Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our government has a plan to double housing construction across the country. That plan is stuck at the finance committee because Conservatives like to complain about young people not having a home to buy. However, when the solution is right in front of them, they obstruct and they block the progress of our bills. We are going to double housing construction in this country, and we will…
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Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister and our entire caucus was in Alberta, we heard about the need to move quicker on the construction of homebuilding, and that is what we are delivering. Our plan will double construction for homes right across this country, for rental and for purchase, and it is going to respond to the needs of the youth of Canada. Our plan is stuck because the Conservatives refu…
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Mr. Speaker, a family of four may receive over $1,800 through our new Canada groceries and essentials benefit. That will help families and households make ends meet at the end of the month. It is true. We have seen the statistics that show that one in five households has trouble paying their rent, so I am wondering why the Conservatives are blocking the work of Build Canada Homes. Why do the Conse…
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Mr. Speaker, $1,900 per family is real money that will help Canadians pay for groceries, pay for schools and pay for activities for their children. Canadians in Conservative-held ridings want to benefit from this support from our government. Why are the Conservatives systematically blocking every time we want to help Canadians?
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Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. The Conservatives are crying crocodile tears. They complain that Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. However, they vote against Canadians' interests. We have the Canada child benefit, which is indexed to inflation, but the Conservatives do not like this program. They voted against it. We have the dental care program for children and for seniors who are struggl…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister has answered that question a number of times already today. What is clear to me is that the Conservative Party members do not see the need to be investing in our economy. We put forward a plan in the form of a budget, and that budget would see over $50 billion going straight into the community of each and every member of Parliament in this room. It would create community …
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Mr. Speaker, I think we have said a number of times that the Conservatives are talking about imaginary taxes. Inflation is actually dropping here in Canada. We are here to meet the needs of Canadians, yet the Conservative Party has voted against all the measures in the budget that are going to help people make ends meet, including our school food program, which is going to help kids. It seems unbe…
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Mr. Speaker, that Conservative member talks about food prices, yet he voted against making the national school food program permanent. That is a program that helps young people, that helps school-aged children eat food in order to learn better. This morning I made an announcement at a women's shelter in Montreal that our government has funded in order to help women find a secure and safe place to …
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to speak about Bill C‑15. I want to begin by acknowledging that today is November 25. Like every year, today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. I must stress the importance of our efforts to address violence against women, including domestic violence. In an increasingly uncertain world, it is up to us to adapt our eco…
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Mr. Speaker, I think this is the first time I have heard the Bloc Québécois talk about the significant investment we have made in culture in this budget. This is very important, and it should be noted that the Quebec caucus, which now has 44 members, worked hard to secure these investments in culture. My colleague referred to local media. That is certainly something to be considered. However, let …
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Mr. Speaker, in the short time I have, I would like to say how important that member's advocacy has been on brain injuries. I look forward to meeting with him and Brain Injury Canada later this evening. I look forward to working with him in order to create a national strategy in this country.
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Mr. Speaker, Waterloo, in many ways, resembles a piece of my riding in the Mile End, which has enormous potential for economic growth because it contains so many small start-ups and so much new innovation. The budget really answers the call for those entrepreneurs and those individuals who want to be part of the economy of the future. The productivity superdeduction is there, of course, but there …
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased the Conservatives have noticed we have expanded SR&ED. SR&ED is an integral part of the budget because it is going to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to do more research and development. We are going to help them invest and reinvest into their companies, because that is what we know needs to happen in order to grow this economy.
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Mr. Speaker, the news today was that we created 67,000 jobs, six-seven. It is great news. We are growing the economy, and budget 2025 is making historic investments that are going to keep this economy moving for generations to come. Why do the Conservatives not stand up and support this investment budget?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the Clerk of the Privy Council Office was the highest-ranking official who approved the campaign. With regard to (b), the Clerk of the Privy council approved the campaign on March 17, 2025. With regard to (c)(i), digital Advertising purchased programmatically including static, audio, video and connected television advertisements were scheduled to begin on March 21,…
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Mr. Speaker, in response to part (a) of the question about who in the Office of the Prime Minister or the Privy Council Office is responsible for ensuring that the Prime Minister abides by the terms of the screen, the Prime Minister’s conflict of interest screen is administered by the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and by the Clerk of the Privy Council. The administrators ensure that the Prime Mi…
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Mr. Speaker, the fall economic statement that we tabled yesterday is about growth. It is about investing in our business community and in our economy. The accelerated capital cost allowance will ensure that Canadian businesses stay on this side of the border, that they stay in Canada and that our creation of jobs will continue to increase. Last year alone, 330,000 jobs were created, and these are …
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is rather clear that the Bloc Québécois is against tax cuts. If my colleagues had read the economic update, they would have seen that we created over 330,000 well-paid jobs across Canada. Canada has seen the highest wage growth in the G7. Canadians are cashing paycheques that are 5% bigger, even taking into account inflation. We are making sure that Canadians' paycheques ar…
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Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives are focused on this soap-opera Parliament Hill grapevine gossip, our Liberal government has been focused on the pocketbooks of Canadians. Inflation is way down, at 2%. The Governor of the Bank of Canada confirmed yesterday that it is going to stay at about 2% for the next few years. Interest rates are way down. We saw another jumbo rate cut yesterday, which mea…
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Mr. Speaker, it seems we have lost decorum in the House in part because the Conservatives have been attacking female elected representatives, women in the House who represent women and men across the country proudly. If the Conservatives are really interested in asking questions of the economy, I do have answers for them. Yesterday, the Bank of Canada lowered interest rates yet again, making it ea…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives appear to be asking questions about the state of the economy, but they are desperate to deny the fact that, just yesterday, the Bank of Canada lowered interest rates to help all Canadians. That is good news. It will make life more affordable for families who need to renew their mortgages. It will mean lower costs for our SMEs and our entrepreneurs. It will help young…
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Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Conservative member chose to talk about bullying in his question after today's question period has been fraught with bullying from Conservative members. To get back to what is important to Canadians, I would like to talk about the economy. When looking at the numbers, we can see that consumer confidence is up. We see consumer spending is up. Folks are lookin…
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Mr. Speaker, listening to the Conservatives today, we would think that the Conservative Party of Canada wanted interest rates to be higher. We would think the Conservatives want inflation to be higher, listening to their talking points today in the House of Commons. We have invested in Canadians and we have invested wisely. We have ensured that 110,000 more Canadian women have entered the workforc…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it has been 35 years since the massacre at École Polytechnique. As I do every year, I will be joining my community on Mount Royal to commemorate and honour the 14 women whose lives were stolen simply because they were women. The advocacy of survivors like Nathalie Provost and the members of PolyRemembers continues to inspire and encourage us to strengthen gun control across the countr…
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Mr. Speaker, I am quite disappointed in the Conservative member opposite. He should know what the definition of a recession is. We have not even had a single quarter of negative growth. In fact, Statistics Canada just revised our growth numbers upward for the last three years. The Conservatives would like to quote former governors of the Bank of Canada. I have got one. David Dodge said, “because […
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Mr. Speaker, this feigned sympathy and these crocodile tears on behalf of the Conservatives are fooling no Canadian. When the Conservatives had the opportunity to support measures that would help Canadians, measures like cutting their taxes, they opposed them. When we proposed a school food program that is going to help feed thousands of children across the country in their schools, they opposed i…
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Mr. Speaker, we have adopted meaningful measures to rid our streets of weapons of war, guns designed for battlefields, assault weapons that have no place in our communities. I think it is shameful that, on the 35th anniversary of the Polytechnique shooting, the Conservatives are standing up to repeat the falsehoods of the gun lobby.
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Mr. Speaker, we have the lowest deficit of all our G7 peers. We also have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio. It will be our pleasure to present a fall economic statement, so all Canadians can see what the books look like, including the Conservative Party. However, we also need to support Canadians. We also need to have affordability measures. That is why we are cutting taxes for Canadians. We are givin…
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The Canada emergency business account, or CEBA, helped countless SMEs in Quebec and across Canada avoid bankruptcy. It is thanks to CEBA that workers were able to get their paycheques. I am not surprised that the Bloc Québécois is rising in the House four years later. Perhaps they want to change the channel because, last week, they voted against a tax holiday. I am not making this up. The Bloc Qué…
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Mr. Speaker, giving a tax break to Canadians is real. When parents pay for their kids' Christmas presents at the cash register, they are not going to pay GST. People at the cash register at the grocery store are not going to pay GST on everyday items. When they go to restaurants, they will not pay it either. This is real money back in the pockets of Canadians. The Conservatives talk about vulnerab…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the member is misreading the numbers. Statistics Canada just revealed that it needed to revise the GDP numbers upward for the last three years. Canada is expected to have the highest GDP growth in all of the G7 next year. I think the Conservatives are trying to change the channel. Just a few days ago, they opposed a tax break. They opposed cutting the GST from everyday goods f…
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Mr. Speaker, the GST holiday will apply to everybody; all Canadians will benefit from the tax break. One of the things I really take issue with is the insinuation that people with disabilities are not working. Sixty-two per cent of people in Canada with disabilities are working and will benefit from the cheque. There are one million seniors in Canada who are working and will benefit from the chequ…
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Mr. Speaker, these Conservatives always put partisanship first and Canadians last. Once again, the Conservatives are against helping Canadians. We know the tax break will leave more money in Canadians' pockets. Conservatives do not want that. They did not want us to cut taxes for the middle class, and now, they do not want us to take the tax off everyday items. It does not make sense.
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Mr. Speaker, I take issue with the insinuation that persons with disabilities in this country do not work. Sixty-two per cent of persons with disabilities will benefit from the rebate because they are working hard. Over one million seniors right across Canada are working and will benefit from the rebate. All Canadians without exception are going to benefit from the tax holiday we just announced. W…
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Mr. Speaker, this Liberal government reduced taxes on the middle class on two occasions and the Conservatives voted against it. Now we are giving a tax break, a tax holiday, to all Canadians at a time when they need it most, and the Conservatives are calling it a gimmick. The Conservative leader is trying to play the grinch who stole Christmas. We know that this is good policy. It is good for Cana…
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Mr. Speaker, it was the current Liberal government that reduced taxes on the middle class not once but twice, and the Conservatives opposed the measure on both occasions. Now we are coming with a tax break for the holidays. That is going to mean more money in the pockets of Canadians, and yet again the Conservatives are opposing the measure. Do the Conservatives really believe the talking points t…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian mothers and fathers want to understand why the Conservatives want to take away their $10-a-day child care. Young Canadians who want to buy a first home want to understand why the Conservatives want to take away investments that will build 750,000 new homes. All Canadians want to understand why the Conservatives oppose a tax break, a tax holiday, for all Canadians that will le…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague opposite knows very well that our government has done the most in order to ensure tax fairness throughout the country. We have acted in order to ensure that the very wealthy pay their fair share. We are helping vulnerable Canadians who need our support, as well as working Canadians. Working Canadians are going to receive a cheque in the spring, and I certainly hope that t…
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Mr. Speaker, when the Conservative Party of Canada wanted us to back down during the last round of NAFTA negotiations, we stood up for Canada. We stood up for Canadian workers. We stood up for the steelworkers in Canada. We stood up for Canadian auto workers. We stood up for our farmers and agricultural workers. The Conservatives want to know what the plan is; we plan to do it again and to get a w…
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Mr. Speaker, we have an excellent relationship with the United States, a relationship that is mutually beneficial. We do enormous amounts of trade with the United States, and the United States depends on Canada for much of its energy supply. The Conservatives want to know what the plan is. Our plan is to continue to work with the United States in order to protect Canadian jobs and to protect the C…
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Mr. Speaker, maybe the Conservative member missed the memo. We are actually taking federal taxes off. We are taking the GST off everyday goods in order to help Canadians. We are wondering on this side of the House how the Conservatives could be against a tax break for Canadians. It will put more money back in their pockets right around the holidays, when they need it most. The policy is good for C…
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Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable. For the Conservatives, partisanship always comes first and Canadians come last. Now the Conservatives want to oppose a plan to make life more affordable for Canadians. Canadians have been going through a tough time lately. We are offering a tax break. How can the Conservatives be against that?
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Mr. Speaker, it seems the Conservative member has invented a new slogan to oppose what is a tax break for Canadians. I am not sure I understand the Conservative position on this. In fact, what we are doing is lowering taxes for Canadians so they can keep more money in their pockets, yet the Conservatives are opposing it. It is interesting. The Conservative leader actually called this a “trick”. I …
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Mr. Speaker, all Canadians are going to benefit from the tax break that the Liberal government is offering, and I thank NDP members for their support for this measure. I think that every single Canadian will feel the difference at the cash register when they are paying for their groceries, when they are buying their Christmas presents and especially when they are looking to buy children's clothing…
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Mr. Speaker, we just announced a tax break for Canadians. In fact, Canadians will see that they are not going to be paying federal taxes on everyday items, like takeout food, beer, wine, children's toys and children's clothes. What also came out is that BMO and many others are significantly revising their growth forecasts for Canada in the next few months. This is good for our small businesses. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, what the Conservatives are proposing is an austerity plan. By opposing our school food program, the Conservatives are showing they are against helping vulnerable children. By suggesting they would tear up the agreement we have with Quebec, the Conservatives are showing they are against investing in housing construction. The Conservatives are even opposing a tax cut. They are against o…
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Mr. Speaker, I can hardly believe that the Conservatives are talking about food insecurity, especially today. We just announced a deal with Ontario to bring the national food school program to thousands of children in Ontario, who will benefit. This is going to ensure that kids have a good start to their day. This is going to help vulnerable families. This is going to be a huge difference for Cana…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the member for Ottawa—Vanier, who advocates for her constituents every day. What she said is absolutely true. The Conservatives are once again opposing a tax cut, this time in the form of a tax break on goods and services. It will give Canadians a bit of breathing room and allow them to keep more money in their pockets. It is good for small businesses. It…
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Mr. Speaker, we recently lost a great Quebec artist. Lucien Francoeur was a legendary poet, an iconic counter-culture icon, a radio host, a French teacher and, of course, a rocker with Aut'Chose. He left his mark on the collective imagination of our Quebec. He was a proud member of the Outremont community for nearly four decades, having lived there for nearly 40 years. It was a real honour to run …
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is giving a tax break to all Canadians. That means there is not going to be GST on essential goods, everyday goods like groceries, toys for the holidays and kids' clothing. We know that Canadians are looking forward to this tax break. We know that it is being done responsibly. It will be done for two months. The question on everybody's mind is whether the Conser…
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