Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am very disappointed to be faced with a time allocation motion yet again, as my colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert so aptly pointed out as he was raising important issues. There are other issues that have not been raised yet. Let us take employment insurance, for example. How is it that the federal government is taking money from workers for its budget and is refusing to conduct …
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Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all the egg farming families of Berthier—Maskinongé and Quebec, I would like to congratulate the Egg Farmers of Canada on its 50th anniversary. I would also like to call attention to its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, as our egg farmers join the fight against climate change. Our supply management system ensures that farmers have the income and capacit…
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Madam Speaker, as usual, it is a pleasure to rise in the House. However, it will quickly become apparent that my speech on Bill C‑47, budget implementation act, 2023, is half-hearted because there is not a lot of good news in this budget. On top of that, we were told this morning that we will not be able to discuss this for very long. We always get quite upset when the government prevents debate a…
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Madam Speaker, I did not know I would make someone happy today. I am pleased too. I want to reassure my colleague. When he says it is too bad that I am a separatist, I say to him that we are still able to work together. What is more, when Quebec becomes politically independent, we will work even better together because we will be equal counterparts. We will maintain ties and continue to collaborat…
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Madam Speaker, generally speaking, the Bloc Québécois and Quebeckers have always been in favour of revenue sharing. Therefore, we support this type of measure, which ensures more optimal revenue sharing, to a certain extent of course. I believe it is important for the state to redistribute wealth. Some believe that if peoples' taxes are too high, they will stop donating to charity. This allows me …
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Madam Speaker, I have only 15 seconds left, which is not much time to answer that question. We need to make the transition from fossil fuels to renewables as quickly as possible and start investing directly in that. That is what the member for Berthier—Maskinongé believes. It is urgent, and I wish everyone understood that.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we must act quickly. What good is it to give speeches about the importance of local food resiliency if we let our local farms disappear? We talk about inflation and interest rates every day, but we never talk about the farmers who are affected by this issue. According to UPA data, 50% of agricultural businesses expect their financial situation to further deteriorate this year. Does th…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and the bill he is sponsoring in the House. I think it is necessary to enshrine the importance of food in legislation. I would like to hear his thoughts. We are passing good legislation that outlines great principles, but what does my colleague make of the fact that our agricultural community is currently sounding the alarm? Last week, the UPA rel…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is clearly in favour of establishing a food day. It was a pleasure to address this in committee, and it passed within minutes. It is not controversial. The bill states that “Canada’s national sovereignty is dependent on the safety and security of our food supply”, that it “contributes to our nation’s social, environmental and economic well-being”, that it is impor…
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Madam Speaker, I know my colleague has a keen interest in agricultural issues. I have a technical question for her. We are currently working on Bill C-282 in committee. This is a bill that was overwhelmingly supported by the Conservatives. Now we are witnessing a filibuster. I would like her opinion on that. Does she think it is okay to filibuster? If the Conservatives are now against the bill, sh…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I remember last February 8 when all the parties voted in favour of including supply management protection in international agreements. All the parties voted for Bill C‑282. I know that some people remember that. Maybe it is time that the political parties remembered too. At this time, in committee, the Conservatives are filibustering to block Bill C-282. They keep stalling, slowing do…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Union des producteurs agricoles, or UPA, is sounding the alarm. Rising costs are jeopardizing the next generation of farmers. If the government does not do anything about this, one in 10 businesses is set to close within the year. That is one in 10 farms gone within 12 months. The federal government could create an emergency agriculture account, similar to the one put in place dur…
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Mr. Speaker, what we have to take away from this debate is that our culture needs a boost, that it needs more discoverability. If we do not help our culture, we will only see the culture of others on our networks, the culture of our bigger neighbour, which has tons more money to invest in its industry. I would like the Conservatives to understand that and also that the bill has nothing to do with …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on Monday night in Louiseville, Sergeant Maureen Breau was serving her community. Dedicated and available, she had in fact volunteered to do overtime. She was experienced, attentive and well-liked. She had just been promoted and had a brilliant future and many plans. Maureen Breau did not go home Monday night. She lost her life during an intervention to restore peace and security in h…
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Mr. Speaker, I did not see the letter in question, but I doubt that the Premier of Quebec said he was afraid of censorship in the bill. I think that the Quebec government's concern is the same as that of all national governments, that is, to ensure that culture continues to exist, to make sure we can buy local. We talk about buying local when it comes to food, but it is also important for culture.…
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Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed with it. At the same time, the hon. member is right about one very important thing: Today is a big day. To reassure him, I would say that we agree with the NDP more often than he thinks. The only point we often disagree on is which government should be in charge of dealing with social issues. We could have a lively discussion about that over a few pints of beer. With…
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Mr. Speaker, seriously, he is absolutely right. In 1991, we received typed copies of university research. Today, we are living in a completely different world. That is why it is important to include in the bill a provision to ensure that a review is done every five years. Just because the bill states that a review absolutely needs to be done every five years does not mean that we have to wait five…
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Mr. Speaker, I am starting to get worried. I keep agreeing with my colleague from Winnipeg North when I am in Parliament.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to say I will be sharing my time with my very distinguished and dynamic colleague from Shefford. Let me make a few things clear. Bill C-11 deals with culture, not censorship. Bill C-11 deals with national identity and pride. Culture is the essence of who we are. This bill does not promote censorship, it promotes and showcases our culture. I would even say that it s…
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Mr. Speaker, I apologize for interrupting the member, but the interpreter is indicating that there is an earpiece close to the microphone. This is causing sound problems. The earpiece needs to be moved further away from the microphone.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to Bill C‑234, which may seem like a hijacking of the carbon pricing legislation, but in fact is not. This is an exceptional measure and the Bloc Québécois supports it. Pricing pollution to change behaviours is a good measure. It is smart to use regulation and taxation with the very specific intent to change behaviour and change the use of a combustible or a larg…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. He talked a lot about poverty and lack of income. I would like to ask him about seniors. The Bloc Québécois recently held a conference in the riding of Shefford, where our critic lives. We heard from experts on the subject. Unfortunately, they confirmed our interpretation of the Liberal government's policy of not increasing old age security startin…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke about alcohol taxes. Last year, the Bloc Québécois fought for an excise tax exemption for cider and mead. This exemption should also apply to alcoholic beverages made from berries and to acerum, which is made from maple syrup. Does my colleague agree that craft liquors are very different from mass-produced commercial liquors and should be exempt from excise duty, ju…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I will bring the debate back to budget requests. The earlier exchanges were not very respectful. I would like my colleague to speak about the agriculture sector and agri-food processing. Agricultural groups informed the government that they were expecting significant support to deal with inflation, especially newer businesses. Next-generation businesses currently have very high debt…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from New Westminster—Burnaby made his speech a little while ago, but I want to thank him. I would like him to come back to the importance of having an independent, totally non-partisan, public inquiry that would be voted on in the House of Commons. I want to mention the statement made by my colleague from Trois‑Rivières, who aptly described at the outset the importance of…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I am happy to agree with him once again. It does not happen very often. Bill C‑11 is fundamental. This bill showcases and supports the cultural sector. One thing that must be stressed and which members of the House need to understand is that the cultural sector is a sector that needs to be supported and promoted. We are not saying that we will prov…
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Madam Speaker, I will begin by expressing my disappointment. I am disappointed because I really do value my colleague who just spoke. I think he is a man of great intelligence and exemplary quick thinking, as he has often demonstrated. Unfortunately, this morning, he seems to be embarking on a global disinformation campaign on behalf of his pan-Canadian, pro-oil, pro-pipelines-in-Quebec political …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. Clearly, there is an incredible amount of support for this bill in the House because it deals with an obvious issue. No one wants to encourage slavery or child labour. One has to wonder why Canada's current legislation and practices allow for the importation of such products. Now is the time to act, so let us do that. One might also wonder whethe…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. It was eminently sensible, and he made some good points. I am glad the Conservatives are going to vote in favour of the bill so that it can go to committee, and I hope we will all approach that work in good faith, as we should. Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to serve as a substitute at the Standing Committee on Public Safety …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, today I salute the courage, determination and dedication of two volunteer firefighters from Berthier—Maskinongé. I want to pay tribute to Denis Ringuette, who is celebrating 50 years of service as a volunteer firefighter in Louiseville, as well as Jacques Pellerin of Yamachiche, who has completed 52 years of loyal service. They have stepped up for over 50 years, always willing to risk…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. I am going to take the ball and run with it in the hopes that my message comes across more clearly than it did earlier, in my previous intervention. What I want to say to the NDP is that we agree on the substance. We should work together more often on social causes like this. The problem, and my colleague just said it herself, is funding. The top…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the passion with which he speaks. Once again, I find myself in a situation where I agree almost 100% with my colleague. However, he is not in the right parliament. Today, his political party is proposing a false solution: to support the government which is underfunding provincial health care, but prohibit the bad provinces from using private health care to s…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the next generation of farmers is under threat at a time when the price of land has spiked by 248% in 10 years. The House passed Bill C‑208 some time ago to make it easier to transfer a farm between members of the same family, but no one is benefiting from that because Ottawa keeps promising to amend the legislation without ever actually doing it. If they sell their farm to their fami…
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Mr. Speaker, this needs to be clarified. The La Presse article reports that farmers are no longer able to own farmland and that the seigneurial system is coming back. That is a huge step backwards. Meanwhile, the federal government is still impeding the intergenerational transfer of farm businesses by maintaining tax uncertainty. Can the Minister of Finance once and for all clarify her position, r…
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Madam Speaker, my answer is quite simply “none” because I did not sign that contract. When I said that this was not my Constitution—and by the way, I also said that I am not arguing with the fact that this is a big beautiful country—I was repeating what someone else had said. I was explaining that it is too bad but that this country is not ours because we were not shown any respect in the way the …
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Madam Speaker, since I was referred to directly, I will ask my colleague a question. There are a number of points to address. Some big things are being said, and I would like to refocus the debate. Nobody here agreed with the Premier of Ontario's decisions. We did not. All we said was that these issues should be dealt with within the province. The public outcry has done its job, I think. Just beca…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his questions. However, there is some confusion. First, am I afraid? Not too many things scare me. We are here to debate. What we are trying to stop, and not because we are scared, is the federal government's centralizing tendency. I did not give a history lesson earlier, but I am going to give a short one now. I remind members that since 1867, the famous Jo…
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Madam Speaker, that is going to be a challenge. Here is what is at issue here. Canada has chosen a neutral model, in other words, everyone can display whatever symbols they want. That is fine. It does not bother the Bloc Québécois that Canada is multicultural. What we want is the power to keep our own model. That is what neutrality is. In Quebec, we made a different choice. We chose to ensure secu…
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Madam Speaker, regarding the bill on farm succession, as a society, Quebec has decided to give young people a leg up as they are starting out in agriculture. This is certainly discriminatory, because it provides them with financial support that we are not offering to older people. The notwithstanding clause is being used. It may come as a surprise, but we are talking about ordinary laws. The notwi…
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Madam Speaker, I was reminding my hon. colleagues, who are having a discussion, that Quebec’s weight within this federation is shrinking steadily and that it is essential to preserve this democratic tool. That is what this is about. It is a democratic tool that is used regularly by the Quebec government. I heard all sorts of things today. Members said that it was used in an exceptional way and tha…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak on this topic today. I just want to take a few seconds at the beginning of my speech to send my best wishes to the families affected by the tragedy in Laval yesterday, as this is the first time I have had the opportunity to do so in the House. My heart goes out to them. The motion today is much simpler than many parliamentarians seem to think. It is a reminder …
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Mr. Speaker, every time we have an opposition day, I am rather surprised to hear the Conservatives lecturing us about how there are other subjects that we should be talking about, like inflation. Meanwhile, I think they spent seven of their opposition days talking about inflation without proposing any solutions whatsoever. All they did was repeat the same sound bites all day long. They are in no p…
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Mr. Speaker, does my colleague not think that using the notwithstanding clause pre-emptively will save many years of unnecessary litigation to reach the same conclusion further down the road? Would she not agree that our position is actually quite reasonable? What we are asking Parliament to do is simple. We are asking it to at least respect what is set out in the contract that it shoved down our …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks, the Bloc Québécois travelled throughout Quebec to promote its Bill C-282, which seeks to protect supply-managed agricultural sectors by preventing future international agreements from having a negative impact on our farmers' share of the market and the income they earn from all of their hard work. Supply management is a critical component of our regions' economies and…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. I do agree with her that this is a complex issue. This morning, we are talking about public safety and crime in our streets. One of the big problems we have been talking about for months is the presence of illegal guns in our communities. I agree that this morning's motion will not solve anything. It is yet another populist motion. Still, the Lib…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech, which was very straightforward, sensible and reasonable. In the time we have left, I would like her to talk about what should be done. This morning, we are talking about how to enhance public safety. In her speech, my colleague talked about what the Liberal government has failed to do to control illegal firearms in Quebec and Canada. What specific …
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Madam Speaker, as I listened to my Conservative colleague's remarks, I heard a lot of objections, a lot of—
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her excellent speech. For once, I am very pleased to be able to utterly and completely support a speech by one of my colleagues from the NDP. I would like to offer a solution to allow us to work together better in future. The bill before us includes an exemption for Quebec, which already has its own system. Over the past three years, there has been m…
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Madam Speaker, obviously I have gotten pretty good at speaking while other people are talking. This is the result of three years of training as a member of Parliament. I listened to my colleague's speech, which raised many doubts and questions. Has she seen the progress made in Quebec since our child care programs were implemented? This goes for both private and public programs. Private day care f…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise to speak to Motion No. 62. Doing so is a big and serious responsibility. When I talk about important subjects like this one, I feel responsible for bringing people together. I want to take this opportunity to wish all of my colleagues in the House of Commons and the people of Berthier—Maskinongé a very happy new year. My wish for us here in Parliament is th…
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