Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is ironic to hear the Liberals talk about health transfers and about how the Conservatives will offer less, when the amount is already so small. In any case, we will give them a fair chance. I thank my colleague for sticking to the topic of the day for his whole speech. I appreciate it. He talked a lot about housing. This is an essential and very important issue. Housing costs are …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I would like to hear him talk about housing. We know that the housing crisis is one of the very important factors of the inflationary situation that we are experiencing at the moment. At the Bloc Québécois, we believe that we should invest massively in social housing. We even believe that we should make a permanent commitment to invest 1% of the …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. He talked about ways to fight inflation. A basic and very important way would be to significantly boost residential housing starts, which would reduce pressure on the housing market, and on social housing in particular. Social housing would remove low-income people from the current market and would reduce that pressure. I would like my colleague …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, who has just finished his speech, for his support. This is the moment of truth. This is the moment when we separate the parliamentarians who make vague promises they do not necessarily intend to keep from those who are prepared to put their names down on paper. In real life, if someone makes a commitment, they are prepared to put their name down on paper. There…
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Madam Speaker, I would like my colleague to elaborate on that. When it comes to supply management and food security, how could we also start exporting this model abroad so that countries around the world can have a solid local food foundation? That is something that we could do.
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to mark the 350th anniversary of Lavaltrie, a magnificent municipality in Berthier—Maskinongé. The municipality owes its name to Séraphin Margane de Lavaltrie, a lieutenant in the Carignan-Salières regiment to whom Intendant Talon granted a seigneury in 1672. Its magnificent church was designed by Victor Bourgeau, a Lavaltrie native, and a sculpture of the architect…
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Madam Speaker, we have here a Liberal government that is unable to deliver passports or issue old age security cheques on time to people who reach retirement age. The Liberal government is also unable to guarantee security for workers through EI. These are all things that are part of its legislative agenda or its current jurisdictions, yet it wants to lecture the provinces and Quebec on health, sa…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his concern for the well‑being of veterans. It is indeed very important. I would like to know whether my colleague is aware that claims from francophone veterans take much longer to be processed than claims from anglophone veterans. I get the impression that Bloc MPs are the only ones who care about this. I hope that is not the case. I would like my colleague'…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his usual passion and for his service to his constituents. I wonder if he could comment on the delays in processing veterans' claims. This important issue has been raised by our veterans affairs critic, who is doing an extraordinary job. Although money has been invested to address this problem, it does not appear to have been resolved. We are talking abou…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Lisette Leblanc Landry has dedicated her life to serving others. A member of the Filles d'Isabelle for over 60 years and of the Avellin-Dalcourt residents' committee, she regularly visits the sick and accompanies people who need support during medical appointments. Mrs. Leblanc Landry considers herself fortunate to be in good health and to have free time, so she has dedicated herself …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak to this bill. I would like to announce at the outset that the Bloc Québécois agrees that the first Monday in August should be designated food day in Canada. There are a lot of interesting things in the bill's preamble. I think they are worth mentioning. First, it says that sovereignty is dependent on the safety and security of our food supply. It is impor…
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Madam Speaker, this morning, I once again find myself in some kind of bad theatrical production where people keep repeating the same lines. They are the only ones who do not realize that this is getting really ridiculous. Everyone is talking, but at the end of the day, they are not talking about the real issue and how to help people deal with inflation right now. The Bloc Québécois has proposed ve…
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Madam Speaker, I have a simple question for my colleague. We have heard about the record profits made by oil and gas companies several times today. There are different ways of looking at a problem. Would she not agree to implementing a special tax on the huge profits and having the money redistributed to people who need it to deal with inflation? Would she agree, for example, to increasing old age…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise on this topic this morning. There are different ways of seeing things. Some people say that we do not need a day. However, that day already exists. Last year, on March 11, there was a rather solemn commemoration. Two years ago, we also commemorated the day in a meaningful way— Madam Speaker, I would like to be able to hear myself speak.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their co-operation. As I was saying, this day already exists. March 11, 2021, was designated as a national day of remembrance. There was also a commemoration in 2020, as I mentioned earlier. Today, we are creating an official, permanent day of remembrance. We are not creating a statutory holiday or anything like that. This day will be marked on the calendar…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I enjoyed my colleague's speech. I quite agree with many of the points he made, including the fact that we should focus on improving existing programs rather than creating more. We just so happen to agree on that. In his speech, he said that, rather than creating new problems, we should look to provincial health transfers as the solution. Did I understand my colleague correctly? Doe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, since the member for Mirabel seems to be in fine form today, I would like him to share his thoughts on independence. The topic was raised earlier by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. The door is open.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, in her speech, the member stressed the importance of working together, of collaboration. My question is the following: Is she open to discussing how the program can be adapted for Quebec, which already has its own program? This could take the form of increased health transfers, for example. If we are supposed to work together and debate bills, does she think it is okay that we have …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I have the pleasure of working with him at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. Let me start by gently correcting my colleague when he states that the NDP is the only party to advocate for taxing companies that made record profits in the past year. The Bloc Québécois has also talked of taxing companies whose profits exceed $1 bill…
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Madam Speaker, I am very sorry if the member felt personally offended. My intention was to speak out against the fact that people have been saying the same thing over and over for days. In my view, that does not contribute to the debate. I did not intend to attack him personally. I hope that clears things up. That said, acting wisely might also mean not taking the populist tack of arguing for an e…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I would like the House to get down to business, to work like the mature adults we are supposed to be, rather than to repeat slogans and idiocies all day. With respect to the carbon tax, is my colleague aware that the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food is currently working intelligently to create exemptions where necessary, but that, …
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Madam Speaker, I will begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with my very esteemed colleague from Joliette. I first want to thank my colleague from Cowichan—Malahat—Langford for raising this very important matter in the House, as the price of groceries is a concern for many of our constituents. We see that food inflation is higher than inflation in general. Naturally, there are some distin…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Nunavut for her question. We certainly do agree that we need to examine the issue in depth and call witnesses. I would like to take this opportunity to say publicly that I love the sound of my colleague's language when she speaks it. I encourage her to use it more often. I said that we agree. However, when I am told that we need to condemn gre…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his intervention. Yes, that is our goal. That is why I am saying that we need to do a serious study. We have a certain number of meetings planned, and we can hold more as needed. I think it is our duty to do things intelligently and identify the sources of this inflation. I said it in my speech, but I want to repeat that we must help the people who are less …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, acting wisely in Parliament would mean not repeating the same stupid nonsense three times in every speech. It would also mean—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like it if people could hear our answers to questions. I think I did that properly. The Speaker may want to check what I said and let me know if I followed the rules of the House. Acting wisely means considering all aspects of a debate, listening to what other people have to say, and using government money to help the less fortunate. We have to find the equilibrium there.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, the Louiseville buckwheat pancake festival is back in its entirety this year, and the 43rd edition is in full swing, making the Mauricie region and all of Quebec proud. It started out as a meal put on for those in need known as the “souper des gueux”, or supper for the poor, with a menu consisting of buckwheat pancakes, roast pork, cretons and hash browns. Who would have thought that …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I will be brief since I only have four minutes for my speech. First, I want to recognize the sponsor of this bill, the member for Richmond Centre, as well as the member for Cambridge who preceded him and the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley, who provided some quirky and rather amusing examples. I would have a few of my own to share, but unfortunately, four minutes is not enough time…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I would like him to know that when it comes down to it, no one is against children receiving dental care or low-income people receiving help to pay their rent. That is why we were in favour of the bill at first reading. However, I have a question for him. Will his government be open-minded and consider transferring the money for this program to t…
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Madam Speaker, not so long ago, my colleagues in the Conservative Party seemed to agree with increasing health transfers for all the provinces and Quebec. I seem to recall that there was support from the Conservative benches. I am not sure whether it is the change in leadership, but ever since there has been a new leader, we no longer hear them talk about this. I would like to know: Do they agree …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his speech. I would like him to talk about next steps with regard to Ukraine's application to join NATO, which has been an ongoing matter for several years. What can we now do to try to improve and resolve this situation in the near future? How can we ensure that Russia will not succeed in getting what it wants with its aggression?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague from Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia. This is a very serious issue. Referendums are being held in the territories occupied by the army. This is significant. Obviously, Quebec has had a few referendums, but we are not talking about the same thing, not at all. We have had democratic referendums, wit…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his question. Indeed, Russian citizens are currently trying to flee. It is my understanding that they are even being turned back at some borders. I find that unfortunate because people are never really guilty of their leaders' crimes. With respect to social media, the propaganda may indeed play a significant role. Unfortunately, Russians do not …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question. That is a major issue, a really serious one. I do not really have an answer for him. I think we need to start by setting an example ourselves. We have to make sure our news sources in Quebec and Canada are well funded. Regional media outlets are dying out, usually for lack of funding. I think the government could do something about th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, as we speak, more mass burial sites are being discovered, including mass graves of civilians. Not only were they killed and buried together in a pit, but some of their bodies bear signs of torture, indicating that they were tied up for hours on end. How can we consider, for even a second, a referendum held by the occupation forces that committed these atrocities? The Ukrainian people …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear from the Leader of the Opposition. The Conservatives keep coming back to the same issue, one that is very important. No one is denying that. However, it seems to me that there is a lack of constructive solutions. Would my colleague be open to increasing benefits for seniors on fixed incomes? The Bloc Québécois has been trying to hammer home this point for several …
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Madam Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deepest condolences to my colleague on behalf of the Bloc Québécois. I was very pleased to hear him talk about increasing old age security starting at 65 in response to an earlier question. I was also happy to hear him talk about employment insurance in his speech. I have a question for him. We are talking about collaboration …
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Madam Speaker, we are hearing all sorts of things today, just like last Tuesday. It is more or less the same. I am not even sure where to start. Does my colleague realize that the oil companies are a price-fixing cartel and that lowering taxes will simply increase their profit margin? Look at the current inflation. Analyzing the numbers, it is clear that their profit margin has increased. This is …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honour Jonathan Beaulieu‑Richard, a former Montreal Alouettes player who passed away from cancer at the age of 33. I also want to recognize his wife, Émilie Renière, who supported him to the very end. Jonathan was a good man with a positive attitude who wanted to give back to his community, which is why he created the Jouer Bouger Rire foundation. When Jonathan found o…
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Madam Speaker, it is quite something to watch the NDP defend the Prime Minister. I would say that undermines their credibility just a bit when they ask questions. My colleague talked a lot about the fact that it is just inflation and so on and that spending needs to be reduced. Previously he said that he agreed with increasing health transfers to the provinces and Quebec. I assume that he is aware…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to start by saying that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Laurentides—Labelle. We are hearing all sorts of things today, but let us get back to the basics of Bill C‑31. This essentially provides financial support to the parents of children under 12. It is not a dental care plan. I will illustrate that later. It also creates a rental housing benefit. The B…
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Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to rephrase the last sentence of my speech. I urge Parliament to mind its own business and look after its own affairs, instead of interfering with the provinces. I think that is worded better. I will be careful in the future. Now, to answer the question from my esteemed colleague, I would say that we are not against the bill. We will vote in favour of…
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Madam Speaker, as I said, it is obviously just a drop in the bucket. It adds up to $42 a month. For someone paying $1,500 or $1,600 a month in rent, it does not make a big difference. However, when people are in need, every cent they receive can give them a little bit of breathing room. That is why we have mixed feelings about it. Some members are saying that this changes nothing, that it does not…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I humbly thank my colleague, whom I hold in high regard as well. As I said in my speech, we are not against funding for dental care. What we are saying is that Quebec already has a system. The government is just adding another layer with more paperwork. It will cost more than we get in return. The government seems to be randomly throwing money out there. We want to see things done p…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, first, I want to say that the Bloc Québécois and I stand with all those affected. We need to assist them by providing the funding they need. We will be there to work with the government as needed. I would like to know what my colleague plans to do about shoreline erosion. For a long time now, we have been calling on the government to invest and to give the provinces and territories mo…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I am very happy to see some degree of unanimity in our solidarity with the people of the Atlantic coast. It is very important that we all agree to help with the rebuilding as soon as possible. The leader of the official opposition said that the government must act quickly and that his party would make sure the government takes action to achieve concrete results. Once that is done, i…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I want to assure him that we are offering our heartfelt co-operation. He knows that is the case under normal circumstances. Considering the extraordinary circumstances of this evening, it is doubly true. I would like him to tell us more, as he so eagerly hoped to do, about the consequences this hurricane has had on the agricultural community in h…
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Madam Speaker, I would love to know whether the Minister of Health realizes that Quebec already covers dental care for kids under the age of nine. Did he factor that into his program? How does he plan to compensate Quebeckers whose taxes will be paying for benefits that are allocated elsewhere in Canada? Quebeckers already pay for such a program and our health care system is in need of funding. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. I wonder if he could clarify something for me. I am concerned because Quebec already has a program that covers a good portion of dental costs for children under 10. Quebec taxpayers are accustomed to their tax dollars being used for this. I cannot even guarantee that it will be used only for dental care. Someone can submit a receipt for $100 b…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the AgriInvest program: (a) what is the most recent information on the aggregate balance of AgriInvest accounts paid by the (i) producer, (ii) government; and (b) what is the breakdown of the data in (a) by (i) province, (ii) administrative region of Quebec, (iii) production type?
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