Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I think I heard a compliment in there somewhere. I think if all of us listened really hard, we would find it. I will take it.
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Mr. Speaker, a few months after I turned 25, I embarked on my first overseas trip, one that, without my knowing it, would set the course of my entire life. I was heading to Berlin for what was then a little-known gathering: the very first conference of parties on climate change, COP1. History was being made, and I was lucky enough to be in the room. Like many of my peers at the time, I was setting…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the government whip for everything he has done for me personally and professionally in the House. He has been an incredible ally, as have many people on both sides of the House. To answer his question, like I said in French a few moments ago, I would tell this young 25-year-old, wide-eyed Canadian going abroad for the first time to believe in his dreams. If I told him …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my long-time friend, the leader of the Green Party and member of Parliament for Saanich—Gulf Islands, for her remarks. We have indeed known each other for a very long time. We worked together before we entered politics, although her political career began much earlier than mine. We have a lot in common, including our birthday, which is coming up soon, for those w…
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Mr. Speaker, I sincerely thank my colleague and friend from the Bloc Québécois, the member for Repentigny, for his kind words, on his own behalf and, as I understand it, on behalf of his party. The political arena can sometimes be very difficult, but it is also a place where we can accomplish great things. When the United Nations approached us in spring 2022 to ask us to host COP15 in Montreal, a …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. NDP colleague from Courtenay—Alberni for his comments. He has been an incredible ally and friend in the House. He is right that we have worked closely together on a number of issues. I have always appreciated his dedication to environmental issues and to working together to find solutions, something that is not always necessarily easy in this place. For that I …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ron Hallman on his retirement and thank him for his outstanding contribution to Parks Canada. Ron has been leading this iconic institution with vision and rigour since 2019, and he has worked hard to protect and promote our natural and cultural heritage. He has held a number of important positions throughout his career in the public service, and he has alw…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to speak this evening to my colleague's Motion No. 15. Before going any further, I want to address the many inaccuracies and falsehoods uttered by the member for Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies. In fact, I do not believe that a single thing he said in his speech would stand up to fact-checking, but I will come back to that. I want to start by talking about…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, it is clear how the Bloc Québécois operates. They are calling them pseudo-consultations. I wonder how many consultations my colleague has taken part in with the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement or the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada for him to say that these are pseudo-consultations. That is what they are calling them. People can attend the consultations…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier in my speech, consultations began on January 15 and will continue until early March. There are various ways to take part in the consultations. The members on this side of the House, who represent the government, are committed. We have already started discussions with municipal stakeholders, people in the agricultural sector and Canadians to both talk about the import…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois would have us believe that everything it has said about the high-speed train project is included in today's motion. That, however, is far from the case. Social media is full of public comments by various Bloc Québécois representatives talking about high-speed rail in apocalyptic terms. Today's debate is limited to this Bloc Québécois motion, but the Bloc Québécois's…
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Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to this important issue. I think that we are basically dealing with two things here: what has happened in the past and what we want to do for the future. There are four related issues I would like to address. I will start with the issue of public consultations. Let us look at what happened in the past versus what is happening now. For the pas…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) and subsection 85(1) of the Official Languages Act, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the draft regulations on administrative monetary penalties for official languages. Also, pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), the proposed regulations should be immediately referred to the Standing Committee on Official Languages.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois leader's question might be more relevant if he had not authorized drilling on Anticosti Island, right in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, and if he had not allowed the reversal of pipeline 9B, which means that 50% of Alberta's oil is now being consumed in Quebec thanks to the leader of the Bloc Québécois. We applaud him for that. What is more, his speech might …
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Mr. Speaker, the budget presented by my colleague, the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, includes tax credits for local journalism. They voted against it. There is money for a local journalism initiative. The Bloc Québécois voted against it. There is $150 million for our public broadcaster. The Bloc Québécois voted against it. It is the largest producer of culture in Quebec. The Bloc Québé…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my Bloc Québécois colleague, but the Bloc is acting like a pyromaniac firefighter on this issue. First, it is sounding the fire alarm and then it is adding fuel to the fire. The Bloc Québécois voted against a budget that would invest $38 million in local media and $150 million in CBC/Radio-Canada. That would help our media outlets across the country and hel…
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Mr. Speaker, the REM represents a milestone for sustainable transportation in Montreal and for Quebec as a whole. The opening of the Deux-Montagnes line will change the way more than 170,000 people, including families, workers and students, get around every day. The REM will generate major economic spinoffs, including the creation of 1,000 permanent jobs over time. It will also help reduce greenho…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct the leader of the Bloc Québécois. We did not announce $500 million in the budget for arts and culture across the country. We announced $770 million, the largest investment in Canadian history. That includes $38 million for local media, and the Bloc Québécois voted against that. It includes $6 million a year for the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Bloc Québ…
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Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the leader of the Bloc Québécois to read CBC/Radio-Canada's annual report and the strategic plan that was recently released, which states quite clearly that CBC/Radio-Canada will invest in opening local news stations across the country, including in Quebec. It is $150 million, and it is our first investment in CBC/Radio-Canada. Bloc members voted against the largest …
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Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois was once the president of ADISQ. This budget provides $41 million for the music sector over the next three years, yet the Bloc Québécois voted against it. It provides $38 million a year for local media, and the Bloc Québécois voted against it. Quebecor is receiving millions of dollars under this budget, and the Bloc Québécois voted against it. The Bloc…
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Mr. Speaker, our thoughts are certainly with the families and communities affected by these job losses. However, my Bloc Québécois colleague's question might have been more relevant if the Bloc Québécois had not voted against the most important budget in the history of the country, which includes funding for local journalism. The member opposite is rising in the House to say that what is happening…
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Mr. Speaker, in the budget that the Bloc Québécois voted against, there is $150 million for CBC/Radio-Canada, Quebec's largest cultural producer. The Bloc voted against that. There is $26 million for the National Film Board of Canada, which is located in Montreal, and the Bloc voted against that. There is $127 million for the Canada Media Fund and $48 million for the Canada Music Fund. The Bloc vo…
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Mr. Speaker, in the face of global uncertainty, it is vital that we protect our identity and our cultural sovereignty. That is why budget 2025 invests historic amounts in culture, identity and media, including $38 million for local media across the country. The government made a strategic choice to strengthen our cultural and media sectors by investing $150 million in CBC/Radio-Canada. This sector…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that the Conservative member across the way is a bit confused. If he wants to be less confused, all he has to do is ask his colleague seated next to him the question. She was a member for the Quebec Liberal Party and she voted in favour of the carbon pricing system in Quebec. Quebec's carbon pricing system is not the federal system. All the member has to do is ask his colleagu…
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers voted for 44 Quebec MPs to sit on this side of the House. People may recall who the president of ADISQ was in 2003. It was the leader of the Bloc Québécois. Does anyone know what ADISQ said about our budget? It welcomed the government's budget. This is the most significant investment in culture in the history of Canada. The leader of the Bloc Québécois is going to tell all …
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Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I am a bit surprised by the Conservative member's question because, when she was an MNA for the Liberal Party of Quebec, she voted in favour of carbon pricing. She should be in a very good position to know that federal industrial carbon pricing does not apply in Quebec, since she voted for a program that is uniquely Quebec-based. There is a a great deal of hypocrisy …
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Mr. Speaker, tomorrow's budget will include major investments in infrastructure and technology that will create jobs across the country, including all across Quebec. The question is what the Bloc Québécois wants to do. Does the Bloc want to help the people of Quebec? Is the Bloc willing to work with us in these hard times, or will the Bloc choose to force us into an election? That is the question …
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to correct what my hon. colleague just said. More than 28,000 people participated in the pre-budget consultations. We have had many conversations with the opposition parties, including the Bloc Québécois. I had some of those conversations myself. Several of my colleagues, including the Minister of Finance, have had them as well. We have worked with all parties …
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Mr. Speaker, we are facing very significant global challenges. On this side of the House, we believe, as most Quebeckers do, that we are stronger if we face these challenges together, rather than apart. If the Bloc Québécois wants to continue to focus on division, it is free to do that. On this side, we will continue to focus on unity and on the fact that we are stronger together than apart.
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Mr. Speaker, it is rather interesting to hear the Bloc member talk about all peoples when the Quebec government just tabled a draft constitution without even consulting Quebec's indigenous peoples. Quebec did not even have the decency to sit down with the first nations and ask if they could talk before tabling a draft constitution. That is not how collaboration works. On this side of the House, we…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. Just last Friday, my colleague from Les Pays-d'en-Haut and I visited the Crête Group plant in the Laurentians to discuss federal assistance. The Business Development Bank of Canada is providing $700 million, and another $500 million is available for business modernization. Softwood lumber is a key sector all across Canada. We will be there t…
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Mr. Speaker, in fact, between 2015 and 2024, the government doubled the funding for the arts and culture sector in this country. It has doubled the funding for the Canada Council for the Arts. We will continue to be there for our artists and for our cultural sector.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers and Canadians went to the polls a few months ago, and the people of Quebec elected twice as many Liberals as Bloc Québécois members. I knocked on hundreds of doors and spoke with hundreds of people on the phone, and no one asked me for a referendum. People said that they want life to be more affordable, that they want a budget to build Canada, and that is exactly what we ar…
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Mr. Speaker, last summer, the Canada Strong Pass allowed families to discover our incredible country while making it affordable to do so. It was a huge success. Over 200,000 children received free admission to the national museums, which saw a 15% increase in visitors. Provincial museums saw a 26% increase in young visitors. Some Parks Canada sites saw a 20% increase in use. In addition, Canadian …
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moved that Bill C-13, An Act to implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
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Mr. Speaker, when a member opposite asks a question like that, I have to wonder whether they have even read the Food Banks Canada report. Let me quote four of the recommendations I have here from that same report. What does the report propose to help with affordability? It proposes "finalizing the Canada Disability Benefit [or CDB]". The Conservative Party and the member voted against that. The re…
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Mr. Speaker, just last Friday, I was with my colleague from Les Pays-d'en-Haut to meet with representatives from one of these companies to discuss the measures that the federal government has put in place: $700 million in liquidity supports through the Business Development Bank of Canada and $500 million to modernize these businesses. We are supporting the sector. We will be there for the softwood…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my honourable and kind colleague. No one on this side of the House is slapping anyone around. The Prime Minister, the House leader and the Minister of Finance all met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois. I also met with him to hear about what the Bloc Québécois wants to see in the budget. There are measures on housing and affordability in the budget. The Bloc Québ…
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Mr. Speaker, I think I am going to ask you to help me because I am having a very hard time understanding the Bloc Québécois's position. A meeting was held between the leader of the Bloc Québécois, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and me. The Bloc Québécois presented us with a series of demands and then said that it would not vote in …
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Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois seems to change his mind as often as he changes his shirt. After the election, he told us that he was prepared to work with the government and that he wanted to give us time so that we could help Canadians and Quebeckers. Now what is he saying before he has even read the budget? He is telling us that he will not vote in favour of it. I would like to kn…
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois to talk about the budget. The Minister of Finance and National Revenue met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois to talk about the budget. The Prime Minister met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois to talk about the budget. I myself met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois to talk about t…
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Mr. Speaker, I have said it before and I will say it again: Hate speech has no place in Canada. The Minister of Justice has offered to work with the Bloc Québécois on reforms that are before the House as part of Bill C-9. We are prepared to work with the Bloc Québécois to improve the situation and ensure that hate speech has no place in this country.
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-9 is currently before the Standing Committee on Justice. The Bloc Québécois is free to make proposals regarding this bill and we invite its members to do so. We will hear from experts on this issue and we are ready to work with the Bloc Québécois and all parties in the House to ensure, once again, that hate speech has no place in our country.
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Mr. Speaker, I think those of us on this side of the House share the Bloc Québécois leader's concern. Hate speech has no place in Canada. That is why the Minister of Justice introduced amendments in Bill C‑9 specifically to address hate. In the last Parliament, we introduced a bill on online hate. We will keep working to ensure that hate speech has no place in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague opposite, he knows full well that our government did more for official languages than any other government in the history of this country with the reform of the Official Languages Act. We have invested $2 billion in official languages. For the first time in the country's history, we are set to meet our targets for francophone immigration outside Qu…
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, hate speech has no place in Canada. The federal government has a number of tools at its disposal to fight hate speech. We will do everything we can to work and ensure that Canadians are not subjected to such speech.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague pointed out, a lecture was indeed cancelled on the grounds that it constituted hate speech. We have a number of tools at our disposal. In the last Parliament, we introduced a bill to tackle hate speech, particularly online. I will be working on this file as heritage minister. We will keep working to tackle hate speech in all its forms across the country.
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Mr. Speaker, in addition to the bill on online hate speech that we introduced during the last Parliament, Bill C-9, which is currently being studied in the House and will be debated in the coming weeks, contains a provision that specifically addresses the issue of hate speech. The federal government is very proactive on this issue and will continue to be.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a little news flash for my colleague across the aisle. We are the government that has done the most for official languages in Canada. We modernized the Official Languages Act and, as part of the process, made a historic $4-billion investment in our official languages across the country. For the first time in the country's history, we met our target of 4% for francophone immigra…
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Mr. Speaker, I strongly disagree with what my Bloc Québécois colleague just stated. Our intervention before the Supreme Court is intended to defend Canadians' rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. No part of our intervention before the Supreme Court of Canada will prevent the provinces from continuing to use the notwithstanding clause if they so desire. However, when using the no…
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