Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, we have made the necessary plans to secure our borders and, obviously, we are also working with the Government of Quebec. We have given more funding to provide asylum seekers with shelter and services. These are perhaps the most vulnerable people in the world. Once again, the Bloc Québécois members cannot stop talking about immigration, because they have discovered that they can sco…
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Madam Speaker, we join with the hon. member in worrying about the hare-brained schemes to put Albertans' pensions at risk. The Canada pension plan is a sterling pension plan that Canadians rightly have come to rely on and that, the world over, has been recognized as a model of good management and stability. In fact Canadians can be reassured that the Canada pension plan will be there for them for …
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Madam Speaker, let us calm down. The Bloc Québécois keeps making up scenarios that are absolutely not in play. Our border services have a plan. They have always had a plan and will always have a plan to keep our border secure. We will work with the U.S. administration, regardless of which party is in power. We will collaborate with our partners in the United States. The Bloc Québécois should rest …
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Madam Speaker, we will always stand up for Canadian workers. We stood up for Canadian workers previously, and we will stand up for Canadian workers at all times. In fact, even today, I know the Deputy Prime Minister is dialoguing with labour leaders across the country. On many levels, all members of the government, on a regular basis, talk to working men and women from our communities to make sure…
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Mr. Speaker, I spoke with the BC MEA and the ILWU on the weekend and reminded them that it is their responsibility to their members, to each other, to Canadians, to farmers, to workers and to businesses to make a deal. It is their responsibility, and they need to do the work necessary to make an agreement.
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Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the right-to-work Conservative Party on labour relations in Canada, the people who have stood up repeatedly to vote to remove power from unions, to force unions to reveal their financial statistics and to make sure that unions find it hard to certify in workplaces. The union-busting Conservatives will give us no lessons. I work daily with my colleague from…
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Mr. Speaker, the government is monitoring the situation closely, indeed daily. Mediators are working with the parties and are available to assist at any time. We urge them to continue their efforts to reach an agreement. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission will continue to monitor this company for regulatory compliance to ensure the safety of workers, the public and the environment. The facilit…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean, but I am surprised to see that after voting against lowering the age of retirement to 65, after voting against the dental care plan, and after voting against increasing the guaranteed income supplement for the most vulnerable seniors, this gentleman is rising to ask us why the cost of living is going up. The cost of living is going up…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian airlines are, of course, private sector entities. The government sets a minimum standard and lets the hard work of collective bargaining take it from there. Flight attendants have a collective agreement that sets out their hours and their wages, and it is not my place to comment on it.
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Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Government of Canada, the Liberal government, we were able to lower the retirement age to 65, increase the GIS and help hundreds of thousands of Quebeckers by providing dental care for seniors. As a result, we were able to lower seniors' poverty rates well below the national average, all without the support or help of the Bloc Québécois.
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Mr. Speaker, these are not partisan attacks. I would remind the Bloc Québécois that the results of votes in the House are public. Everyone can see what the parties voted on and whether they voted yes or no. In the case of the Bloc Québécois, it voted against increasing the guaranteed income supplement. It voted against pharmacare, which is in effect today and will help diabetics in Quebec with the…
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Mr. Speaker, all of us in the Outaouais region and throughout Quebec and Canada are thrilled that this dispute has been settled after nearly a year. The workers and their families, some 210 families in our region, suffered during the lockout. I obviously want to thank the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for its very active involvement. This has been a top priority for me and my colleagu…
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Mr. Speaker, we are delighted by the excellent news my colleagues have just shared with us this morning. Pharmacare is now the law in Canada. Unemployment is now firmly on the decline and wages are on the rise. The only thing in danger of going down is the number of public servants in this country. Every week, this member hints that drastic cuts are coming to our federal public service. Some trans…
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Mr. Speaker, since the Bloc Québécois members no longer seem interested in this file, I would like to remind them that, yesterday evening, I went to Domaine de la Gappe in the beautiful riding of Gatineau to wish residents there a happy Thanksgiving. Incidentally, I also want to wish all members of the House a happy Thanksgiving. These people reassured me. They said, “Mr. MacKinnon, we registered …
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Mr. Speaker, it is very interesting to hear my colleague talk about people 65 to 74 when we know that she and her political party, the Bloc Québécois, teamed up with the Conservatives to oppose lowering the age of retirement from 67 to 65. The members of the Bloc Québécois are talking about age 65 now, but not so long ago, they wanted us to retire at age 67.
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Mr. Speaker, we would attach a little more credibility to what the separatist party opposite is saying if it had not acted openly and aggressively to oppose hundreds and hundreds of dollars in dental care for every senior in need, not only in Quebec, but across Canada, including 14,000 seniors in the member's own riding. There needs to be a little consistency here.
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Mr. Speaker, I have visited my colleague's beautiful region many times. I invite her and everyone else to come to the Outaouais region. While she is in Outaouais, she can explain, through the media or any other forum, to the 14,000 people benefiting from the federal Canadian dental care plan in her riding, Shefford, why she voted against that program.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague and the entire Bloc Québécois that we know that they are saying yes. However, they have also said no a lot too. They said no every time we increased support for seniors in Quebec and Canada. They like throwing numbers around. There are 2.4 million seniors who benefit from the guaranteed income supplement. We increased the GIS, and the Bloc Québécois vot…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has never taken a single opportunity to support our seniors. They said no to the guaranteed income supplement. They said no to dental care, which today benefits 14,000 people in Shefford. They said no to housing measures for seniors. When will the Bloc Québécois say yes to seniors?
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to seniors, I would take the track record of the 35 Liberal members from Quebec over the doings of the Bloc Québécois any day. The Bloc members voted against dental care. They voted against the guaranteed income supplement. They voted against investments in housing for seniors. Every time we have made a proposal for Quebec seniors, Bloc members rose in unison to say no. …
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Mr. Speaker, I will tell the House what seniors are afraid of. They are afraid of having dental care taken away from millions of Canadians. These seniors, certainly seniors in Gatineau, are wondering what the Bloc Québécois is doing with the Conservative Party in favour of austerity, cuts to child care spaces, cuts to dental care and cuts to health insurance. Together with the Conservatives, the B…
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Mr. Speaker, I visited a lot of seniors in my riding on the weekend. Obviously, I take the time to have a good conversation with them. I hope, knowing my hon. colleague, that he said the same thing and was very clear with the seniors, especially when it comes to his opposition to lowering the age of retirement to 65. The Bloc Québécois voted against that. When we increased the guaranteed income su…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is chair of our seniors caucus. The Conservatives' World Economic Forum agenda tried to turn Canadians' two best years of retirement into their two worst years of work by raising the retirement age to 67. We reversed it. Their World Economic Forum wish list would cut our $1,000-increase to the GIS that helps nearly a million seniors. It would cut rent relief for vulnerabl…
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Madam Speaker, not only have we helped seniors by targeting the most vulnerable seniors, but we have also invested in housing. We are proud to have increased old age security and raised the income exemption to help seniors who still want to stay connected to the workforce. Does anyone know who voted against all those measures? That member and his party, the Bloc Québécois, did.
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Madam Speaker, the Death Valley well driller is poking more dry holes. Outstanding Canadians stepping up to advise the Liberal Party, or any party, is a very good thing. What the member wants to cloud is the fact that inflation is down, interest rates are down, wage settlements are up and the economy is up. We have reached a soft landing in this country. The Conservatives should stop talking the c…
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Madam Speaker, the predictions of impending doom coming from the member in particular and his political party really sound discordant to Canadians. What is happening across this country? After the pandemic, we have achieved a rare feat: a soft landing, no recession, wage gains, inflation coming down and interest rates coming down. The finance minister, this very week, is putting in place measures …
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Madam Speaker, what Canadians are worried about is the Conservative Party's agenda and secret plans. What does this member propose to eliminate? She is going to make cuts to food banks and housing assistance. We are well aware that the Conservative Party is proposing to do away with tens of thousands of jobs in Canada's public service. I think it is high time that this member and her party release…
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Madam Speaker, when there is an election, this member will have to stop making false allegations and disclose the Conservative Party's secret plans to make budget cuts, impose austerity, withdraw supports for our seniors, withdraw housing measures, withdraw infrastructure supports for our municipalities, and the list goes on. Our economy is doing well. Interest rates are falling. Inflation is down…
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Madam Speaker, I was recently in my colleague's beautiful riding, and, after making some checks, I can confirm that 8,700 of her constituents are now receiving dental care because of the federal dental care program that she voted against.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for correcting the math and statistics on the wonderful riding of Gatineau today. However, I did not hear an apology. I encourage him to consider at another mathematical figure, the number 10,000. In his riding alone, 10,000 people are now eligible for the federal dental care plan that we put in place and that is helping so many people, even though he voted agains…
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Madam Speaker, I share the member's outrage at the Quebec government's actions. It wants to keep the most vulnerable people in our society from receiving dental care. We are talking about people in long-term care homes and children at Sainte-Justine hospital who do not have access to care, despite having paid their taxes. Normally, Bloc members would be outraged by such a thing. I invite them to j…
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Mr. Speaker, there is something very important on the member for La Prairie's résumé. He voted against the new federal Canadian dental care plan that 6,900 people in the riding of La Prairie have signed up for. Every time we come up with ways to help Quebec seniors, the Bloc Québécois votes no.
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Mr. Speaker, there are not 30,000 people aged 65 to 74 in Gatineau, but never mind. The seniors who live in Gatineau are very happy, because when it came time to support them during the pandemic, when it came time to support the most vulnerable seniors in Gatineau and elsewhere, the Liberal government was there for them with the necessary support measures. We will continue to do so. The Bloc Québé…
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Mr. Speaker, the 30,000 seniors in Gatineau, like all seniors in Quebec, like all seniors in Canada, are amazed by the Liberal Party of Canada's record, especially when it comes to targeting and helping the most vulnerable seniors in society. When we improved the guaranteed income supplement, when we brought in dental services for seniors, when we invested in housing, the Bloc was against that. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, the Eastern Townships are one of the most beautiful regions in Quebec, if not Canada. We are proud to say that in the riding of Shefford alone, in Granby and the surrounding area, 13,300 Canadians have signed up for the Canadian dental care plan. They are very happy about it. My colleague voted against that. Why?
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Mr. Speaker, members will recall that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to do what was necessary in the House. We had to provide support measures such as boosting the GST/HST credit, enhancing measures for seniors and improving health care. We had to spend money to support seniors. Members will recall who it was who supported Canada's seniors. It was the Quebec members of the Liberal Party of …
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Mr. Speaker, we are a little incredulous at everything the Bloc Québécois is saying, when we know what it voted against. It voted against dental care, which is currently saving hundreds of thousands of Quebeckers and Canadians hundreds of dollars. We are incredulous at the fact that the Bloc Québécois voted against enhancing and increasing the guaranteed income supplement, which helps the poorest …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to wish a happy National Seniors Day to everyone, including the people from the Outaouais branch of AREQ who are here, according to the member for La Prairie. The member for La Prairie rises every day, but he seems to forget that when we voted to lower the retirement age to 65, he voted against that. He wanted to keep the retirement age—
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to talk about the Bloc Québécois's hypocrisy. The member for Shefford should know that in the province of Quebec, 13,300 people are eligible for the dental care program. They are saving hundreds and hundreds of dollars. The member voted against dental care for vulnerable seniors in Quebec. Shame on her.
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Mr. Speaker, no party in the House has done as much for seniors in Canada and Quebec as the Liberal Party of Canada, despite the push back from the opposition—the Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois. What did they vote against? They voted against the dental care program, the GIS and additional housing for vulnerable seniors. The Bloc Québécois voted against all that. Now, what are they accus…
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Mr. Speaker, we are particularly proud of the age well at home pilot project. It is a government priority for seniors to stay at home and live independently. We have transferred the funds to all provinces and sent Quebec 60% of its funding. There are a few projects left. The Quebec government just needs to check a box and it is ready to go. Organizations such as the volunteer centres and Montreal'…
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Mr. Speaker, when the member for Thérèse-De Blainville had the chance to help vulnerable seniors, including 7,300 in her own riding, save hundreds of dollars, she voted against it. That is hypocrisy. Now she wants to lecture us on her opportunistic policies. We are there for seniors. The Liberal Party of Canada supports seniors. It is the Bloc Québécois that—
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome the member to the House. I can assure him that I heard him loud and clear, despite the fact that he will be excluded from a position of power until the end of his days in this House. Over the next five years, our government will spend more on old age security to protect the incomes of retirees than any previous government. For my colleague's information, that is $71 billion …
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Madam Speaker, today, October 1, is National Seniors Day. I wish all seniors in Canada and around the world a very happy day. It is a real privilege to rise in the House to talk about our government's work to make life better and more affordable for Canadian seniors. Seniors are a growing segment of the Canadian population. It is therefore important that governments reflect on how our policies and…
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Madam Speaker, I am flabbergasted that a political party which claims to champion Quebec would object to Gatineau's meals on wheels program for seniors. Now I have seen everything. These two programs make a real difference to seniors, and they are helping make Canada a better place to live, grow and age. That is why they are so important. After what we saw during the pandemic, we know that Canadia…
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Madam Speaker, we have just seen a perfect illustration of how the Bloc Québécois works. Everything we just heard was for show. Why is the Bloc putting on such a show? It is simply so it can cover up its plans for the future. It is obvious. Sometimes, I think Bloc Québécois members do not realize that their vote is recorded on paper. It is true, they voted against dental care for seniors, a progra…
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Madam Speaker, first, I invite my colleague to tour Gatineau with me. He will see that it is a lot of work to follow me around my riding, visiting seniors in particular. Second, I remind the member that we voted against this bill at second reading. Third, we have never claimed to solve all the problems. We know that we are facing a cost-of-living challenge. We also know that there are needs we can…
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Madam Speaker, obviously, I thank all members of the House who voted for progressive measures, including measures to assist seniors. As Minister of Labour and Seniors, I am delighted every time a member, like my colleague here, rises to support the initiatives we are able to put in place to help seniors in Canada and Quebec. What bothers me, as I said, is the cynicism and opportunism of a politica…
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Madam Speaker, let us talk about members. In the riding of Shefford, we used to have a member who supported organizations and the idea of dental care for the 14,000 or so people who benefit from it in that riding alone. That member voted against it. If she wants to help Quebec seniors, even just a little, all she has to do is call the Quebec government and convince it to give the green light so th…
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Mr. Speaker, this feels like déjà vu. The member and I have already had this exchange. This time, I am making a solemn request: that the member be clear about the Conservative Party's hidden agenda, which is to fire or lay off tens of thousands of public servants in my community, in her community and in communities across Canada. I would like her be clear and specific about the number of cuts that…
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