Parliamentary Speeches
722 speeches by Yves-François Blanchet — Page 4 of 15
Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, just to clarify, we are not talking about secularism with regard to a single religion, but all religions. The vast majority of Quebec Muslims are perfectly happy, integrated and welcome in Quebec. Furthermore, the secularism of government institutions, and, to a certain extent, the public sphere, is necessary for all forms of equality, including gender equality. Could the Prime Minist…
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Mr. Speaker, against a backdrop of religious practices, bullying in Quebec schools and people literally being asked to move to make space for people to pray, the Minister of Immigration says that Quebec's premier is always picking on Muslims. He talks about freedom of religion, but it looks like the minister has a hard time telling a cathedral in Paris from a park in Montreal. Does the Prime Minis…
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Mr. Speaker, I get the impression that the Prime Minister does not appreciate how serious the situation is. The Quebec National Assembly voted unanimously to end the religious exception. The Jewish community in Canada and Quebec is afraid. Here and in Quebec, because of the federal government, people can incite violence against Jews with impunity. If he takes this seriously, we will too. If he com…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think he liked that. It is a matter of consistency, leadership and courage. We in the Bloc, we have the courage. I can replicate his own proposal. He did it for a GST holiday. He can do it to protect the lives of Canadians and Quebeckers. The government could unblock Parliament for 24 hours, get the bill passed and make everyone feel safer. After that we can see if there are …
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister talked about seniors, so let us talk about them. The Prime Minister admitted that there is discrimination in increasing old age security for seniors 75 and up, while his party is in favour of our bill to end the discrimination. He says he is in favour of supply management, and yet he is not doing what he needs to do to ensure the passage of our bill protecting suppl…
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Mr. Speaker, what a clear answer. In war, there are only victims, and they are often civilians. Here, however, anti-Semitic speech is seen as perfectly acceptable. Fixing this would be easy, and 75% of Quebeckers and 66% of Canadians support the idea. Is the government willing to remove two sections of the Criminal Code that recognize the religious exception? Will it put its money where its mouth …
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec's National Assembly has unanimously adopted a motion calling on the federal Parliament to end the religious exception for hate propaganda. At one time or another, everyone here has voted in favour of eliminating the religious exception. Obviously, everyone has already voted for this, which is both the right and necessary thing to do. Is the Prime Minister now ready to go ahead …
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Mr. Speaker, it is possible to not squabble and show some so-called common sense at the same time. We are freeing up Parliament, maybe even by unanimous consent, but one by one, I want to see every member here who will not stand up and vote in favour of a law that puts an end to hate propaganda and violence under the guise of religion. I want to see those members who are going to oppose this legis…
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Mr. Speaker, the sooner we get a real plan for the future, not for the past, the sooner we will be able to do something about the fact that the discussions are not focusing on real trade issues. In addition to the threatened 25% tariffs, there are issues related to supply management, the cultural exemption, softwood lumber and aluminum. Can the Prime Minister confirm that there have been discussio…
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Mr. Speaker, with every passing day, we gain a better understanding of how the turbulent relationship with the Americans is evolving. It seems there was some confusion about the president's threats. Is this about trade or border security or drugs? Now, after a long-delayed change of heart on immigration, the government is promising a detailed plan, which I hope will also be costed. When will we ge…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians who are struggling are the ones who will not be getting a cheque. However, we can see that the Liberals themselves are struggling. The Conservatives do not seem to support the Liberals' proposal and neither do the NDP or the Bloc Québécois. No one in the House seems to support this proposal. If the Prime Minister is so sure of himself, why not make this a confidence vote?
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Mr. Speaker, no doubt retirees and young people are asking themselves some serious questions right now. Clearly, nobody wants these Christmas goodies. Everyone in the House, including the Liberal Party of Canada, voted in favour of the bill that would make retirees equal. I think people, on the whole, are willing to pay a certain amount of taxes, as long as the government does not just fritter tha…
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Mr. Speaker, imagine all the smart things we could do with $6 billion. Everyone in the House voted for a measure that would pay $3 billion to pensioners aged 65 to 74. We could put $3 billion into housing to address a major crisis that is affecting many young families. We could think about that. My problem is this: Does the Prime Minister realize that he may no longer have the confidence of a majo…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is turning the entire country against him and his Santa's sack of goodies. The people do not want it. Retailers do not want it. Pensioners do not want it. Students do not want it. Economists do not want it. Even the wealthy with common sense do not want it. Nobody wants their sack of goodies. Does the Prime Minister realize that votes cannot be bought?
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Mr. Speaker, as the past few days and hours have shown, we are about to go through a time of major insecurity in Parliament over issues related to trade, protectionism and a rather aggressive diatribe of words. This should be a time to reassure and unite people and to project a sense of security, especially economic security. This effort should begin with the most fragile and vulnerable members of…
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Mr. Speaker, other workers came before today's workers. I am talking about people who worked their whole lives, who have paid taxes all their lives, who have nowhere else to turn. The government is handing out cheques to people who do not need them and denying cheques to those who need them most. Does he not think that if he lowers the amount for the cheques he gives out, and gives that money to t…
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Mr. Speaker, the math required is the same math that people are doing at home. I am talking about people between the ages of 65 and 74 in particular, whose purchasing power has not changed in years and who are being singled out for discrimination. They are not going to get the Liberal government's vote-buying cheque. I do not get it. Can someone tell me how the Liberals managed to convince the NDP…
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Mr. Speaker, I was going to ask the finance minister what the Liberals were thinking when they decided to give tax breaks to people who could theoretically be millionaires or give cheques for $250 to people who earn $150,000. However, I wonder, were we led down the garden path? Does the government not have the support of the NDP?
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Mr. Speaker, in regard to the Bloc Québécois's useless measures on supply management and pensioners, let me remind the House that the young man who leads the official opposition voted in favour of those measures. That being said, the government wants to implement measures to support the purchasing power of Quebeckers and Canadians. The government must realize that these measures will be more benef…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister says she wants support from people who care about social justice, which rules out some people in the House. Why do we not finish the discussion on Bill C‑319, which is for pensioners? The Liberals themselves voted in favour of it. Why does the minister not tinker with the eligibility rules for the cheques in order to give some to people who really need it, like pensioners…
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Mr. Speaker, we are going to protect it with legislation. It is ironic that while the Senate of Canada or certain senators of Canada want to sacrifice Quebec, it is the Bloc Québécois that is working for all farmers in Quebec and Canada. Do people understand that this is not about the Bloc Québécois? This is about the quality of the food we eat. It is about fair and predictable pricing. It is abou…
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Mr. Speaker, democracy has spoken. Approximately 50 Conservative MPs voted against supply management. That said, to try and clean up this mess, I will be going to the Senate this afternoon to meet with senators in person, and I will be going there again tomorrow. Clearly, this is not how we usually do business. Will the Prime Minister be meeting with these senators himself?
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Mr. Speaker, what will Quebeckers say if the government fails to protect supply management? What will they say about the Senate? What will they say about the government? What will they say about the Prime Minister's leadership and this inconsistency? While the United States is about to become more protectionist than ever, Canada is about to give up its agriculture. Are Canada and its Senate the wo…
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Mr. Speaker, every day, the House of Commons shows Quebec just why we really need to get the hell out of here. Until that time comes, we keep having to repeat ourselves, so let us repeat ourselves a bit more. All four parties in the House supported Bill C‑282 on supply management. It was one of the few points of consensus ever reached and, incidentally, was reached at an outdoor gathering. Two sen…
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Mr. Speaker, following Trump's election win, it seems likely, if not certain, that a number of people who currently live in the United States will want to leave and seek asylum here in Canada. Has the government already made plans to ensure regular and orderly management of our borders, including increased monitoring, given that people can claim asylum once they have been here for two weeks, like …
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Mr. Speaker, that seems like a pretty broad answer considering the fact that there could be millions of people in the U.S. wanting to leave that country, maybe even in the short term. A significant number of them may very well be setting their sights on Canada and, if they manage to enter through an irregular border crossing and stay here for two weeks, they will be allowed to stay. Will the gover…
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Mr. Speaker, the United States has not even finished counting the votes and the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are already arguing over who will be the most pro-oil. It is outrageous. Do I understand correctly that they are both completely abandoning any consideration for the climate and the green economy in favour of a Canadian oil economy?
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Mr. Speaker, even the Leader of the Opposition is worried about the economic policies of the U.S. president-elect, who is actually one of his role models. Clearly, there is a problem. I want to talk about trade. There are problems when it comes to supply management, aluminum and wood. Let us focus on supply management. Is it not high time to protect supply management by passing Bill C-282? Is it n…
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Mr. Speaker, the difference between what the government says it is going to stand firm on and what it actually achieves is enough to worry anyone. Let us talk about the risk of inflation. Many economists are saying that the Republicans' proposed economic policies are going to drive up inflation. Is it not high time to protect the purchasing power of retirees aged 65 to 74 by restoring fairness for…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister would be well advised to double-check the nonsense he is spouting. I have never approved oil and gas exploration anywhere in the world. With that said, we will now talk about security, because tomorrow I will become the next leader in the House who has seen the report that names the MPs compromised by foreign powers. That leaves one leader who might not want to do s…
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Mr. Speaker, the government has tabled draft regulations to cap greenhouse gas emissions. It is a pretty weak plan, because the timelines are too long and the costs involved are essentially going to be covered by Quebeckers and Canadians. The Quebec and Canadian economies will pay for the break that oil companies are getting from having to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and production. These regu…
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Mr. Speaker, instead of considering the proposals for green equalization, a green banking system or funding for clean energy, as the Bloc Québécois has been proposing for a long time now, the Prime Minister is making us pay for an industry whose profits have increased tenfold since the pandemic, as he himself has said. Instead of imposing standards that are not strict enough, why does he not impos…
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Mr. Speaker, on Sunday evening, the ADISQ Gala got off to a strong start with the sultry voice of Elisapie, which enthralled the audience and held them spellbound. This Inuk singer, who proudly carried the torch of Quebec song by opening our musical event, sang a Leonard Cohen cover in her own language. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to congratulate Elisapie on the outstanding success of …
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Mr. Speaker, all of the parties in the House have supported two measures at the various stages. One measure was meant to help four million pensioners in Canada, including one million in Quebec. The other was intended to help tens of thousands of farmers. We gave the government five weeks, and it ultimately said no. I wonder why. I wonder whether the Prime Minister, like his Quebec lieutenant, is s…
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Mr. Speaker, he could have fooled me. This is like a madhouse: the Conservatives want to bring down the government. To move a motion to bring down the government, they need to stop filibustering the House. The Conservatives are currently protecting the government. The Conservatives' filibuster is convenient for the Liberals, who do not seem to want to work any more than the Conservatives do. Can w…
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Mr. Speaker, that vagueness is troubling. The Prime Minister should be making it very clear that the government condemns the oppressive and violent indoctrination of children in schools, no matter what cause may seem to justify such behaviour. This government's attitude, its obsession with multiculturalism, its willingness to challenge the secularism law, and other institutions, including people w…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is saying that the Bedford case is a one-off, an isolated event. However, it has been going on for seven years. It is well documented. There have been incidents of violence, harassment, intimidation and religious indoctrination. Is the Prime Minister aware that three other schools may be involved? Is he aware that parents are taking their kids out of certain schools…
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Mr. Speaker, when Adil Charkaoui gets mixed up in a situation, it is time for someone responsible to step in. The Prime Minister has just found some respect for Quebec's jurisdictions. Good for him. However, his willingness to launch a court challenge of Quebec's secularism law, Bill 21, and to fund the challenge all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary amounts to federal intervention in a Qu…
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is more honourable to leave Liberal turpitude to the Liberals. I want to talk about another phenomenon: intimidation, harassment, verbal abuse, contempt for science, and corporal punishment. Is the Prime Minister concerned about the situation at Bedford school, in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, as it relates to religious intransigence? What does he think is behin…
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Prime Minister has other things on his mind. Is he saying that forced teaching of a religion at a school and corporal punishment fall under teachers' freedom of expression?
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Mr. Speaker, in light of the facts that were just presented, does the Prime Minister acknowledge that Ottawa is fuelling and stoking division as it attempts to demolish Quebec's efforts to uphold its own values, secularism first and foremost? What is happening in these schools is serious. Does he realize that his will to fund the challenge against Bill 21 on secularism and take it all the way to t…
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Mr. Speaker, time is running out. Four million retirees in Canada, and one million in Quebec, are waiting for their buying power to actually improve, and not just as part of a slogan. Tens of thousands of supply-managed farmers are waiting for their business model to be protected in perpetuity. Will the Prime Minister seize the opportunity to make a difference and improve the lives of four million…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is playing fast and loose with the facts, but the time for action is just a few days away. In a paralyzed Parliament, and with a paralyzed government, we are proposing something that is good for people. This proposal could actually stabilize Parliament for a few weeks. Parliament really needs this. Is the Prime Minister going to let his government be eaten up from b…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister says we should not suggest to her that the Liberals are turning their backs on farmers. Well, I am telling her straight out that they have turned their backs on farmers, specifically 6,000 agricultural producers in Quebec, representing over 100,000 jobs. Why are the Liberals all talk and no action? The clock is ticking. Time is running out. Speaking of independence, do th…
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Mr. Speaker, they have two other options: the maximum number of Bloc Québécois MPs or sovereignty. At this rate, as the government lurches from one failure to the next and continues to prove that it is unable to get anything done, soon it will be too late. Before long, even the NDP will not want to be seen with the Liberals. Who is the boss in Canada: the Prime Minister or two unelected senators?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify something. The Bloc Québécois introduced Bill C‑282, which excludes supply management from any future trade negotiations, and all parties in the House have at various times supported this bill, which is now in the Senate. I want to make this very clear. The government holds the executive power that stems from the democratic process. Does the government still ag…
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Mr. Speaker, let me further clarify something. Two unelected senators have been unequivocal. They are clearly saying that supply management must be part of future trade negotiations and must not be excluded. They are saying the opposite of what the government is saying. By not asserting its leadership with two unelected senators, the government is turning its back on farmers in Quebec and Canada, …
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Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Prime Minister, one that will allow him to keep trying to stay in the job. Bill C‑282, the supply management bill, has been in the Senate for a year and a half. The bill contains just one section. The unelected, illegitimate Senate seems to be leading the Prime Minister around by the nose. It is his senators, the ones he appointed, who are standing in the way…
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Mr. Speaker, not only is his minister a laughingstock in the eyes of the Quebec media, but the Prime Minister is also saying that we voted against adjusting the age of retirement from 67 to 65 and against enhancing the GIS. In both cases, however, the vote always included jurisdictional interference and other issues that are unacceptable to Quebec. The Prime Minister and his minister are misleadin…
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Mr. Speaker, I always believed the Prime Minister had a hard time understanding the concept of independence. I think the problem with all that is that the two bills that we will be discussing between now and October 29 come from the Bloc Québécois. Everyone here has already voted in favour of these bills. When something is an issue, money and time are no problem. The only majority that this Prime …
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