Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart to honour the passing of a great man, a great Canadian and a titan in federal politics. As the member for Outremont, Marc Lalonde dedicated himself to serving our community. During his time as principal secretary to Pierre Elliott Trudeau and later as a key member of his cabinet, Marc Lalonde played a pivotal role in shaping our society. His unfailing commitm…
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers are currently dealing with floods and climate change. They are worried about affordability issues, the housing crisis and our health care system, which is at risk, and yet the Bloc Québécois spends its time in the House talking about the monarchy. Our Liberal government is squarely focused on the real priorities of Quebeckers and all Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his advocacy on credit card transaction fees. It is something that I have been working on since 2015, and I am glad to hear that others in this chamber have been working on it as well. Certainly, we have acted on this file since 2015, and this most recent budget would simply continue the work that we have been doing on this issue since coming int…
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Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the member opposite began his question by indicating that the budget includes an important measure for entrepreneurs and an important measure for workers. When he talks about the importance of our small business owners, I could not agree with him more. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy here in Canada. I would point the member to some of the comments …
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to debate Bill C-47, the budget implementation act, 2023. The budget shows our commitment to strong, sustainable economic growth while supporting the most vulnerable among us and moving toward a greener future for Canadians. By investing in our physical and social infrastructure and by seizing the unprecedented opportunities at hand in clean energy and crit…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague that we must fight the housing crisis. That is why we have a plan to invest historic amounts to build new housing. I would also remind my colleague that, on April 1, the new tax-free savings account became available at financial institutions across Canada. Quebeckers should use this savings account to help them buy their first house. I hope that my colleague …
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Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that the Conservative leader and his caucus have committed to supporting our $2-billion investment to save our health care system. I would like my colleague to elaborate on the Conservatives' recently announced policy on cuts to the CBC/Radio-Canada. My colleague quoted a Radio-Canada reporter in his speech, so I imagine that he has a great deal of respect for…
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Mr. Speaker, quite often in the House we spend our time talking about the problems in our society and how to fix them. During this volunteer week, we should also take the time to recognize all those who work on the ground to improve people's lives. That is precisely the mandate of Mission inclusion, an exceptional organization in my riding of Outremont that is celebrating its 75th anniversary this…
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Mr. Speaker, for nine consecutive months, inflation has been going down in Canada. On Monday, we saw inflation drop significantly. The priority of our Liberal government has been and continues to be the economy and the cost of living. The priority of the Conservatives, especially the leader of the Conservative Party, is to attack the Prime Minister or to join forces with Elon Musk on Twitter to de…
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, I have a great deal of respect for him. Last month, here in the House, he said, “Our party's objective is not to take money away from the CBC”. However, his leader was quite clear about his contempt for our public broadcaster, even going so far as to beg Elon Musk to ridicule CBC/Radio-Canada. Will the member opposite from Quebec, who was a Radio-Canada journali…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise in the House during a debate, particularly when we are discussing the economy and our budget. It is truly an honour to rise in the House to speak more specifically about budget 2023. It is a budget that will help the most vulnerable in our country make ends meet and help put food on the table. It is a budget that will improve tax fairness; strengthen an…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to talk about our support for Ukraine. It was not something I detailed in my speech, but I am happy to talk about it. This government has put over $5 billion forward to support Ukrainians in their fight against Russia. We have been recognized by President Zelenskyy as being among the countries that are leading in support for Ukraine. We have been thanked o…
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Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate my colleague's work to make gains in our fight against climate change. She talks about investing in green, clean energy. That is exactly what we are doing in this budget. In fact, I was surprised to learn that the Bloc Québécois was going to vote against this budget, given that it is a budget that truly responds to Quebeckers' demands to accelerate the country's…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciated the speech by my colleague, particularly the opening when he indicated that he was very open to agreeing with and saluting certain specific measures. He mentioned in his speech that he is very dedicated to curbing crime and violence in this country. Does he agree with our proposal to use existing funds, not new money, to take further action to tackle drug trafficking and…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague talked about a lot of things, including the importance of addressing the violence playing out on our streets, and yet the Conservatives continue to oppose all the gun control measures we are proposing. However, let us talk about our budget. My colleague spent a lot of time talking down the Canadian economy, when we know that it is much more resilient than that of our pe…
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Madam Speaker, I will try for the fourth time to get an answer to my question. We see the Conservatives pivoting. All the Conservatives agree not to touch the $2 billion we will invest in health care. We also put very clear and specific measures in the budget to cut government spending by $15 billion. This includes vendor contracts. It includes cuts to the public service. Since those are the facts…
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Madam Speaker, I always enjoy my colleague's speeches. Today, he spoke to us about the importance of fiscal responsibility. I agree with him that this is a priority. However, I would like to understand one thing. I was under the impression that the Conservative leader had confirmed that he supported our $2-billion investment in the health care system and that the Conservatives would support that i…
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Madam Speaker, I listened very carefully to the speech made by my colleague, for whom I have a lot of respect. I appreciate her insistence on a balanced budget. She undoubtedly knows that Canada still has the lowest debt and the lowest deficit among the G7 countries. I wonder if, as a former Radio-Canada journalist, she would like to see budget cuts to both Radio-Canada and the CBC, or just one of…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question because it is a very important question. We have always been there for workers across Canada. We have promised EI reform and we will deliver. In this budget, we have demonstrated once again that we are there for Canadian workers across the country and we will continue to be.
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Mr. Speaker, it is very interesting to hear my Conservative colleague talk about the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, because the CFIB highlighted just how extraordinary budget 2023 is for small business. It is this Liberal government that has an agreement with the banks and credit card companies to reduce credit card transaction fees for small businesses, resulting in over $1 billion …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague made it very clear that he is going to vote against accelerating the green transition, the grocery rebate and dental care for more Quebeckers, but is he really going to vote against the $50 million that we are going to invest in the Mirabel airport in his riding? That $50 million will make it possible to expand the capacity to export goods, create warehouse and storage fa…
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate my colleague's question. As he knows full well, inflation has continued to decline in Canada over the last eight months. We have the lowest deficit and debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. We were able to manage Canada's finances responsibly over the last few years. We were there for Canadians in those tough times to help them make ends meet.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my Conservative colleague that our programs and support helped businesses get through the pandemic and helped Canadians keep their jobs. The government spent $8 out of every $10 during the pandemic to save our economy and Canadians' health. We are there for Canadians during this difficult period of global instability by making sure Canadians can make ends meet.
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Mr. Speaker, people will have to excuse me for not revealing the details of the budget now. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance will present the budget tomorrow. I am delighted that everyone in the House is so excited about our upcoming budget. In the meantime, I would like to say how hard our government has worked to ensure that we will always be there for Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks, Quebec has been hit by one incomprehensible tragedy after another: the day care tragedy in Laval, the truck attack in Amqui, the carnage in Rosemont, the fire in Old Montreal. Furthermore, just a few days ago, an 18-year-old man was shot and killed while walking down the street in Anjou. So many places and communities in Quebec have witnessed tragic events. I …
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Mr. Speaker, it is the Conservative Party that is getting in our way when it comes to our country's national security. We introduced a bill to improve security across the country. The Conservatives have already made it clear that they want nothing to do with it. There have already been several murders this year, including one in Montreal last night. We need to tighten gun control across the countr…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Inflation slowed in Canada last month. Speaking of Canadians' rent, I cannot for the life of me figure out why the Conservatives voted against a direct benefit we offered Canadians specifically to help them make ends meet. We are here to support Canadians.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague knows very well that inflation is currently affecting every country in the world because of the war in Ukraine, supply chain issues and so on. I volunteer at MultiCaf, a community cafeteria. As a side note, all the government members do volunteer work in their ridings too. We see what is happening on the ground. That is why we have a plan to help Canadians with affordab…
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Mr. Speaker, the price on pollution our government introduced, or if the Conservatives prefer to call it a carbon tax, I am happy to do so, is actually a market-based mechanism. It is a capitalism-based mechanism that all experts agree is the most effective at fighting climate change. Even the Conservative Party temporarily campaigned on a price on pollution. I think we can all agree that this is …
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is right. Canadians are struggling and Canadians do not seem to understand why the Conservative Party does not want to help them. We have put forward measures in order to support Canadians through this difficult time, whether it is the doubling of the GST tax credit, our rental supports or our dental supports for children, which have helped over 200,000 children go…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work of the member opposite. I simply do not understand why it is that when we try to improve the situation of Canadians, Conservatives vote against it. On two different occasions, we reduced taxes for middle-class Canadians and the Conservatives voted against it. On two different occasions, we reduced taxes on small business owners and the Conservatives voted against…
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Mr. Speaker, our government has been there for Canadians during this difficult time of global economic uncertainty. We are rallying Canadians and they are working harder than ever. In fact, 150,000 jobs were created in January alone, and women's participation rates in the economy are at a historic high. Canadians are standing together side by side in order to make it through these times.
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Mr. Speaker, let us talk about responsibility. The Conservatives' economic policy basically consists of giving up the fight against climate change, attacking our seniors' pensions, attacking employment insurance and suggesting that Canadians invest in cryptocurrency. We are a responsible government and we have a responsible plan.
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Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians see that this particular Conservative Party has zero credibility on the economy. Its economic policy can be summed up with this: gutting the Canada pension plan, gutting employment insurance, abandoning our fight against climate change and, of course, investing in cryptocurrency as a way to opt out of inflation. It is entirely irresponsible.
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Madam Speaker, if we are talking about cuts to programs and services that are essential for Canadians, we need only look at the years of the Harper government. The Harper government actually cut health transfers to provinces. It is our government that is attempting to fix the health care system in this country. I was personally both surprised and glad to hear that the leader of the Conservative Pa…
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Madam Speaker, I find it interesting that the Bloc Québécois is talking about consultants. The use of consultants is necessary in order to provide Canadians with services that meet their expectations. I do not understand why the Bloc is criticizing the federal government's use of consultants when the Government of Quebec, the government of Mr. Legault, uses the same consultants to provide services…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to point the member opposite to the taxes that we have introduced on large corporations, including large banks and large insurance companies. We agree that everybody needs to pay their fair share. With respect to her specific question regarding Loblaws and perhaps other grocery store chains, I am very encouraged by the fact that our minister of innovation has demanded t…
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Madam Speaker, the hon. member spent some time discussing the importance of building homes and of the supply side of the housing crisis here in Canada. We, as a government, put forward a national housing strategy that would address that very issue, and the Conservatives voted against it. I would like to understand why it is that the member opposite talks about the importance of building new homes …
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be sharing my time with my colleague, the member for Sherbrooke. I am actually rather delighted to take part in today's debate on the economy. In examining the Conservatives' motion, I suspect that I am not the only person to note the unbridled enthusiasm with which the Canadian economy is being bashed. Indeed, the Conservatives' motion makes it sound like Canada is …
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this debate on Bill C‑241. As my hon. colleagues know, this bill would amend the Income Tax Act to allow tradespeople to deduct travel expenses if their job site is far from their place of residence. Our government is already well aware that the health of the Canadian economy depends on the ability of rapidly growing sectors and businesse…
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Madam Speaker, we reduced taxes for middle-class Canadians on two separate occasions, and both times the Conservatives voted against it. I would like to address the Statistics Canada report of this morning, which indicated that 150,000 new jobs were created in January alone. This is well above market expectations, and we know that the best thing for Canadians struggling to meet the rising cost of …
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives are talking about the middle class. We cut taxes for middle-class Canadians twice. The Conservatives voted against those measures. This morning, we learned that 150,000 new jobs were created in Canada. One-third of those jobs, or nearly 50,000, were created in Quebec. Our priority is to ensure that we have good, well-paying jobs for Canadians, and this morning's fi…
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives are talking about the increase in violence in our streets and the increase in gun violence. However, they are against gun control in Canada. We introduced a bill that seeks to freeze the market for handguns, and the Conservatives are against the idea. If they really want to protect our children and Canadians, they need to get on board so that we can get handguns of…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Pontiac for her hard work and the work she does on the Standing Committee on Finance. It is true that last year we saw a huge increase in international tourists. In fact, tourism spending in Canada reached $20 billion in the third quarter. That is $20 billion in just three months. Those tourists are coming from abroad to buy what we have to offer…
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, of course the notwithstanding clause can be used, but when it is used pre-emptively, that does not allow the courts and legislators to have the dialogue that is necessary in a free and democratic society. My colleague appears to be defending clauses in the Constitution while at the same time challenging its legitimacy. He needs to take a position. Either he …
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure that the comment of my colleague is relevant to the debate of today, but allow me to say that provincial premiers across the country make their own decisions about when to invoke the notwithstanding clause. It certainly is up to us in this chamber to ensure the protection of the rights and freedoms of Canadians. I find it surprising that the Conservative Party does not a…
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Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I am a little surprised to see a Bloc Québécois motion that defends our Canadian Constitution so strenuously. Given my colleague's speech, does the leader of the Bloc Québécois agree with me on the legitimacy of our 1982 Canadian Constitution?
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share my time with my hon. colleague, the member for Lac-Saint-Louis. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a fundamental constitutional document. It protects the rights and freedoms of everyone in Canada, including Quebeckers. This document is one of the cornerstones of our society. Since it was adopted in 1982, it has demonstrated its flexibility and ability…
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Mr. Speaker, I get the sense that the Bloc Québécois members did not like the question I asked their leader. I will continue my speech. Our charter also inspired many other countries around the world, who drafted their own similar constitutions. I am proud that, as a society, we decided to adopt this instrument 40 years ago. Section 33 of the charter, better known as the notwithstanding clause, ma…
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Mr. Speaker, from what I understand, my colleague from Lac-Saint-Louis is telling us that the notwithstanding clause is legal, that we are aware that it can be used, but that the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause is problematic. I would like my colleague to tell us about the comments and concerns he is hearing from his constituents in Lac-Saint-Louis so that we can justify our comments…
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