Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois seems to have a problem with misquoting people today. Obviously, we take every case seriously. To reassure Quebeckers, Canadians and everyone who receives old age security, I want to reaffirm that we have modernized the computer system. If there are mistakes, we will correct them, and obviously, we invite our colleagues from all parties to give us the names of the p…
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Mr. Speaker, the Secretary of State just provided an update of the situation. This government modernization will allow seniors to register for OAS so that they can receive their benefits promptly and accurately. Obviously, if there are cases—and I think that if there were, members of the House would have heard about them—our colleagues are invited to share those with us. However, I can assure the …
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Mr. Speaker, there are seven million Canadians receiving OAS. The computer systems used to administer this program have been modernized. This improvement and modernization of government systems will enable seniors to register online instead of waiting at a Service Canada office or on the phone, for example. Those 85,000 people are still 85,000 too many, we agree, but the errors are being corrected…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada Post obviously works with many trucking companies across the country. The CEO of Canada Post assures us that the company in question had no ties with the Driver Inc. model. A statement of expectations, a code of conduct and the consequences of non-compliance are clearly spelled out for all suppliers under contract. As a government, we obviously expect Canada Post to meet those …
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Beauport—Limoilou has done more for the tramway in his nine months here and in the House than anything the member has done in his 10 years in the House. I can assure him of that. Unlike that member, our government has been supporting the tramway project since 2018. To date, the federal commitment, as my colleague just said, amounts to nearly $1.4 billion, which clearly …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to tell Ms. Bolduc, who is obviously listening to us, and to the constituents of all the MPs here, that one case is indeed too many. We are going to resolve every last one. Ms. Bolduc and everyone else will receive every cent of the benefits to which they are entitled. However, that is beside the point. We have modernized government technology infrastructure that will serve Can…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to wish all my colleagues in the House a good morning. This is a wonderful opportunity for the government, for myself, for the government team and even for the opposition team to come together and support a promising project, a major project, a project that will benefit all Canadians, particularly those living along the corridor, as well as their children and grandchildren. The…
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Mr. Speaker, trust will be built on the ground. What are we going to do? We are going to go out and speak with the landowners, not necessarily everyone within a radius of 90,000 hectares or acres, but certainly those within a 60-metre-wide corridor connecting communities across Canada. I would like to reiterate, for the people of Mirabel, that this process will be nothing like the processes of the…
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is as few as possible. I think I just said in my speech that public rights of way, such as highways and energy corridors, will be prioritized. Where it is impossible to avoid farmland, we will do everything we can to avoid splitting up land, to ensure that farmers can take full advantage of their lands, their fields and their entire operations. We are going to proceed on a …
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Mr. Speaker, it is of the utmost importance to me that this project benefit the people of Quebec City and the people of Trois‑Rivières. This project will enable Quebec City to continue its commercial development. It will enable educational institutions in Quebec City, such as Université Laval, to keep growing. Yes, other people may have come up with projects that ruled out the possibility of going…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Trois‑Rivières who, like her predecessor, fully supports this project. We need these non-partisan voices in the House. The project is going to benefit all regions of Quebec. I listened to my friend from the Lower St. Lawrence earlier. I listened to my friend from Lévis—Lotbinière and my colleague from Trois‑Rivières. We can just imagine the impact tha…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has a decision to make. We are not done. We have a plan to propose mechanisms allowing us to increasingly ramp up the development of transportation, infrastructure and energy projects in Canada. Almost all Quebeckers support this project. All Quebeckers want it to happen. The problem is that they have given up believing in it because the planning process is taking t…
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Mr. Speaker, I cannot, nor can anyone in this House, fix the mistakes that were made in the past, in any project. We have to do the best we can, and the best we can do today is the process outlined in Bill C-15, the process that Canadians voted for, a process that gets big projects built quickly but respects our history, respects the lessons we have learned and respects the processes we have put i…
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Mr. Speaker, the real question is why will the Conservatives not vote for the Prime Minister's economic plan? The plan gets projects built quickly; puts a trillion dollars of investment into our economy; uses Canadian lumber, Canadian steel and Canadian ingenuity; and uses the great union work of our Canadian brothers and sisters to build our country strong. I just want a date from the hon. member…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what that has to do with government administration.
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Mr. Speaker, what the Prime Minister is doing is creating investment in Canada, investment that has made it such that Canada created more jobs than the United States, not more per capita but more jobs. I hope the Prime Minister keeps travelling and bringing home those jobs.
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Mr. Speaker, I know that what constitutes good news for Canadians does not always constitute good news for Conservatives. However, let me give them another piece of good news. The first major national project breaks ground this spring, the Contrecoeur port terminal expansion project, which is an expansion of our east coast container port capacity. We are going to build more stuff. We are going to …
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Mr. Speaker, that is a lot to digest. I think all Canadians will appreciate this metaphor at this time of year. If I hear the faint sound of the ice cracking in the wall of Conservative obstruction that this Parliament has encountered, the obstruction of our criminal law legislation, the obstruction of the Prime Minister's economic plan to bring $1 trillion of investment and to build Canada strong…
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Mr. Speaker, today the House will likely decide to send a bill to the Senate that will provide up to $1,800 in support to Canadian families to help them cope with affordability issues, particularly with regard to food and essential goods. We urged the official opposition to support us on this. We are very pleased that they saw fit to do so. Today is a historic day for affordability in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, today is a big day. Today is the day when, if all goes well, we will be passing historic assistance for Canadian families grappling with affordability issues with respect to food and essential goods. After much cajoling, the opposition finally decided to stop the games, stop the obstruction and allow this bill to move on to the Senate so we can get that aid to Canadian families now.
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Mr. Speaker, there is a plan in front of the House to create $1 trillion of investment in Canada. There is a plan before the House to continue to build the kind of infrastructure that my colleague just referred to. There is a plan before the House that would deregulate, that would free up, that would invest and that would make Canada the most attractive tax investment destination in the world. It …
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Mr. Speaker, what the people in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, elsewhere in Quebec and across Canada really want is a plan: an economic plan, the Prime Minister's plan, the plan they voted for, the plan that is before the House. The Conservatives are filibustering the Prime Minister's economic plan. We managed to get Bill C‑19 passed so we can help Canadians. Now I urge the Conservatives to pass the bud…
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows full well that we have taken steps to help families. That is why he bowed to our demand to fast-track Bill C‑19, which will provide no less than $1,800 to Canadian families to help them deal with food and affordability issues.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know, but the math I have is that $1,800 divided by 52 is a lot more than $10 a week. The Leader of the Opposition knows very well that this is substantial assistance for Canadians who are experiencing affordability issues. That is why he bent over when we asked him to accelerate and pass Bill C-19 and make sure that we can get that aid to Canadians right away.
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Mr. Speaker, I regret omitting the word “backward”, as in “bent over backward”, in an earlier answer.
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Mr. Speaker, well, the Conservatives are back from Calgary. They heard more old—
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Mr. Speaker, in Calgary the Conservatives heard more old hits than at the Elvis tribute show at the casino, and they came back and are repeating them just the way the leader writes it out for them in the back rooms: imaginary taxes and no plan for affordability. We have a bill before the House that would give up to $1,800 for families to afford the cost of groceries in this country. We know afford…
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Mr. Speaker, in fact, consultations were held and there will be more. We are consulting all the mayors and community stakeholders in the Lower Laurentians, across the entire region, as well as in Quebec and Ontario. Guess what? Canadians are excited about this new technology, this progress. Come on. My colleague is comparing an international airport to a small corridor that is 60 metres wide. Give…
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Mr. Speaker, why did the member not stand up to oppose Quebec's Act Respecting Expropriation, which made it possible to build and complete the Réseau express métropolitain? The bill is based on the exact wording of that Quebec act and Ontario's legislation, which also allows for the development of public transit projects. This is not new, and we are obviously going to negotiate directly with the p…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for that question and for his very constructive and productive involvement on that very important issue. We thank him for bringing this issue to the House's attention. We will consider the matter and report to the House at the appropriate time.
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, there are public servants working on this system to minimize mistakes and correct them. We are confident that this successful modernization of government systems will ultimately enable seniors to self-register, get better service and receive their benefits even faster. This is already happening. If there are any mistakes, they will be fixed.
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Mr. Speaker, one mistake is one too many, no question. We encourage anyone who believes they are affected to contact Service Canada. We are talking about a significant and successful modernization of government systems, which will allow seniors to self-register and start receiving their benefits even faster, without having to wait on the phone or in a long line at a government office. If there are…
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Mr. Speaker, we are confident that this system and its implementation will ultimately benefit all OAS recipients. They will be able to receive the right amount and receive it on time, as they deserve. That is the government's job. We replaced an outdated system so that we can better serve Canadians and all seniors in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to everyone affected by tragedies on Canada's roads and highways. Like all members of the House, I sympathize with the victims. We have taken concrete steps that will significantly impact the Driver Inc. scheme in Canada. These measures are set out in the budget, and we hope that the Bloc Québécois will join us in passing the budget as quickly as possible so that we …
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Mr. Speaker, no one can bring back the victims of such tragedies. That much is certain. We can also be certain that the government has taken and will continue to take action that will continue to be welcomed by the Quebec trucking association, just as our actions have been welcomed by stakeholders in the industry. The member is unable to tell me which of Quebec's jurisdictions he would like me to …
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know which major project the member is referring to. If he has a major project that is not currently before the government, I would like him to bring it to me. What I can tell him is that the MOU signed with his premier envisages nuclear development in the province and carbon capture and storage in the province, and it will interconnect among prairie provinces. Those are all …
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Mr. Speaker, the Alberta MP may well want to return to Calgary, where his party is having a convention, at which, I understand, Premier Smith may welcome delegates. He might ask her about the contents of that very important MOU, which is going to make Canada an energy superpower in renewable and conventional energy, create jobs for the working men and women of the province of Alberta and create pr…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to wish my friends in the official opposition well as they make their way to Calgary for their convention, which is of course why the House will not sit tomorrow. The customary courtesy is afforded to the important work of all political parties, and we appreciate the involvement of all those who feel passionate about our country. This afternoon, we will continue with second rea…
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Mr. Speaker, we obviously take very seriously the need to provide benefits to those who are entitled to them. The government modernized its outdated software, and that is good news. The new software enables seniors to access services online and receive an enhanced level of service. A few people have been affected, and that is a few people too many. We agree on that. We are asking these individuals…
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Mr. Speaker, it is good to see Conservatives finally coming around to the Liberal plan, which is precisely that: To diversify trade markets, to build our country up with Canadian steel, Canadian aluminum, Canadian ingenuity, Canadian know-how and Canadian union men and women building our country together. The Conservatives' proposals were tested. They had the ultimate test, a general election, whi…
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Mr. Speaker, we have nation-building projects going on right across this country. I would refer the member to his own province of Ontario, where we are in major developments in the nuclear sector and will be developing the Crawford nickel mine, and where we are going to build North America's very first high-speed rail network, from Quebec City to Toronto. We are going to build in British Columbia,…
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Mr. Speaker, we put our ideas to the test last year during the election, and the Prime Minister's plan to build Canada strong won the day, while the member's approach was rejected. I guess that is news to them. I want to reiterate to my colleague that we just announced a project at the port of Saguenay, not to mention the port at Contrecoeur, a logistics and supply chain megaproject in Quebec.
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Mr. Speaker, as a proud resident of the national capital region, I can only lament this member's repeated, and he has been consistent on this, endorsement of the occupation of this downtown and of the disturbance and unbelievable annoyance this created for residents of downtown Ottawa. The fact is that it was an unlawful demonstration that was ultimately ended by the good graces and very Canadian …
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Mr. Speaker, we obviously find it unfortunate if a senior citizen has experienced an issue with their cheque. The member should speak to the government, and we will try to resolve the issue. That said, enough is enough. We changed computer systems, which is a huge undertaking. We have replaced outdated software from the 1970s with new software that allows citizens to manage their own accounts and …
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to be a bit skeptical about the member's outrage. Software bugs happen. In this case, we have very successful software that was able to update ancient software dating back to the 1970s. Seniors can now access self-service options online and over the phone, making payments even faster. If there are any problems, we will fix them, but—
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Mr. Speaker, we had a very important debate last year about the purported Canada sovereignty act. It is called a general election. The Conservatives put that to the people. We put the Prime Minister's plan to build Canada strong, to build it up with our aluminum, with our lumber, with our steel, and with our unionized men and women across this country. Guess which plan Canadians selected. We expec…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the most vibrant, important and imposing mining sectors in the world. Toronto is one of the most important mining finance centres in the world. The Building Canada Act will permit us to accelerate work on mines like Crawford, on LNG projects, on critical minerals, on the Sisson mine in New Brunswick, on mines right across this country, on the minerals of the future a…
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The first thing, Mr. Speaker, is I know we want to acknowledge the member's acknowledgement of our Prime Minister's fantastic speech at the World Economic Forum. I know Canadians were very relieved when the Leader of the Opposition said that never, ever, shall he or any of his ministers ever go to Davos to that World Economic Forum. They would not want to run across the President of the United Sta…
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Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, we want to express our support for the Leader of the Opposition during this decisive week for him. I am sure that he will be able to convince a majority of Conservative members to support his leadership. We also welcome his receptiveness to the legislation before the House. One of the bills on the agenda is the Prime Minister's plan for our economy; it aims to crea…
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Mr. Speaker, we certainly want to wish the Leader of the Opposition well in this very decisive and important week for him. We know that he will have success at his party's convention. The Prime Minister's plan to grow our economy, to create a trillion dollars in investment and to protect our workers and our industries from trade threats is before the House in Bill C-15. We take very well the leade…
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