is still a consensus on that. Second, we asked for an increase in seniors' pensions that is…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. In passing, I would like to point out that we have had the pleasure of serving together on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage since the beginning of this Parliament. I heard her talk about coal, oil and those types of resources, but I would like her to talk about another issue in connection with what my colleague from Shefford said about h…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her remarks and her speech. We are going into what may well be a recession in 2023. One might have expected the government to implement slightly more aggressive measures to help Quebeckers and Canadians weather a possible recession. First of all, we have yet to see the EI reform that was promised. At this time, six out of every 10 workers who lose their j…
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Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague from Nova Scotia on her speech. Her ears must have been burning yesterday. I was having a bite to eat with a friend who rents a house in Nova Scotia every summer, and we spent about an hour raving about how wonderful Nova Scotia is. We hope that hurricane Fiona did not cause too much damage. I know that Nova Scotia's health care system must have had a hard tim…
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Madam Speaker, I found it very amusing just now when this part of the House emptied out, and suddenly, we saw the other side of the House come in. Now we know what was needed to make the Liberals come to work in the House. All it took was a call for quorum. To me, it was like lifting up a rock. I think members will understand the image. I find it a little insulting to hear the Bloc being called la…
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Madam Speaker, I will be brief. I would like to ask for an apology from the member for Trois‑Rivières, who made the mistake of referring to me by my name rather than by the name of my riding of Drummond. I was thinking of rising on a point of order, but I will let it go this time. I wanted to raise the issue of our interpreters' schedules in the context of the decision that the government is prepa…
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Madam Speaker, I thought it was a little much when I heard the member for Winnipeg North lecturing the member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles earlier on how to vote when a motion is moved or a bill is introduced. I thought that was a bit over the top. That being said, we are being criticized and told that opposition members do not want to work. It feels as though insults have been flying this evening d…
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Madam Speaker, I listened with great interest to the speech by my Conservative colleague. Earlier, I made the mistake of asking my colleague from Winnipeg North two questions at once and obviously got a partial answer to one of the questions. I do want to note that he made an effort to answer one question. I wanted to ask my Conservative colleague the same question I asked the member for Winnipeg …
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Madam Speaker, the curtain fell on the Québec Cinéma gala in 2022, with its last broadcast on Radio‑Canada. This is a sad and, I believe, ill-advised decision. Obviously, it is not up to this Parliament to decide on public television programming, and I am not about to tell Radio‑Canada decision-makers what should or should not go on the air, but as a proud Quebec film buff, I am concerned. I am co…
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Mr. Speaker, I enjoy watching my Liberal colleagues trying to defend the ArriveCAN app today. I do not know if my colleagues travelled a little during the time that this app was in effect and saw how seniors in particular grappled with this complicated app or how border services agents tried to help people. What a waste of time. That said, I agree that some measures had to be implemented. I am not…
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Mr. Speaker, I heard my colleague say in her speech that we have lost so much money because of this app, or $54 million. I completely agree with her. That $54 million is a lot of money for an app used for two or three years. That is too much money that could have been spent on other things. Last week, the Bloc Québécois moved a motion to get rid of an expense that costs us $70 million every year. …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague and congratulate him on his speech. At the beginning of his speech, I was listening and thinking that if he lived in Quebec, he would surely be a member of the Bloc Québécois, because he defends many of the Bloc’s arguments. I heard him speak about the unwieldy system and the interminable debates we have on issues that could be settled much more ea…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my Conservative colleague for his speech. Earlier, another of my colleagues on the Conservative benches mentioned all of the red tape and the hard time the government has carrying out its regular duties. He wondered whether the government should be taking on new duties, especially in an area that falls outside its jurisdiction, when it has difficulty meeting th…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on delivering a passionate speech, as always. I asked his other colleague a question earlier, and I am going to ask him the same one now. I may be naive, but I hope to get a good answer eventually. The member for Battle River—Crowfoot may agree with me. A number of the Liberal government's new programs encroach on the jurisdiction of Quebec and the province…
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Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Terrebonne for her excellent speech and her concise and accurate answers. That is a real asset in the House. I take umbrage when I hear the member for Winnipeg North, for example, saying that the Bloc Québécois is opposed to this and does not want Canadian children to be covered by a dental care program. We all want that. Would the right solution not be to …
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Madam Speaker, I want to start by saying that I will be splitting my time with my colleague from Shefford, who is second to none. Here we are discussing the British monarchy, or, rather, the Canadian monarchy, because that is what has our interest today. I am going to rephrase that: That is our “concern” today. All day long, we have heard from the Conservatives and the Liberals—
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Madam Speaker, I was saying that we have been hearing, all day long, from Conservatives, Liberals and even NDP members that there other priorities to be dealt with today besides talking about the monarchy. That is true, they are quite right and we have never denied it. There are many other topics and there will always be many others. I have two comments to make to that. First, if a party that gove…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague, the member for Beloeil—Chambly and, incidentally, leader of the Bloc Québécois and my distinguished friend, on his speech. Our Conservative and Liberal colleagues will spend the day saying that there are other, more important priorities to deal with. That is absolutely true, but when governing a country, it is essential to be able to deal w…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Mount Royal for his question. I also thank him for asking a real question that allows for discussion and dialogue. I think that is very important. Besides, if one believes that the House will overwhelmingly support the Bloc Québécois motion and allow this split with the British Crown, that is just wishful thinking. However, I must candidly admit that it was…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague from Rosemont—La Petite‑Patrie has enough weight within his caucus to be able to contribute to the choice of topic for his party's next opposition day. In the meantime, in the Bloc Québécois, we saw that there was a debate on this topic in Quebec. I am sure that my colleague from Rosemont—La Petite‑Patrie read about it in one of our many newspapers or heard about it fro…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Rivière‑des‑Mille‑Îles for his question. Australia opened the debate. People are being heard at present and they are mainly talking about the place that first nations must have in those discussions. I completely agree that we must listen to what is being done elsewhere, to what is already starting to be done elsewhere and we must follow suit. As my colleagu…
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Madam Speaker, the member for Kingston and the Islands just demonstrated that he is incapable of debating an issue that he seems to be passionate about. He seems to be a staunch defender of the monarchy. I would have liked to hear his arguments in favour of the monarchy instead of listening to his arguments on the relevance of having this debate in the House. He stated his opinion clearly. I would…
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Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Hochelaga on her heartfelt speech. However, I would have liked more substance on the topic. Indeed, other than criticism of the editorial choice, shall we say, for our opposition day, I have not heard an argument about the value of maintaining the monarchy. I would be interested in that because, even when we are not particularly interested in…
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Madam Speaker, we request a recorded vote.
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Madam Speaker, earlier, my colleague from Lac‑Saint‑Jean asked a Conservative member a question after his speech. He asked him whether the Conservative Party and he himself were going to denounce and condemn the enormous profits generated by oil and gas companies. I would like to ask my colleague across the aisle the same question. Does the government intend to denounce and condemn the enormous an…
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Madam Speaker, when I listen to the Conservatives' arguments, I clearly see that their goal is to deal with inflation and help Canadians and Quebeckers fight runaway inflation. At the same time, they do not want their friends, the oil companies, to shoulder the burden. The carbon tax does not affect the revenues of businesses in the oil and gas sector, and the proceeds of this tax are returned to …
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Madam Speaker, earlier, my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean was lucky enough to get two opportunities to ask my Conservative colleague a very insightful question about the huge profits being made by oil and gas companies. I myself asked the member for Toronto—Danforth the same question earlier. Like my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean, I would like to know if my colleague from Winnipeg North acknowledge…
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Mr. Speaker, the Cercle de fermières de Saint‑Lucien is celebrating its 50th anniversary on October 19. Sixty-eight of the original members are still active in this organization, which was founded in 1972. They are all generous and committed women who make a remarkable contribution to the community. I want to recognize their commitment to promoting Quebec's cultural and artisanal heritage and pass…
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Madam Speaker, I must admit that I am happy that my colleague finished his speech, because he was starting to get carried away. I was getting concerned. I like him a lot and want him to stay fit and healthy. That said, I congratulate him for his speech and I would like to ask him a question. I know the intention is good, because, obviously, no one is against virtue or against good intentions. Howe…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Foothills for his speech. It can be a bit ironic to hear the Conservatives go to bat for regular people and lament the burden they bear as the cost of consumer goods rises across the board. However, when anyone suggests that big corporations, such as web giants, should pay their fair share, the Conservatives waste no time interfering with every process and …
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Madam Speaker, I simply want to point out that we made good use of the time allowed during questions and comments. With all due respect, it might be appropriate to respect the time for questions. That would allow all parties to get a turn to speak.
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Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from North Island—Powell River on her excellent, empathetic and sensitive speech. I completely agree on the issue of fairness and sensitivity to the populations or regions that are having a tougher time. I also think it is important to hold big corporations accountable and make them pay their fair share of tax. This government is doing nothing to eliminat…
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Madam Speaker, one thing we know for sure about my colleague from Hamilton Centre is that he is passionate about advocating for social rights and representing his constituents. I think my colleague would be sympathetic to the Bloc Québécois proposal to build more social and community housing. The Bloc Québécois wants the federal government to transfer 1% of its revenue to Quebec and the provinces …
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Mr. Speaker, I have to interrupt the order of business because tomorrow, September 24, is Dodo's birthday. Yes, Dominique Michel is celebrating her 90th birthday tomorrow. I know that it is impolite to discuss a woman's age, but we are talking about Dodo, she is part of the family. It is an opportunity to tell her that we love and miss her. We have spent quite a bit of time with Dominique Michel, …
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Mr. Speaker, I need my colleague's opinion. My thoughts are along the same lines as my Conservative colleague who spoke earlier. As we know, the government has been dealing with numerous issues related to existing programs such as passports, employment insurance and so on. Considering that anyone could have predicted how complicated it would be to get this new benefit or cheque to mesh with the pr…
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Mr. Speaker, before I ask a question, I would like to say that my thoughts are with your constituents and everyone in places like Nova Scotia, the Maritimes, the Magdalen Islands, the Lower North Shore and Newfoundland, who are bracing for hurricane Fiona. I want to express my support as the storm looms, and I hope everyone in your area stays safe. Earlier, I was listening to my colleague from Lee…
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Mr. Speaker, free, objective information sources are essential to democracy. We cannot overstate how important and invaluable the media is. The media is so invaluable that cable companies themselves made the decision 30 years ago to come together and create an independent channel dedicated exclusively to parliamentary affairs. It is a privately owned, non-profit, ad-free service that is dedicated …
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Mr. Speaker, the Quebec music industry is struggling right now, mainly because of the meagre royalties our musicians are getting from music streaming sites and the two years of pandemic that brought festivals and concerts to a halt. To top it all off, now francophone artists have also lost revenue because of a calculation error on the part of SOCAN. That is yet another blow to French-language musi…
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Heritage no doubt read Thomas Gerbet's Radio-Canada article, which stated that Francophone artists in Quebec reckon that the SOCAN calculation method cost them 45% of revenue from 2019 to 2021. This issue has been fixed since November 21, 2021, but SOCAN has not allocated any compensation for francophone artists. The minister has something of a moral duty to ensure tha…
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Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague from Kitchener—Conestoga on his speech and also for the week he spent in Quebec City this summer perfecting his French. I hope to hear him give his response partly in the language of Molière. Since the beginning of the debate on Bill C-22, I have been hearing a lot about how this is a framework that we need to build on. There is indeed a lot missing from this …
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Madam Speaker, judging from the questions and answers, this whole exchange is meaningless. Implementing hybrid measures to keep Parliament going during the pandemic was a good idea, but only for the duration of the pandemic. We are gradually making our way out of the pandemic. It seems likely that, as the months go by, we will leave it further and further behind. Of all the subjects we could be de…
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Madam Speaker, since we are on the topic, I will follow up to the question. I am glad we discussed airsoft guns, even if the discussion was far too brief. Airsoft fans themselves have proposed some solutions for clearly identifying the guns so they could not be used to commit crimes. There were proposals on the table long before Bill C-21 was introduced. That is what my colleague wishes we could h…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague from Shefford for her fantastic speech, as well as for her passion, especially on this issue that affects her profoundly and personally. Bravo. Our constituents ask us about this issue. It comes up all the time in my riding, Drummond, because there are many airsoft fans there. They are concerned. They do not understand why these toy guns wer…
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Madam Speaker, out of curiosity, I just want to make sure that we have quorum for today's debate.
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Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Brandon—Souris on his speech, and I have a message for him from the member for Jonquière, who wants to congratulate him on his hard work. In Bill C‑21, the government opted to include a list of prohibited assault weapons, specifying models. Our colleague from Rivière-du-Nord suggested a completely different approach, which is to precisely def…
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, I will give my colleague, the parliamentary secretary, a break. I will not talk about censorship. I will not talk about the enormous power that the CRTC will have over what Canadians and Quebeckers can and cannot watch online either. I think that we agree that the bill we are discussing contains no such horrors. However, in the short time we had to discuss the amendme…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Laurentides—Labelle for her excellent speech and her kind words. I am flattered, touched, honoured and a touch embarrassed. I thought that my colleague gave a fascinating answer to the member for Winnipeg North's question about culture just a few minutes ago. I know that her riding is home to many cultural organizations and artists and that it has a vibrant c…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑11 contains many extremely important points that we have not discussed much because all kinds of events happened that prevented us from really debating issues that I feel are very important. For example, we have talked about the concept of discoverability at length, but the idea of the concept of discoverability has boosted francophone culture and enabled francophone artists to…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from South Shore—St. Margarets for his speech. I had the pleasure of sitting with him during the clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-11, and we had a lot of fun. It was probably the most entertaining part of the study, I must say. Having said that, in his speech, he talked about how the legislation would allow the CRTC to regulate content such as us…
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