Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to acknowledge the induction of Jennifer Abel, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Diane Roy, Henri Sassine and the legendary Paul Houde and Michel Bergeron into the Quebec sports hall of fame. I am especially delighted to note the induction of two people from Abitibi—Témiscamingue, weightlifter Christine Girard and cyclist Marc Lemay. Christine Girard, a gold medalli…
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Madam Speaker, it is difficult for me to rise in the House this morning, but I do so with dignity. I think that what we have experienced this morning is one of the finest moments in the House in recent years. I commend my colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière for his courage. As a parent of teenagers, I have to say that what he went through is my worst nightmare. I also commend my colleague'…
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Madam Speaker, I enjoyed the part of my colleague's speech when he talked about the member for Battle River—Crowfoot. He spoke in particular about this member's empathy, which I find rather surprising, since that is not necessarily the first thing that we notice about him in the House. At the same time, my colleague made me realize that the confidence vote in the Conservative leader is a bit of an…
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Mr. Chair, rarely do I get the feeling that my speeches in the House are so clear that they do not prompt any questions. I think that this may mean that what I am saying is resonating. One point that really resonates is the one made by my colleague from Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton. I am thinking in particular of the forestry industry. What does the forestry industry get compared to the tens of bil…
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Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague from Essex for his comments and his concern for the industry. However, my response to him is that we actually do have a choice right now. Do we want to manufacture cars with parts that make dozens of trips back and forth to the United States? It ultimately costs a a lot, with the taxes, surcharges and so on. Would it not be better to develop a product …
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Mr. Chair, I would like to begin by thanking my colleagues who requested this take-note debate and by saying that I warned them. When we had a debate on Stellantis and the big subsidies, I was the industry critic. We had done studies. I also previously urged the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology to take an interest in the development of strategic critical minerals in order to gain a na…
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague from Guelph. I enjoyed learning about her riding this evening. I think she is a good advocate for her riding and for auto industry innovation. She talked about a critical minerals strategy. The problem is that there is no such strategy. If there were, it would be focused on processing. What is happening right now? Right now, we are dependent on China, which controls…
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Mr. Chair, my colleague says that she might like to have an electric car one day. That is a little shocking because the Conservatives' policies in the House over the past two, three or four years smack of the oil lobby. The Conservatives wanted to eliminate just about every possible subsidy that was being given for innovation in the energy transition and for innovation in SMEs to improve the effic…
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Mr. Chair, I, for one, applaud the incentives that were offered. We are doing this for the planet, from an environmental perspective. The break-even point in the pollution emitted by an electric vehicle versus a gas-powered vehicle is 20,000 kilometres. After 20,000 kilometres, an electric vehicle is good for the planet. My electric vehicle has over 200,000 kilometres on it, and I am very proud of…
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Mr. Chair, I would like to congratulate my colleague, who is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. He made a point of mentioning that because he has the audacity to stand up in the House to defend the government's environmental vision for the automotive industry. That is so ironic, because the government signed an agreement to build a new pipeline to produc…
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague from Windsor West for his impassioned speech. We know that the riding of Windsor West includes the Ambassador Bridge and is affected by this situation of exports to the United States. I understand the concern about that and the impact that the economic slowdown and the crisis with the United States is having. If Canada produced only electric cars, but there was stil…
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Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Industry, for his remarks. I particularly appreciated his sensitivity toward workers affected by a conflict that seems to have been created entirely by the government. The government could have resolved this conflict with the United States with a snap of its fingers. Furthermore, for the past 10 years, th…
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Mr. Chair, my colleague has indeed been an advocate for several environmental issues. I am thinking in particular of innovation in the auto sector. I know that the electrification of transportation is one of the values he has been promoting in the House for a long time. That said, what has his government done in recent years? It cut back on innovation. Programs such as Sustainable Development Tech…
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Mr. Chair, in his remarks, my colleague talked about contracts, and that reminds me of the battle that took place at the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology two years ago, specifically regarding the Stellantis, Honda and Volkswagen contracts. The Conservatives were fighting what I thought was an irresponsible battle to release the contracts. We had access to them. Although I thought it w…
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Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned at the beginning of my speech, I oppose Bill C-4 for obvious reasons. Yes, a cheque will be sent out that might amount to $210 for one fiscal year. However, I am a Quebec taxpayer, and scrapping the carbon tax will cost me more because health care costs are skyrocketing. Climate change is generating health care costs of $6 billion a year. That money will come out of the…
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Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed my colleague's speech, and I especially appreciated when he mentioned the forestry plant closures in Quebec. That is what happened with the Arbec mill in Amos, in my riding. I wonder if he could talk about solutions that could have been included in this bill. For example, the Bloc Québécois is proposing that the federal government pay 50% of the countervailing duties …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Yellowhead for his question and for the compassion and rigour he has shown on the two committees on which I serve. I really appreciate this member, especially because he talks about tax fairness in his speeches. When it comes to seniors, I consulted with seniors in a dozen municipalities in Abitibi—Témiscamingue, including indigenous communities. The take-awa…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Laurentides—Labelle for emphasizing something so fundamental. Again, I will use the word cheap to describe the federal government. In Quebec, we have an industry that has been unstable for decades because of the crisis with the Americans. We are not in this situation just because of Donald Trump. This has been going on for decades because the federal governme…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Edmonton Northwest. I particularly appreciative his very sensible contributions to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs and the role he plays as a first nations member in ensuring that the voice of first nations is heard in the House. Bill C‑4 does not put forward anything specific for first nations, yet the needs are enormo…
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Mr. Speaker, if I may, I will be sharing my time with the member for Berthier—Maskinongé. To no one's surprise, the Bloc Québécois will oppose this bill, because it fails to meet Quebeckers' real needs in several respects. Let us begin with the elephant in the room: the tax cut. No one can be against tax cuts, obviously, but it is all a matter of perspective. Currently, the maximum tax reduction f…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Simcoe North for his leadership on this issue, which I think is grounded in one fundamental value: transparency. I would like to hear his comments on the consequences this measure could have in that regard, as well as the costs it could entail, both in terms of human resources and for the government. I would particularly like him to elaborate on the expecte…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, before I begin my speech, I just want to take a moment for some acknowledgements. I am fortunate to be supported by a parliamentary intern, Emily Gough. I thank her for being part of our team and for the conscientious approach she takes to her work, both for committees and for speeches. Many of the words I will read today are hers. As the Bloc Québécois critic for public accounts, I…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my Conservative colleague for her speech, which was clearly based on her convictions and came from the heart. I appreciated it. While the member was giving her speech, another speech was being delivered that we could describe as also coming from the heart: Minister Guilbeault announced his resignation as minister—
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear my colleague's reaction.
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Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his very thoughtful speech. First and foremost, I would like to point out that an error was made in good faith during the debate. I call on all parties to allow us to repeat the second five-minute segment and, in the spirit of debate, to allow my colleague to share his speaking time with me, the member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue. We know that this debate is fun…
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Madam Chair, we all need to be aware of the situation and its impact. Last week, Arbec cut 100 jobs. Abitibi—Témiscamingue has been hit hard over the past year. Hundreds of jobs have been lost. I will ask the question. We all know the metaphor. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Clearly, that sound is not reaching Ottawa, it is not reaching the gov…
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Madam Chair, I want to clarify something. In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 600 people have temporarily lost their jobs in the forestry industry over the past year. Obviously, these people still have hope. That said, the forestry industry is an entire ecosystem. There are forestry contractors who work and invest in machinery, who take out loans ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 for machinery without any g…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on November 16, 1885, Manitoba's founder, Louis Riel, a Red River Métis and a brother to Quebec, was hanged. Unlike English Canadians, Quebeckers have always seen him as a hero who took a stand for the French language and for his people. Like the Patriots of Quebec, he suffered the same fate that Canada reserved for anyone who opposed its power: the gallows. The men and women of Quebe…
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Madam Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not start my speech by wishing a very happy birthday to my dear colleague from Laurentides—Labelle, who is kicking off her 50th year with her usual poise. I am pleased to rise today to speak to this motion, which proposes a new international assistance framework in Canada. The Bloc Québécois supports the spirit of this motion, but, as is often the case in …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Calgary Confederation for his speech. Obviously, we have heard a lot about his concern for the oil and gas industry, and that is reflected in the budget. That is not the problem. The oil industry has virtually unlimited financial resources. The people who need help are in the forestry industry. Since last fall, 600 jobs in Abitibi—Témiscamingue have been af…
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Madam Speaker, we agree that the budget contains massive amounts of money for the deficit and huge amounts for defence. That is a $78‑billion deficit with more than $50 billion invested in defence. Does my colleague think it is responsible to invest in defence by using deficit spending?
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Madam Speaker, I find it interesting to hear my colleague talk about the consequences this budget will have on taxpayers. Is it normal for the federal government to invest public money to purchase a pipeline, as it did with Trans Mountain? Elsewhere in the budget, tens of billions of dollars is being paid out in subsidies. The forestry industry is basically being ignored in this budget, yet tens o…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to point out that my colleague's speech was very thoughtful, covered a number of issues and was rather nuanced. I appreciate that and hold her in high regard. My colleague raised the issue of public safety in rural areas. I am very concerned about that particular issue. I was in Notre‑Dame‑du‑Nord yesterday, a village near Ontario, in Témiscamingue, where thefts are bec…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to the 100 or so workers at Arbec, in Amos, who have been laid off. The company had no choice, because Ottawa ignored the needs that the industry and the Bloc Québécois have been hammering home for weeks. We need a wage subsidy, specifically in order to avoid layoffs like these. For the industry in general, the federal government must offer 50% of the Americans' coun…
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Madam Speaker, we are debating the budget. This morning, I got a letter from Arbec, a forest products processor and plywood manufacturer in Amos, saying that it is shutting down its plant temporarily. This will affect over 100 workers. Arbec is calling for co-operation and asking for support for its workers. There is something very alarming about this announcement, coming as the result of the gove…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for having the nerve to rise in the House to defend the indefensible, and by that I mean this budget. Obviously, I will be voting against it. Why? For one thing, because my constituents gave me a mandate to defend them. Barely seven months have gone by, but if we have to go plant signs in the snow again, we will, because this budget tramples o…
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Madam Speaker, my region of Abitibi—Témiscamingue has been experiencing some stormy weather. Fortunately, I have my winter tires on. It took me an extra hour to get here to Ottawa last night. We should all be ready for a potential election, unless the Conservative Party decides to chicken out, as the saying goes. Can my colleague give us the scoop or some sort of indication of what her party plans…
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Madam Speaker, I would like my colleague to tell us more about the impact that a bill like this one would have on the Oval Office, on Donald Trump. Some things are taking a long time, but we have come under pressure from the Americans to take swift action. Do we feel as though we are taking too long? Should we bend even further to the will of the United States? That is exactly what the Liberals to…
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Mr. Speaker, service at the Canada Revenue Agency is worse than ever. Yesterday, the Auditor General confirmed that, eight years after a damning report by her office, the agency's services to the public have gone further downhill. The situation has not improved. Only 5% of citizens managed to get through to an agent within the 15 minutes specified by the service standards. The Liberals cannot clai…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola for his speech and for his concern and his leadership when it comes to these issues. I should point out that the member for Rivière-du-Nord will be presenting the Bloc Québécois's position on this issue, while acknowledging the member for Shefford's leadership in such matters. Quebec has already implemented several legislative measures…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague from Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon for her speech, which was very relevant given the circumstances. First, the reason why Bill C‑2 was introduced so early on is that it was an urgent matter for the government. Donald Trump forced the government to improvise, and Canadians are under a lot of pressure in the climate of fear and insecurit…
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Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe in this function of independent officers, in those who have a comprehensive view of the work of the House, who rise above partisan politics and who emphasize accountability. To me that is fundamental. In our work, raising these issues also helps us to better understand the reality of what is happening on the ground in our own constituencies. All too often, it is ups…
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Mr. Speaker, that will allow me to make further points. The problem is not that the amounts are not announced in a transparent manner by the government. The problem is the actual application of these funds. Standards are being imposed that do not apply to the reality of first nations and northern communities. This means that, in the current context, billions of dollars announced in budgets that ma…
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Mr. Speaker, our positions can change here in the House. I was indeed inclined to support the speedy passage of this bill because of the clear consensus that has emerged, because first nations have been calling for it and it was co-created, and because the commissioner is independent and there will be ways of implementing it. I find the points that my colleague raised in his speech to be particula…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes. I will learn the name of his riding since we work together fairly often. I like to see him working hard, persevering and getting down to business. That is what we will have to do. As for the question that he raised, I completely agree with him on the principle. Accountability rules are fundamental in our democracy. I am aware that t…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that the government is taking an important step toward reconciliation with first nations today. I would like to begin by paying tribute to the late Jim Aldridge, a distinguished lawyer, tireless advocate for modern treaty rights and friend to the Bloc Québécois. Throughout his career, Mr. Aldridge helped shape our legal and political understanding of modern treaties, particula…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague once again for his thoroughness and for the additional explanations he has provided during this question and comment period. However, it is a bit contradictory to say that the role of commissioner is unnecessary but that he will support the bill anyway. The Liberal government has absolutely nothing in its legislative agenda right now. We do not even …
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Mr. Speaker, I am pretty sure I talked about that in my speech. We know the idea of consultation is fragile. Bill C‑5 showed us how the government can worm its way out of things. How can anyone think that merely sending a letter and giving certain indigenous communities—not all of them, just some of them—five days could possibly make them feel they have been consulted? That is where things can go …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my special thanks to the member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes for his very thorough speech. In this context, I find it particularly interesting that the member refers to the five modern treaties that his government was able to conclude during the Conservative years under Mr. Harper. That is one treaty less than the six social housing units built at the time by t…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for introducing this important bill this morning. I should emphasize that this bill was co-developed, which is real progress. At the end of her speech, the minister reached out to us all when she used the word “together”. Let us allow that to inspire us in our work. There is one issue that is important to me, though. She said in her speech that modern treaties are…
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