Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The federal government certainly has a role to play, but the parliamentary secretary opposite will be happy to hear that the what the federal government needs to do here is to provide funding, because this is Quebec's jurisdiction. That is fundamental. My colleague said that he is sure that Quebec is no different than any other province, but it…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I would like to hear his thoughts about how this government is rushing through things and failing to allow for in-depth studies into topics such as medical assistance in dying. There is a lack of seriousness in committee. I do not want to make accusations, but I am asking my Conservative colleague because, in this case, his party seems to be the on…
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Mr. Speaker, it is the same thing every spring. Just as predictable as the return of warm weather is the return of federal delays in processing temporary foreign workers. Once again, the same farmers must pay for the same market studies. Once again, the arrival of workers is delayed and farmers are afraid they will miss their chance to harvest their crops. As Albert Einstein said, insanity is doin…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has proposed plenty of possible solutions. At the very least, the federal government could eliminate the requirement for the same market impact assessments every year when everyone knows there is a labour shortage. It could speed up foreign workers' arrival in Canada by collecting their biometrics here. It could deal with their work permits once they arrive in the c…
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Madam Speaker, I will try to elevate the debate in the House and move away from irony and accusations. I agree with some of the criticisms that my Liberal colleague has levelled against the Conservatives, but I would like to steer him towards other topics. I would like to hear his thoughts on the three points I am about to raise. Is this motion not designed to make up for his government's lax mana…
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Mr. Speaker, as the member just said, the sector hit hardest by the sanctions is agriculture. Quebec and eastern Canada use fertilizer imported from Russia, which has been slapped with a 35% surcharge. Our farmers put their orders in before Russia attacked, so the surcharge is not penalizing Russia, which has already been paid. It is only penalizing our farmers. A 35% surcharge for imports after t…
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Mr. Speaker, we need to move quickly. This affects everyone. If fertilizer is already 35% more expensive for farmers, what will happen to food prices? At a time when the cost of groceries is already at a record high, people cannot afford to pay any more. I would point out that the 35% tariff comes from a well-intentioned sanction against Russia. However, it is ill-conceived, because it has no impa…
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Madam Speaker, there are two things in life: pretty words and concrete action. In his speech, the member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie denounced the government's climate inaction. Yesterday, however, we voted on an amendment to the amendment that called for concrete action. In his speech, my colleague said that the NDP had achieved significant results for seniors, yet old age pensions are still no…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. I listened to him talk about building pipelines to solve the war in Europe. We need to understand that, if we start building pipelines today, that will not have an effect on the current war. He said that we should have done it a long time ago. With all due respect, is my colleague aware of global warming and the world crisis we are …
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Shefford. I am pleased to weigh in on the budget. It will become clear quite quickly that I am going to talk about agriculture. I have a certain bent in that direction. Many people are disappointed because there is not much in the budget for the farming community. We are hearing announcements about the obvious things, among others, as we…
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Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has always been resolutely in favour of free trade. We have never questioned the benefits of international agreements. Here, we believe that we can do two things at the same time: protect our system under supply management and enter into good trade agreements. If the member really supports supply management, I would ask him to explain how it is that we have had to…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, whom I hold in high regard, for his question Yes, absolutely. All farmers and all provinces must be treated equally. However, when a majority of the provinces want to move forward to improve the program and make sure it works properly, all provinces should be able to choose whether to implement it. Those who want to can do so, but everyone has the same opportun…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague for his question about a part of my speech that I did not have a chance to get to because I was so emotional in the first part. We are working on it. I think that agriculture can play a huge role in the environment. I think it is important to provide direct compensation for positive actions. I would say that the one positive in what was announced is the…
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Madam Speaker, I enjoyed my colleague’s speech. He appears to be attuned to the issues of youth and the next generation of farmers. I will ask him about Bill C-208. I am assuming he is familiar with this bill, which was democratically passed in the last Parliament and should now be in effect. The Liberal government, however, announced in its budget that it would review the nature of the bill, whic…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his intervention. I would like to know what he thinks of the agricultural component of this budget. In his speech, he stated that people need to know where they are going and they need a certain predictability. That is what the farming community needs, but unfortunately the government continues to disappoint with respect to the NAFTA compensation. The govern…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my colleague opposite. However, at some point, we must speak frankly. In his speech, he stated, and I am tempted to say he had the nerve to state, that the Liberals made historic investments in the well-being of seniors. Did I understand correctly? They stubbornly refuse to increase old age pensions starting at the age of 65. I would like my colleagu…
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Mr. Speaker, at the very end of his speech, the member mentioned shoreline protection, which is obviously very important to me. We think there should be a federal program to protect the shores of the St. Lawrence Seaway, since that falls under federal jurisdiction. I would like my colleague to comment further on this. Does he think the federal government should step in? I would like him to expand …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague talks a lot about inflation. She also talks about housing. Access to housing is a huge problem. One way to combat inflation is to increase housing supply. I would like her to tell us about the measures announced in the budget, which, in my opinion, are still too weak. I would like to hear her thoughts on this. What measures could we take to quickly increase housing supply…
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Madam Speaker, I too want to reassure my colleague. Bill C-14 was not introduced by the Bloc. That is not what we were asking for. We were asking to maintain Quebec's political weight. It is not about the number of seats, but a proportion of the total number of seats. He will be pleased to hear that I agree with him on several points. The Constitution is outdated. The Senate is outdated. I have a …
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Madam Speaker, if I understood correctly, the member had no interpretation while I was speaking. I think it is important that he understand the question. Could we have consent for me to start over?
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. It is pretty clear that there needs to be more investment in the Canadian Armed Forces. The 2% target was set during an international agreement with people from NATO and it is reasonable. However, there are a lot of questions about procurement and many concerns about wasting public money. I would like my colleague's opinion on that. We only have to…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his eloquent and clear speech. I was reading the summary of the bill this morning and I was ashamed. It is embarrassing to read that billions of dollars are being poured into four old, leaky submarines and used planes, especially since the government first cancelled the purchase of these planes only to turn around and decide to buy them anyway.…
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Madam Speaker, I would like my colleague to give me a ray of hope. I understand all the factors underlying his positions. I understand that the member represents an oil-producing riding. I understand that people are asking him to get the oil out and sell it. However, does he also realize that the time has come to start the climate transition? Does he also realize that the Bloc's position does not …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his speech. However, I am rather tired of hearing the Liberals brag about how they have taken such good care of seniors. In his speech, my colleague once again reminded us that the Liberals increased old age security for seniors aged 75 and up. However, in doing so, they are creating two classes of seniors. When we ask them about that, we eith…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his excellent speech. I sense that he did not have enough time at the end when he was talking about agriculture, and I would like to give him the opportunity to speak more about the promises for compensation. This Liberal government likes to repeat its promises one, two, three and even four times, which obliges the people on the other end of the convers…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for such an interesting speech. My colleague and I agree on the substance of several points, including providing the dental care that people need. However, is my colleague aware that health is under provincial jurisdiction in this federation? In theory he is, because that is what is written in the contract they signed. Does he not think that we sho…
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Mr. Speaker, it is mind-boggling. We do agree that the inflation issue is an important and fundamental problem and that we need to do something about it. However, the Conservatives have proposed a simplistic, I would even say populist, solution to reduce all taxes. Do our colleagues in the Conservative Party know that in June 2021, the G7 countries agreed to start imposing a 15% minimum tax on tax…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague a question. Do the Conservatives realize they are being inconsistent with the motion they are moving this morning? When we talk about increasing health transfers—a unanimous request from the provinces—the Conservatives usually agree with us. When they say that overspending needs to end, does that mean they will now oppose this? Similarly, when we ask f…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize Jean‑Marie Giguère's commitment to the Mauricie branch of the Union des producteurs agricoles. Today we celebrate nearly a quarter-century of devotion to the farm union movement, including nine years as president of UPA Mauricie. Jean‑Marie Giguère is passionate about horses and has developed significant expertise in breeding magnificent Percherons. He …
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Madam Speaker, my colleague talks a lot about tax exemptions and things like that. There are some very inexpensive things we could have done to help the labour market, for instance. In this bill, there is absolutely nothing to help our businesses get workers. If my colleague went out in the field a bit, he would be saying the same thing: All our business owners are struggling to find employees. We…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I usually enjoy his interventions. They are articulate and meaningful and offer good arguments. I have a lot in common with him. He raised several very positive points. He pointed out that spending a lot of money does not equate to being effective. That is something we should bear in mind and repeat more often to keep the Liberal propaganda from …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I think you would find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House: (a) consider that gardens and gardening contribute to the development of the country, our cities and people's lives with respect to health, quality of life, reconciliation, inclusion and environmental challenges; (b) consider that our pub…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions amongst the parties and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House consider that gardens and gardening contribute to the development of the country, our cities and people's lives by impacting health, quality of life, reconciliation, inclusion and environmental challenges; that our public, private and c…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague for her speech. She did a wonderful job explaining how important it is to provide decent service to rural populations. There are other realities, such as regional realities. Perhaps my colleague could expand on that. For example, there are also territories. Everyone gripes about how Quebec always wants everything. The territories each have their own mem…
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Madam Speaker, before I get started, I would like to say that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from La Pointe-de-l'Île. Clearly I am a generous man, because 10 minutes is not a lot of time. I am pleased to address the House today in support of the Bloc Québécois motion. The Bloc's motion states one very simple principle: when the electoral map is redrawn, Quebec's political weight must …
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Quebec is a part of that. However, Quebec must not talk too loud or ask for anything. That is the problem. I am being asked to give substantive arguments. In fact, the Bloc Québécois is here to salvage something from the wreckage in the meantime. It would be nice if the member would listen to the answer to his question. That is the least he can do. Well, in that case, I hope the parliamentary secr…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for asking her question in such good French. We appreciate it. It was great. It is high time that the voting system were reviewed, in all parliaments for that matter, in order to better consider proportional representation. However, in any reform of the voting system, regional differences must also be taken into account. In a previous question, I mentioned the s…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. That depends on the way the question is asked. If the idea is that we will keep having 75 MPs, but they will represent 25% of the federal Parliament, I will answer yes. Today, we are not necessarily talking about a specific number of MPs. We are talking about relative weight. I have a lot of respect for the people of Nova Scotia, just as I have…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent speech. I would like him to comment on the statements we heard from members opposite. Some are accusing us of quoting sections of the Constitution and, at the same time, saying that we did not sign it. That is an ethical issue. I would like my colleague to explain the work we are doing today.
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Mr. Speaker, this is an extremely serious time. I agree with most of what the NDP leader said, especially what he said about more targeted sanctions. Does he think sanctions should be applied to Belarus to bring about the fastest, most conclusive results possible? That is what the Bloc Québécois believes. I would also like to know what he thinks about maintaining contact with embassies and ambassa…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his remarks. This has been raised a few times today, and my colleague just mentioned it again, but I am not sure we have had a clear answer as to whether the government is considering waiving visa requirements for Ukrainians coming to Canada, whether on a temporary or permanent basis, since it is an emergency situation. I would like to hear my colleague's thou…
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech and his sensitivity. We can see he is concerned, as are all of us here in the House. My colleague said that the government is prepared to do more. A number of solutions have been mentioned this evening, including expanding the sanctions to Belarus. I would like to know whether there have been talks with our partners to implement these sanctions as qui…
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech. I would like him to tell us about the humanitarian aspect of this war. From the bits of information we have been getting, we know that the Ukrainian people are holding the line and protecting their cities thanks to their extraordinary courage and amazing ability to mobilize. Those cities are currently under siege, however, which raises the spectre of…
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for her speech. Given her familiarity with military matters, I would like her opinion on a proposal her party put forward earlier to expel the Russian ambassador to Canada and recall the Canadian ambassador presently in Russia. Does she not think that any approach to conflict resolution requires at least some dialogue and communication? Does she think it would reall…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, my colleague seems to think that the Emergencies Act was essential. I would like him to explain how the police were able to clear the Ambassador Bridge without this legislation.
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Perth—Wellington for his speech. At the beginning of his speech, he mentioned the division he is seeing in society, and I am seeing the same thing. He said that this is not something that can be explained in a tweet. I imagine he has the same problem the rest of us do of trying to respond to everyone on social media and explain this in a few lines. The divi…
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Madam Speaker, I am astonished by the Liberals' comments of the past several days that this measure was reasonable, sensible and necessary. They have repeated several times that it was not the first, second or third option. The questions we have asked about those options have gone unanswered. We have had vague replies about being aware, about this being important, about providing additional tools …
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Madam Speaker, I am sincerely grateful to the member for Kenora for the tone and tenor of his speech. My hat is off to him. I would invite members of the House to reflect on the impact of that speech and its tone because that is the level of discourse we should hear in the House all the time. I hope we will make progress toward that goal. My colleague talked about people who are undecided about th…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix for her passionate speech. She spoke a lot about the value of democracy and about our duty to protect this democracy and live up to our responsibilities here in this place. I would like to hear her thoughts on the dangerous precedent this will set if, and I emphasize if, the left wing of the Liberal P…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, I am sick of hearing the Liberals tell us that this is an ordinary law that will simply provide a few extra tools if needed and that the provinces begged them to help and to show leadership. We, too, begged them to show some leadership for more than 20 days. Showing leadership does not involve the use of an extreme piece of legislation like the Emergencies Act. It involves bringing …
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