Parliamentary Speeches

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his commitment to our official languages. Our government has already announced over $732 million to support French-language education across the country, from preschool to post-secondary education: over $13 million in Yukon, $15 million in the Northwest Territories, $43 million in Saskatchewan, $523 million in Ontario and $133 million in New Brunswick. More announcements are coming. Bilingualism is central to our Canadian identity. It is a great source of pride for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that, of all the countries in the world, Canada has the best agreement with the United States and the lowest tariffs: 85% of our economy is exempt from the U.S. tariffs. I think that all the Canadians watching us know that the situation with the United States is complicated right now, but despite that, our country is faring the best. Every month since the beginning of the year, Canadians' incomes have outpaced the cost of living. The Prime Minister is the best person in the world to help us face these challenges.

Madam Speaker, the Governor General plays a very important role in our democracy, and she is making an effort to learn a third language. She is already bilingual. I think we should be encouraging her, not discouraging her. I admire her efforts to improve her French, and I would point out that her French is improving. What the member opposite said is not true. I have spoken with her, and have done so in French. Her French is not perfect, but she is working on it. She should be commended for that.

Madam Speaker, I think that we have a good example why the Bloc Québécois will never be in power. Canada Post's accumulated deficit over the past few years is $4 billion. Seventy-one million dollars out of $4 billion does not make much of a difference. It is important in our democracy to have our Governor General as head of state. This has been part of our democracy since the very beginning. We will continue to support our democracy. It would be nice if the Bloc Québécois got on board.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned exaggeration. Considering the speech she just gave, that is a bit rich. She is well aware that the answer to her question is in her question. Obviously, the courts cannot change the Constitution. The point of our intervention is not to enable the courts to change the Constitution. As she said yesterday, the only entity that can change the Constitution is Parliament. The point of our intervention is not to change the Constitution, but to protect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Mr. Speaker, I am very sorry, but what my colleague is saying is simply not true. Our intervention before the Supreme Court is aimed at defending the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We are the party of the charter. We have always defended it, and we will always continue to defend it. Just last week, one province announced that it would be using the notwithstanding clause in three bills at the same time. That is three bills in one province. When provinces and territories decide to invoke the notwithstanding clause, we want the courts to be able to tell the citizens of those provinces that their rights are being violated. That is what we are asking the Supreme Court to do.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that, in the last election, Quebeckers voted in twice as many Liberals as Bloc Québécois representatives. I repeat, twice as many. Why did they do that? It is because they know that we will be there to defend their rights, but they also know that we are capable of working with the provinces and territories. Just last week, I was with two Quebec government representatives to announce a 20,000-unit project, including 10,000 non-market housing units. We are capable of working with the provinces and territories while defending the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague, what she is saying is misinformed. The federal government's intervention before the Supreme Court will not prevent the provinces or territories from continuing to use section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Canadian Constitution and to use the notwithstanding clause if they want. The Minister of Justice, who is seated next to me, would very certainly be pleased to explain to her the process we are proposing. We will always stand up for Canadians' rights and freedoms. We are the party of the Charter and we always will be.

Mr. Speaker, I am a very proud Quebecker. There are a lot of very proud Quebeckers on our side of the House. We have been defending the Quebec model for years if not decades. What the member opposite is saying is simply not true. We are the first federal government to have acknowledged the decline of French and to have invested $4 billion in official languages. For the first time in history, we achieved the target of 4% francophone immigration outside Quebec. We are heading toward 7%, and after that, 8% and 12%. Our party is going to keep defending French. That is what we are doing, together.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is responsible for defending one of the pillars of our democracy, that is, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. All across Canada, the government must stand up for the rights of all Canadians. It is our job to defend this charter and to ensure that everyone in this country is protected. We are doing our job. The matter is before the Supreme Court and we will be following it closely.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that the federal government's intervention in the Supreme Court case will not prevent any province or territory from continuing to use the notwithstanding clause. That is very clear, and she knows it. If there are any problems, I would be happy to ask the Department of Justice to offer a briefing, but the purpose of our intervention is to protect Canadians' rights.

Mr. Speaker, what we need to do to address the housing crisis is co-operate with municipalities, provinces and people on the ground. That is the opposite of what the Conservative Party is proposing. The Leader of the Opposition has repeatedly criticized the mayors of cities like Quebec City, Montreal and others across the country. Yesterday, my friend and colleague, the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, and I announced 20,000 homes, 10,000 of which will be non-market, in other words, social and community housing. That is how we are going to address this crisis. It is not by insulting our partners on the ground.

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the members opposite are saying, it is important to know what we are talking about. I am a founding member of a housing co-op. I know very well that in order to get these projects off the ground, we need to work together, not against each other, because that does not work. The Conservative approach, which is to cut, cut, cut, does not work. That is not the right way to build homes. Furthermore, expecting the private sector to step up and build affordable, social housing is certainly not how we will get this done. That is why the federal government is working in partnership with provinces, municipalities and community groups to help all Canadians have access to housing.

Mr. Speaker, this morning, I was with my colleague and friend, the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, our colleagues from the Quebec government, and the mayor of Montreal. At that time, I had the pleasure of announcing a project to build 20,000 housing units. That 20,000 units includes 6,000 affordable off-market units—social housing to help families and young Montrealers. We are going to be doing this across the country.

Mr. Speaker, to build more housing, we need to work together. We need to work with municipalities. We need to work with stakeholders on the ground. We need to work with the provinces. Unlike the Conservatives, who think we need to insult people, we believe we should work together. That is what we did this morning, when the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and I made a historic announcement to build 20,000 homes. That is 20,000 homes in a single announcement, and that is just the beginning. We are going to do this across the country. From coast to coast to coast, we are going to build more homes with our partners.

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), operations team meetings allow open discussion and are primarily used for sharing information and updates related to a variety of regional and national issues. Formal agency decisions are taken through a governance process whereby documents are maintained in compliance to the Government of Canada records management standards. With regard to (b), I was not, and am not routinely, updated or engaged on the note-taking practices at internal Parks Canada meetings. With regard to (c), neither I, nor anyone from my office, provided any input into the note-taking practices at internal Parks Canada meetings. With regard to (d), as per Government of Canada information management best practices, all decisions and actions of business value are kept and maintained in official records.

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the purchase order was for a one-time, non-recurring recruitment service to secure the recruitment of a specialized external candidate. With regard to (b), the purchase order was issued on October 5, 2016. With regard to (c), CBC's hiring manager responsible for filling the posting authorized the purchase order following the hiring of the successful candidate. With regard to (d), GC Strategies Inc. identified and provided a candidate who was ultimately successful. The agency earned a corresponding placement fee. With regard to (e), GC Strategies Inc. approached CBC's hiring manager following the public posting of the job opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), some portions of the Parks Canada-administered lands along the Rideau Canal in Smiths Falls have been subject to archaeological assessment. More detail about specific properties and types of agreements is required to provide a full response. A manual search of non-digitized records would also be required. Parks Canada has determined that producing and validating a comprehensive response is not feasible within the allotted time frame and could result in the disclosure of incomplete and misleading information. Assessments that have been conducted can be shared with the municipality. With regard to (b), any activities that include soil disturbance trigger an archaeological assessment. With regard to (c), the scope of the assessment is determined by the archaeologist conducting the assessment, based on the scope and potential impacts of the proposed project. With regard to (d), the municipality, as the proponent of the project, is responsible for the funding, as well as for engaging a professional archaeologist to conduct this work. All archaeological work on Parks Canada land requires a Parks Canada research and collection permit and is reviewed by Parks Canada’s archaeology team. With regard to (e), the review timelines and implications vary depending on the scope of the project and the nature and extent of the archaeological resources. With regard to (f), Parks Canada’s standard on realty agreements outside of national park boundaries, which includes requirements set out in the Treasury Board “Directive on the Management of Real Property” and the “Rideau Canal and Merrickville Blockhouse National Historic Sites of Canada Management Plan, 2022”, govern the use, enhancement or activation of Parks Canada lands under lease to municipalities. With regard to (g), the national parks of Canada land use planning regulations provide a general framework for consideration of the authorization of any improvements in Parks Canada-protected spaces. Improvements of any type on Parks Canada lands under lease to municipalities may be considered on a case-by-case basis but can only be undertaken in accordance with an authorization or permit issued by the appropriate authorized superintendent responsible for the protected space in question. As per the national parks of Canada land use planning regulations, the director of Ontario waterways holds the delegated authority to permit or decline development applications on Parks Canada lands adjacent to the Rideau Canal within the Smiths Falls municipal boundary and exercises that authority in consultation with the appropriate internal and external subject matter experts.

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a)(i) and (a)(ii), the total number of grants and contributions provided by Heritage Canada during the 2024-25 fiscal year was 28,129 and the total value was $1,859,294,977. With regard to (b), the departmental financial system does not track transfer payment information by federal riding and/or census metropolitan area. With regard to (c), two payments were made to entities outside of Canada for a total value of $8,034,896. With regard to (d), one payment was in France, for TV5 Monde, in the amount of $7,945,511, and one was in Germany, for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, in the amount of $89,385.

Mr. Speaker, Canadian Heritage was responsible for the research and policy work underlying the development of Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, including its passage through the parliamentary process. However, the Department of Canadian Heritage is not responsible for the implementation of the framework once the parliamentary process is complete. The implementation of the framework is the responsibility of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the CRTC. With regard to (a), the Online Streaming Act amended the Broadcasting Act. As of March 2025, the CRTC’s total expenditures to implement these amendments have been approximately $15.2 million ($11.9 million in salaries and $3.3 million in operational and maintenance costs), of which $9 million was spent in fiscal year 2024-25. With regard to (b), employees or full-time equivalents are not assigned to work specifically on items related to measures contained in the Online Streaming Act, as they are interconnected with other provisions in the Broadcasting Act. All the measures contained in the two bills are applied jointly and concurrently. With regard to (c), the CRTC has hired 59 full-time equivalents to implement and maintain measures contained in the Online Streaming Act. These employees also work on maintaining the measures contained in the Broadcasting Act. With regard to (d), the CRTC projects that the cost to maintain the systems and items mandated by the Online Streaming Act will be approximately $9.7 million annually. With regard to (e), as a result of the Online Streaming Act, the CRTC has invoiced streaming service fee payers $19.9 million for the 2024-25 fiscal year and $22.9 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year so far. With regard to (f), the CRTC uses a cost recovery model wherein the fees it collects from streaming services are used to cover the costs of applying the regulatory framework established through the Online Streaming Act. These funds are not considered revenues and therefore are not distributed. Once fully implemented, the Online Streaming Act will see streaming services make financial contributions directly to the Canadian media and broadcasting ecosystem.

Mr. Speaker, as to part (a), Parks Canada directly informed the following people of the decision. Chief Dwayne Blackbird and others of the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation were informed on May 9, 2025, by Leanne Cooper, field unit superintendent, at an in-person meeting. James Plewak of the Coalition of First Nations with Interests in Riding Mountain National Park was informed on May 9, 2025, by Leanne Cooper, field unit superintendent, at an in-person meeting. Julia Tetrault, director of strategic priorities at Manitoba Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism, was informed on May 13, 2025, by Jonah Mitchell, executive director, via phone call. Jeff Long, director of the aquatic invasive species program at Manitoba Environment and Climate Change, was informed on May 15, 2025, by Jonah Mitchell, executive director, via phone call. John Gunter, chairman of the board of the Tourism Industry Association of Manitoba, was informed on May 15, 2025, by Jonah Mitchell, executive director, via phone call. Kelsey Connor, from the Clear Lake Marina, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Tom Sheldon, acting field unit superintendent, at an in-person meeting. Lynne Tovell, from the Cottage Owners Association, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Jim Avram, acting townsite manager, via phone call. Christian Robin, from the Cabin Owners’ Association, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Jim Avram, acting townsite manager, via phone call. Ian Drul, from the Municipality of Harrison Park, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Borden Smid, resource conservation manager, via phone call. Tamara Sellman, from the Municipality of Harrison Park, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Borden Smid, resource conservation manager, via phone call. Karly McRae, from Clear Lake Country, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Tom Sheldon, acting field unit superintendent, via phone call. George Hartlen, from the Friends of Riding Mountain and the Wasagaming Chamber of Commerce, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Tom Sheldon, acting field unit superintendent, in person. Michael Kreshewski, from the office of member of Parliament for Riding Mountain Dan Mazier, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Tom Sheldon, acting field unit superintendent, via phone call. Jeff Long, director of the aquatic invasive species program at Manitoba Environment and Climate Change, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Borden Smid, resource conservation manager, via phone call. Brendan Spearin, aquatic invasive species regional coordinator at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Government of Canada, was informed on May 16, 2025, by Borden Smid, resource conservation manager, via phone call. As to part (b), during the specified period from March 1, 2025, to May 15, 2025, Parks Canada directly consulted with representatives from Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation, including Larry Beaton, James Plewak and Chief Dwayne Blackbird, regarding the planned watercraft management measures for Clear Lake. This was done on April 15, May 2 and May 9, 2025, by Leanne Cooper, field unit superintendent; Borden Smid, resource conservation manager; and Mireille Kroeker, acting external relations manager, in person. As to part (c), the answer is yes. Part (i) is not applicable. Part (ii) is Ian Drul, Reeve, Municipality of Harrison Park. Parts (iii) and (iv) are not applicable. Part (v) is the office of Member of Parliament for Riding Mountain Dan Mazier.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Mont-Saint-Bruno—L'Acadie for his commitment to his community. Our government's celebrate Canada program supports more than 1,500 events across the country to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, Saint‑Jean‑Baptiste Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day, Canada Day and National Acadian Day. Concerts, cultural festivals and community gatherings are all opportunities to celebrate our diversity and to strengthen the social fabric that unites us from coast to coast to coast.

Mr. Speaker, there is no better time to choose Canada, which is why today we unveiled the new Canada Strong Pass. All summer long, admission is free for national parks and historic sites, with major discounts on camping as well. What is more, kids get free access to national museums and galleries, and free or discounted fares on Via Rail. We are encouraging people of all ages to explore the places and stories that unite us from coast to coast to coast. With the Canada Strong Pass, it has never been easier to get out and discover the best country in the world, Canada.

Mr. Speaker, just about everything the member said in her intervention is wrong. Bill C-11 ensures that Canadian artists get rewarded, as they should, by online platforms. Bill C-11 makes sure that Canadian content can be discovered by Canadians, by my kids, by all of our kids, instead of just international artists. That is exactly what Bill C-11 does. It gives the opportunity for Canadians to discover Canadian artists, something we should all support.

Mr. Speaker, even Google agreed that it should do this. Google will pay $100 million to help Canadian journalism in this country. An international, U.S.-based company, is agreeing to do that, but the Conservative Party of Canada would vote against it, would prevent it from happening and would want to prevent our media from getting $100 million so there is more local content and more journalists hired in our newsrooms across the country. It is simply unthinkable. It is immoral.

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I would like to remind my colleague that we still have carbon pricing for large corporations, for major emitters, that results in three times as many emissions reductions as consumer pricing. We have a robust carbon pricing system, and the federal price per tonne is almost double the Quebec price. Quebec's price is $59, and the federal government's price is $95. We will continue fighting climate change while building a robust economy for Canada.

Mr. Speaker, for decades, we have witnessed journalists losing their jobs, newsrooms shutting down and local media going bankrupt. Access to fact-based information from coast to coast to coast is essential to keeping Canadians informed. Unfortunately, my Conservative colleagues do not believe that preserving this pillar of our democracy is important. On our side, we chose to pass the Online News Act to ensure that journalists can continue their important work for our country, our democracy and our Canadian unity.

Mr. Speaker, my Bloc Québécois colleague knows I hold him in high esteem, but I think he is pushing his luck a bit today. As he knows full well, Quebec's system is quite different from the federal system. Currently, Quebec's price per tonne is $59, whereas the federal price is $95. That means that, for years, Quebeckers paid half as much for carbon pricing as all other Canadians were paying. He never mentions that.

Mr. Speaker, I sincerely believe that we are comparing apples and oranges here. The Quebec system is based on a cap-and-trade mechanism, not a pricing mechanism. The federal system, on the other hand, is based on a mechanism that sets a price per tonne, which sends a signal to the market and consumers to reduce their emissions. These are two completely different systems. The federal government has long recognized Quebec's leadership and, for several years, we have recognized that the Quebec system is equivalent to the federal system.

Madam Speaker, our government has long expressed reservations about the Government of Quebec's Bill 21, especially regarding what we consider to be its misuse of the notwithstanding clause. We made up our minds a long time ago that we were going to intervene. What we are doing now is preparing to intervene, since the matter in question extends beyond Quebec's borders. As my Bloc Québécois colleague is well aware, a lot of people, including Quebeckers, are very concerned about this bill.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, in that lake and that region, we are facing a zebra mussel invasion on which we must intervene to control. Otherwise, it could spread in the region to other water basins around that area. That is why, with Parks Canada, with local partners and with indigenous partners who support what Parks Canada has been doing, we are trying to tackle this issue as rapidly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite is saying is simply not true. We have, in fact, been working with local authorities. Parks Canada provided funding to compensate for some of the loss in revenues last year because of the closure as we are trying to tackle this very important crisis. It is totally irresponsible for the member to somehow suggest that we should just let the zebra mussels spread all around Manitoba. Imagine the impacts for local drinking water, for commerce and for businesses all across the province. This is totally irresponsible.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the people of Laurier—Sainte‑Marie for allowing me to serve here for a third consecutive term. I would also like to remind my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois that the British Crown always reads the Speech from the Throne. There is nothing new there. This time, of course, the King came to read it, which is a great honour for many Canadians, including Quebeckers. I have met some of them. I would also like to remind my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois that Canada is a sovereign country. Sovereignty is a concept that the Bloc Québécois should understand well.

Mr. Speaker, I would invite my colleague to read the fall economic statement. If he does, he will see that Canada is in a particularly enviable fiscal position compared to all our G7 competitors. We have the best debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. The IMF, the International Monetary Fund, estimates that we will have the strongest economic growth next year. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources just signed an agreement with the Government of Quebec for hundreds of millions of dollars to help the forestry sector in my colleague's region, yet my colleague is not talking about that. When Canadians need help, the Conservatives are nowhere to be found.

Mr. Speaker, we have more good news for Quebeckers today, with the publication of the clean electricity strategy. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be invested in collaboration with Hydro-Québec, with the Government of Quebec and with businesses to develop the electricity network we need for the 21st century to decarbonize our transportation sector and to decarbonize the industry and buildings sector. That is how we are going to build the economy, jobs and the Canada of the 21st century.

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, the Supreme Court of Canada directed the government to make some changes to the Impact Assessment Act of Canada last year, which is what we have done. We still have a commitment to ban the export of thermal coal by 2030. My colleague also knows that 10 indigenous communities are supporting this project, which is why, in the end, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada decided that an evaluation was not necessary.

Mr. Speaker, due to Alberta's unusually early wildfire season, which began on February 20, 2024, and was fueled by widespread drought conditions in 2024, there was not a period in which the prescriptions required for controlled ignition could take place. The elevated fire risk associated with these conditions made it unsafe and contrary to prescriptions required to carry out such operations. Prescriptions for fires have the following science-based considerations: wind speed, fuel moisture, drought code, landscape topography, barriers to fire spread and fuel type that is present, that is, what you are planning to burn and what is in the area. Parks Canada utilizes a variety of wildfire management tools and strategies, including prescribed fires, forest thinning and the creation of community fire guards, to mitigate the impacts of wildfires and protect public safety, local communities and critical infrastructure. A prescribed fire is a carefully planned and controlled fire ignited by trained fire management professionals. It mimics the low- to medium-intensity fires that naturally occur in ecosystems adapted to fire, helping to restore and maintain ecological health and biodiversity. Parks Canada employs prescribed fires as a vital tool to promote ecosystem conservation, reduce wildfire risks to surrounding communities and protect cultural heritage sites.

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about telling Canadians the truth. What did the Conservative Party leader do when we offered Canadians a tax break during the holiday season, a measure that he was in favour of just two years ago? He told his MPs to vote against it, regardless of what they actually wanted to do. Conservative MPs are no longer the voice of their constituents in Ottawa. They are now the voice of the Conservative Party leader in their ridings. That is inexcusable. If the Conservatives are serious about helping Canadians, they will vote in favour of the tax holiday.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague has just quoted Professor Sylvain Charlebois on food issues. This same professor believes that climate change is the biggest challenge facing the agri-food sector. He published a report today on the macroeconomic impacts on the agri-food sector. On page 14, the first item mentioned in the report is climate change. Pollution pricing is not even mentioned. That is not one of the criteria, according to Mr. Charlebois. The Conservatives are talking nonsense.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Bloc Québécois for his question. Lion Electric is indeed a very important company for the electrification of transportation, and not just in Quebec, but across Canada. The federal program will enable municipalities to purchase hundreds of electric buses thanks to this program, contrary to what my Bloc Québécois and Conservative Party colleagues are saying.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. We will always be there for Canadian families and businesses, in good times and in bad. We have cut taxes for the middle class twice. What has the Conservative leader done? He forced his members to vote against those tax cuts not just once, but twice. Today, with the GST cut, we are providing meaningful support to families and businesses, but it seems as though the only tax cuts the Conservative leader is prepared to support are those that help his rich friends, like oil company CEOs. It is always the same story with this Conservative leader. His personal interests come before those of Canadians—