Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to share my thoughts on Bill C-19. Like many members in the House, we have carefully examined the many clauses included in this piece of legislation, which implements many of the changes announced by the government in its budget. The devil is in the details, and I would like to thank my Bloc Québécois colleagues for their vigilance, because the amendments were im…
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Madam Speaker, let me begin by complimenting my colleague from Kings—Hants on his French. I would also like to tell him that he is as solid as his play on the field. He is dedicated to his team and I can attest to his determination. I would like to commend my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean, too. When he uses his head, he really gets results. My question is about agriculture, which my colleague spok…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Winnipeg North. I will answer his question the same way I answered his colleague's. I believe we need to review the taxation of big banks in Quebec. We need to ensure that we stop investing in the oil and gas sector. The consequences are huge. Why not review equalization and make it greener? The pollution we generate in the system needs to be offset by higher…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not want to give my colleague a lesson on economics, but, considering the net profit the banks are making right now, I think we can agree that they are benefiting greatly from inflation. The increase in interest rates may provide some relief, but we are a long way from any solutions. My money is invested through Mouvement Desjardins, a co-operative, because I believe that is the …
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to apologize for my hair. It is raining outside. If members want to see a member of Parliament who is willing to get wet to speak up for their constituents, that is what I am offering. I feel privileged to speak to the opposition motion, which gives us yet another opportunity to debate solutions to help our constituents go about their daily lives despite rising co…
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Mr. Speaker, I think the short answer to that question is no. However, since it is not like me to provide a simple answer to a simple question, I am going to take the time to point out that there are innovative solutions. I myself came to work today in an electric car. I can say that I am not affected by the higher gas prices right now. Sure, I am making some sacrifices: I had to stop a little mor…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to participate in this debate on Bill C-240. This bill will affect an important industry in Quebec, specifically non-profit organizations, or NPOs, and charities that we have all worked with as citizens and in our work as members. We are all well aware of the important contribution they make to our communities. I commend the enormous amount of work that these orga…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties, and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House call Hockey Canada before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to shed light on its involvement in a case of alleged sexual assaults committed in 2018.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-235. This is an interesting bill. The bill presented by my colleague from Winnipeg South Centre basically tells his government to better organize its actions in the prairie provinces. I salute his courage. He knows that his government does not have an action plan to effectively combat the effects of climate change. He also knows that fin…
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Liberals' management of the borders, I think we can agree that they dragged their feet a lot. They dragged their feet when it came time to close the border, and they are still dragging their feet on implementing an effective reopening plan. I would like to hear what the parliamentary secretary has to say about the government's border management, because the Audito…
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Madam Speaker, I have been listening with interest to today's debate and have been wondering something. I think it is obvious that the Liberals have failed repeatedly in terms of managing the borders and in the measures they wanted to implement over the past year, but I would like to know what the Conservatives would have done had they been in power. What kind of situation would we be in now? We a…
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Madam Speaker, I have been listening closely to today's debate—
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Mr. Speaker, transparency is important to me. I am not sure about the strategy the government chose to go with. As I mentioned earlier, the government is choosing to take small steps. Why was there no thoughtful deliberation? Why did it not take the time to reflect on the future of the media industry in the next 10, 15 or 20 years? Social media platforms have been around for 10, 15 or 20 years and…
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to acknowledge the addition of a new member to my team, Jean‑François Vachon, a journalist by training. He is very well known in Abitibi—Témiscamingue, especially for his work at the newspaper Le Citoyen and with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He certainly adds value to my team. This will somewhat influence my speech, which will be interesting as it is about content in regional m…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see more members in the House and I will continue my speech. In such vast territories, it is hard to cover local news properly. Imagine how much time it takes journalists to travel around, especially when they are alone. The reality is that local media are not covering all of the news anymore. The media can no longer rely on ad sales, which are plummeting. The share of…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. Frankly, local and regional media are the key to democracy's survival. We know that, in this era of misinformation, it is essential to be able to count on them. In my work as a member of Parliament, I have the daily responsibility to respond as quickly as possible to these people, whom I wish to acknowledge here today. We still have…
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Mr. Speaker, that is the key right there. Journalists are democracy watchdogs. A lot of elected representatives do not like interacting with journalists. They are afraid of them. I think the primary responsibility of elected representatives is to be accountable and to inform the people. We are lucky that accountability requirements exist. There are other scandals too, such as the sponsorship scand…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands, who is quite right. That is why I started my speech by speaking about the reality of hate speech and its consequences for people's dignity. I am thinking in particular of teenagers, who have to deal with important issues. It is also why I am saying that this bill does not go far enough, that it is incomplete. We hope that something very …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, with whom I have the chance to share several media outlets. She fully understands the urgency to act when it comes to funding regional media. Here are some examples of amendments that could be made to ensure a long‑term vision. First, we must ensure that Canadian broadcasters are not prevented from accessing and broadcasting …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, nearly a hundred people in the riding of Abitibi—Témiscamingue have contacted me because they paid into EI their whole lives but are not getting a cent. Why? It is because they are the victims of fraud. Thousands of Quebeckers are in this situation. The cost of living is skyrocketing. Service Canada has been withholding income from honest people, since November in some cases. We nee…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, when I see what is happening this morning, I feel that today's debate in the House should be about ethics. A debate about WE Charity is clearly a debate about ethics. Government Motion No. 11 also has me wondering about ethics. I wonder how the NDP-Liberal coalition works, what is really going on behind the scenes and what we here in Parliament are not aware of. I wonder about the imp…
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Madam Speaker, my question for the Minister of Finance is a simple one. It is now the end of April. Bill C‑8 was introduced in December. Is it essentially the sum total of all the government's foot-dragging since that totally pointless election? It took some time to get back to work, appoint ministers and open Parliament. This is a budget statement from last fall. The budget has since been tabled,…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always difficult to rise after a speech as eloquent as that of my colleague from Mirabel. Today we are seized with a motion about what the Conservatives would like to see in the next budget, including budgetary balance or, at the very least, an agreement on the path and deadline for reaching it. People will not be surprised to learn that there are several ways to achieve this. I…
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Mr. Speaker, the key word in my colleague from Winnipeg North's remarks was “system”. That is the problem right there. It is frustrating to be an MP in the regions because the system does not provide services in the regions. According to a survey carried out across Quebec and Canada, the Université du Québec en Abitibi—Témiscamingue ranks among the top five universities with regard to living condi…
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Mr. Speaker, it is all part of an economic philosophy. We keep hearing about two options: budget cuts or spending increases. There is a third option, one that I have put forward before, and that is coming up with ways to increase productivity to bring in more money. It is a philosophical issue. I am a firm believer in state intervention, which can increase budgets and really make the energy transi…
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Mr. Speaker, all social progress must be paid for, of course, but the measures implemented need to be financially viable. I liked the question from one of my colleagues, who suggested going after tax havens to find the money. Obviously, there is work to be done in that area. In my view, it is important to create winning conditions for our SMEs. After two years of COVID-19, we really need to help o…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois reserves the right to intervene on this question of privilege at a later date.
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Madam Speaker, I find it odd to hear my colleague from Winnipeg North say that seniors are important. The Liberals did promise an increase, but it only amounts to $50 to $60 a week. We know that seniors have greater needs than that. We only have to think of the cost of groceries and the impact of the increase in the price of gas and housing. Everything has gone up. The Bloc Québécois is urging the…
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Madam Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague from Calgary Centre, this motion has me thinking. Are we not quietly forgetting to reach out directly to the oil companies and ask them how they might also contribute to further funding the treasury and to balancing Canada's budget? Is there no way to get more money from them instead of giving them a free pass?
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Madam Speaker, it is a real pleasure to hear about rural life in the House and, more importantly, to hear about it in a good way. I agree that talking about rural life can be awkward at times. There is a sense that Canada is built around the needs of Toronto and its suburbs, which is very frustrating. For example, back home, the Témiscamingue RCM has had to stand up to Canada Post because Fabre an…
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Mr. Speaker, unlike my colleague from Jonquière, I am proud to say that I come from a united region, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, and I am equally proud to be from both Témiscamingue and Abitibi. In fact, there are some great debates about where one region begins and the other one ends. I am extremely proud of this. We had a lot of snow this winter, but fortunately the snowbanks are beginning to melt, a…
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Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, the answer is simple. The answer is no. Normally, it takes me six hours to drive to Ottawa. Driving an electric car required me to form new habits. Before I can get to where I am going, I have to remember to plug in my car. While waiting, I can buy a sandwich at the corner store to fuel myself up. Then I can drive off with enough energy to last me a while. After that, i…
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Mr. Speaker, Ukraine certainly is a sensitive issue now. It is likely that one of the reasons for the Russian government's invasion was not to gain access to oil, but to take control of Ukraine's critical and strategic mineral deposits. The energy transition is going on worldwide. We need critical and strategic minerals to build tomorrow's electric vehicles. As we know, China controls a huge part …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from the Green Party for his question and remarks. Unfortunately, we have given oil companies much more than that. That is part of the problem. What we can do is accelerate the transition. Let us take that money and invest it in every region of Canada to develop innovation. We must look to innovation and rely on the bright people at our colleges and …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, as the Beijing Paralympic Games begin today, I would like to draw the attention of Canada's Minister of Sport to a certain issue. The Canadian Olympic Committee Athlete Excellence Fund offers performance-related awards to Olympic medalists: $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. However, these awards are not offered to Paralympic athletes. How can it be that, in …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the community of Barraute is in mourning for its mayor, Yvan Roy, who passed away recently surrounded by his loved ones at the Montreal Heart Institute. Mr. Roy was elected as mayor of Barraute for the first time in 2017, after working as a member of the municipal council for about 10 years. He was re-elected last November and had just started his second term in office. He was the fou…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I would like to join the debate on the legitimacy of invoking the Emergencies Act. This is a very important and urgent subject. I know the members are eager to hear my point of view. I thank them for being here. I salute the police forces for their work, their professionalism and their actions yesterday. I would like to thank the people of Abitibi—Témiscamingue for being so resilient,…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her comments. No, I was not there in 1970. I was not born yet. Nevertheless, what stays with me is the trauma that hundreds of Quebeckers endured and are now reliving with this situation. All governments have a responsibility, and this government did not take that responsibility. To me, it sounds like there is propaganda coming out of this government. It is us…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague. I cannot explain what happened. We are in a democracy. We are supposed to be in a democracy. I doubt it, at the moment. I have a hard time realizing that I am in the House, but I feel so privileged to be here and to have a voice. There are people outside who wanted to reach out, who wanted to have a dialogue. They were never given the chance to speak. I am not a …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Windsor West, who is probably one of the people I respect the most in the House. I would simply say that there are many victims we never hear about, including those with mental health issues. The pandemic has probably claimed more victims among people who were ignored, who gave up their freedom, who were locked in rooms, who gave up their health and their liv…
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Mr. Speaker, I sincerely thank my hon. colleague from Simcoe North for his remarks. We may have just heard the most constructive and balanced speech we will hear in this debate. I find this very comforting, and it gives me confidence for the future. I offer my sincere congratulations to my hon. colleague. I would like to hear more from my colleague. Basically, this is about our democracy and the m…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Egmont for his speech, which I would describe as quite constructive. His speech was much more constructive than those of many of his colleagues, who seem to want to spread propaganda. I can also say that one other member has been constructive, and that is the member for Hull—Aylmer. I encourage all Liberal government members to adopt that same attitude. I would …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his remarks and the ideas he shared with Parliament. At this point in the debate, I am thinking about potential crisis exit strategies that might work. Sending the army and the police, including mounted police, into crowds of protesters is not going to calm people down. Eventually, we have to figure out how to end this crisis. Parliament will have to make co…
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Madam Speaker, something rather ironic is happening in the House right now: An NDP member is sitting on a Liberal back bench. I hope that he is at least negotiating a seat closer to the front. Having said that, I hear members on the government side talking about a Maru poll that says all kinds of nonsense. According to this poll, 72% of Quebeckers have a favourable opinion of the Emergencies Act. …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from La Prairie spoke about trilogies, but I for one am interested in the fourth instalment, something like Police Academy. The member also used the term “atomic bomb”. I think the use of this new Emergencies Act is historic. I have never seen anything like it. The act is unique, and there is nothing more powerful. The situation needs to be absolutely critical. The situat…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech and the references she made to democracy. Today, my democracy is suffering. I am concerned about my democracy. It seems to me that the Emergencies Act or the War Measures Act is the final weapon in a democracy. This week, we heard protesters say that they would keep going and would not stand down. That is usually a left-wing slogan, but now we are…
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Mr. Speaker, while my colleague was speaking, we got a notification about a perimeter being erected around Ottawa's downtown just a few metres from here. Apparently the police are preparing to intervene. Things are getting more and more serious now. All of this could have been avoided. Here is my question for my colleague. What happens next? Is there any way to avoid chaos, physical confrontation …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Fundy Royal for his speech and for rising to oppose the Emergencies Act. I am doing so as well. I remember that, in question period either last week or the week before, because this situation has been going on for three weeks, the government was asked why it was not taking action, why it was not moving, why it was not doing anything about the protesters. Th…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands for her speech. I know she is a great democrat, perhaps one of the best in this House. She gave a detailed, nuanced and constructive analysis. We have not heard a lot of constructive comments or a focus on dialogue from the government these days. My democracy is suffering too, under the circumstances. I am very concerned about the fact …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for sharing that he is finding this difficult, that he is troubled about it and that it is not easy for him to approve this measure. I appreciate his honesty. However, he also said that he was not giving the Liberals and the government a blank cheque by supporting this measure, which I do not understand. How is the NDP's support not a blank cheque? What kind of …
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