Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his very enlightening speech. Earlier, my Liberal colleague referenced the theatre in response to my colleague's unsuccessful attempt to find the crisis here. Personally, I think the Prime Minister is the one who is hard to find. In my opinion, the real theatre we are seeing here is the government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act in an attempt to hid…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary asked whether anybody had realized that the trucks had been cleared since the emergency measures were invoked. Did she realize that the Ambassador Bridge was cleared without the emergency measures? Did she not notice that the border in Alberta was cleared without the emergency measures and that weapons were actually seized there? Did she not realize that th…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I listened to my colleague’s speech. He has demonstrated that the government did absolutely nothing, or very little, before declaring an emergency. This leaves the impression that this emergency declaration is basically an attempt to save face for the government and the Prime Minister, who did absolutely nothing for some 20 days. I would like to know what my colleague thinks about t…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, in his speech, my colleague suggested that our political party has narrow interests. I urge him to temper his remarks and to look at the work that the Bloc Québécois does in the House. If he wonders what the point of our presence in the House is, and if he wants to know what we do, I will tell him that we stand up for our nation because, if we were not here to do that, few people wo…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I want to begin by informing you that I will be sharing my time with my esteemed colleague from Beauport—Limoilou. The situation is serious. People are concerned. They are contacting us. I have received all sorts of messages. The vast majority are from people asking us not to support this special legislation. People are saying that they do not want us to support this unacceptable la…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I am well aware that the Prime Minister is not the one who manages the police. I would like to ask my colleague a question in return. Does he understand that sometimes it would be nice to have a leader who can bring people together? The person leading a country needs to talk to people. The member is saying that the government talked to the protesters two years ago, but I think it co…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I agree with him. I will again draw a comparison to how things work in Quebec. The Premier of Quebec did not control the Quebec City police. He met with the mayor to talk about what they would do and how they would organize everything. It is just about getting out in front of a situation, trying to plan and, of course, getting people together. …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I am not sure I understand. The question was not very clear. Is he suggesting members of the Bloc Québécois never talk about the people of the Outaouais? The people of the Outaouais most certainly were inconvenienced by blocked bridges. Of course there are people with family and friends on the Ottawa side. However, it was downtown Ottawa that was occupied. The horns were blaring in …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, earlier, the Parliamentary Secretary referred to a poll. Does he not get the impression that 72% of people were actually simply in favour of ending the protests because they have been going on for too long? Perhaps people got that impression because the government failed to take action for three weeks. I think that is what is happening. I would like to hear what he has to say about …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, we often hear the Liberals say that they want to help, that they are proactive and so forth. I would like my colleague to comment on the fact that, when the Ottawa Police Service requested 1,800 additional officers, the federal government sent in only 275 RCMP officers and only 20 of them were assigned to the protests. Would responding to that request not have been a much more pract…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague listed all the wonderful things that his government has done for seniors. I will repeat for him the headline of an article published this morning in the Journal de Montréal: “Seniors starved by Ottawa”. It is not the most complimentary headline I have seen. This article mentions two of my constituents: Bob Petit, of Saint‑Jean‑de‑Matha, whose GIS was cut by $350 a month…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I would like to dedicate my speech today to Douglas Blanchet and Les Pliages Maskinongé, a business in my riding run by the amazing Monia Lacasse. Mr. Blanchet and the team at Les Pliages Maskinongé have worked together to put smiles on quite a few faces. Mr. Blanchet shared the design for the sled he adapted for people with disabilities with Les Pliages Maskinongé, which was able to …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. I would like to ask him a general question about this correction to the outdated tax exemption. We do not oppose this, quite the contrary. However, I would like him to comment on the possibility of Quebec also enshrining certain things in the Constitution, specifically something adopted by the House in the previous Parliament that identified Q…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will try again to get an answer to my question. The Bloc Québécois is in favour of the motion. In our view, it is reasonable to correct the anachronism. However, if a western province can enshrine something in the Constitution, Québec should be able to do so as well. That seems logical to me. Earlier, I asked one of my colleagues whether he agreed with what we voted on in the previo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the question I would like to ask was raised briefly by my colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert a little earlier. Members are unanimous on Saskatchewan’s request, which seems very reasonable to us all. However, how is it that no one seems to realize that one of the country’s provinces has not signed the Constitution we are talking about? This is not news, it dates back to 1982. I find…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for sharing these stories with us. The stories we are hearing are all very moving, and we could spend days listening to them. However, the members of this House have a responsibility to come up with and implement concrete measures. I was pleased to hear my colleague talk about diversion and his government's plans to address it. The Bloc Québécois will be there and…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, it makes me very happy to hear the member say that he is open to suggestions, even the possibility of diversion, which is not generally in line with his party's policies. What does he think about the need to increase health transfers to the provinces and Quebec and to increase funding for social housing? Both of these issues are directly related to this problem and are in dire need of f…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague clearly demonstrated the consensus surrounding the need for diversion. He also made the point that health transfers are primarily the jurisdiction of the provinces and Quebec, but I will not go there. I would like to hear the member's thoughts on a potential connection between social housing and the opioid crisis. What does he think the federal government can do in that r…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to speak to the economic update proposed in Bill C‑8. However, I am not at all pleased to say that it is about as weak as the throne speech. There are many things missing from it. The bill proposes some interesting things, such as credits for ventilation, transportation for people who live in remote regions, medical care and school supplies, and a t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. We agree once again. I find that has been happening quite a bit recently. That is a change. I completely agree with him on the fundamental importance of SMEs. We supported the small business assistance programs because it is important to have them. However, I would like to remind my colleague opposite that small business debt levels are very hi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague from Brandon—Souris. We are on the exact same page. I find it quite amusing that he has asked me to pass on a message for him, and I thank him for giving me the opportunity to make a clarification. Small businesses do not exist because of the government. The government did take measures to help them through the crisis, but my colleague from Brandon—Sour…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the short answer is yes, of course. As I mentioned earlier, my only concern is that the government needs to be mindful of jurisdictions and look at what is being done in the different provinces and territories. Housing for indigenous peoples is a parallel issue. There are indeed urgent needs in that sector, which, by the way, falls under federal jurisdiction. The federal government …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on her excellent speech. I would like to ask her to say more about money that must be earmarked for social housing. She just said the government has not done enough. The federal government's targets are pretty low, and it talks a lot about affordable housing, whereas we are talking about social housing. Could she comment further on that?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the situation is unbelievable. We are debating a serious matter, people's privacy. We have a parliamentary secretary who stated that he did not vote in committee and that all kinds of information is being collected from our phones anyway. That is worrisome. I would like to congratulate my colleague for his speech because he raised several very pertinent points. What I wanted to ask …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his balanced speech. He covered the issue in detail, and I would like to ask him the same question that I asked my Conservative colleague earlier. We have a government that claims that there is no problem, that there is no need to worry because data is always being collected. This government does not want to acknowledge its members' vote in committee. That i…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of his intervention, the parliamentary secretary has been trying to diminish the importance of the issue. He tells us quite frankly that he is not an expert and that he does not know about these things. He tells us that the government naturally needs to look after privacy, but that this is not a serious matter because the government will ensure that the data is use…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I would like to get his opinion on something. I have been listening to the debate for some time and I have heard government members tell us that it is no big deal, that everything is in order, there is no problem, no need to worry, and we need to act quickly because this is necessary and they will be careful. I have some vague memories of the WE pr…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, of course it is important to keep these industries. The fact that we were manufacturing fewer masks locally before the pandemic is one of the lessons to be learned. That is why I am talking about food sovereignty. I am not talking about stopping international trade, but we must have a minimum of local production. As for the masks that were handed out to us at the doors of Parliament…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia. It is a pleasure for me to address the House in relation to the throne speech. However, I will confess that it was not a pleasure to read it, because it contained almost nothing. My introduction will be fairly brief because I have a lot to say. I have plenty of content, and the Bloc has plenty of propos…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. I found several parts of his speech very interesting, particularly those relating to rural life, the cost of living and especially seniors. I would like to know what he thinks we should do. He mentioned the carbon tax, but I do not think that is the way to go. Would it not be simpler to immediately increase old age pensions starting…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague. I am happy to hear that he appreciated my comments this morning. This shows that we can work constructively. I commend him on his excellent French. He made a tremendous effort to ask his question in French. From what I understand, my colleague wants us to talk about housing, which is, indeed, an important issue. I think that the idea of taxing foreigne…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I also appreciate the work that he does. He spoke about how people are fed up, which is only natural. Things are difficult for everyone, and these reactions are understandable. My colleague asked me to talk about bold action, so I would like to talk about one of the key measures among those I spoke about earlier, which is support for environmen…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his comments and the previous member for his question. I got the sense that both of them care about agriculture, and I think that is great. We could easily spend several hours talking about what various governments have done in the past. My colleague mentioned the slaughter backlog, a serious problem that is impacting Quebec in particular. Application proces…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I thank my valued colleague from Brandon-Souris for his speech. I will once again have the privilege of changing the dynamic in the House so that we stop focusing on who did what and who did it better and start focusing on constructive feedback and the content. I would like my colleague from Brandon—Souris to tell me about the minister's mandate letter. He is right in saying that th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Vancouver Kingsway for his sensible and measured speech. It is good to hear reasonable people speak in the House. I would like to hear what he has to say about a specific issue. We know that the Bloc Québécois is also amenable to the idea of doing away with mandatory minimum sentences in general. However, there are certain exceptions, includin…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, does my Conservative colleague realize that Bill C‑5 does not do away with sentences, but simply eliminates the obligation to impose a specific sentence for a specific crime? Does he realize that in committee, we could determine which mandatory sentences should remain in effect? There are things that we and the Conservatives agree on, including the treatment of violent crimes involv…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. I would like to hear more about the importance of maintaining discretion and flexibility for people qualified to determine appropriate sentences. A number of factors come into play, such as the circumstances, the individual before them and whether this person is a repeat offender or a young person who was led astray. I would like to…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, my esteemed colleague, who is so brilliant, not to mention extremely kind, always sets the bar high, so I am going to seem a little less clever than I usually am. What are we doing here at 1:30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon? We have work to do, but we are considering a motion that came out of left field and seeks to split a bill in two, meaning that it will take longer to pass. What is…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his very pertinent speech. I would like to give him an opportunity to tell us more. Can he explain what is behind the Conservatives' manoeuvre this afternoon? Why have they wasted all this time? I did not get an answer to the question I asked earlier.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, we agree on fairness, but that is not what we are talking about. We know that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is swamped and that something is clearly dysfunctional. However, the government must ensure that foreign workers go through the proper channels when they get here. People who illegally recruit temporary foreign workers off our farms are hurting farmers and Quebe…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, for Quebeckers to be able to eat local food, we need the essential contribution of temporary foreign workers. That is why agricultural producers pay thousands of dollars every year for the right to bring them here. This year, at least 243 workers breached their contract and left their job. Some left our country for the United States, while others were illegally recruited in Canada. Ou…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I pretty much agree with my colleague from Winnipeg North. That does not happen very often, so I thought I would point it out. My colleague raised an important question when he asked why the Conservatives want to split the bill in two and what the next steps would be. I would like him to hypothesize. Where are the Conservatives going with this request and why? We want to pass this b…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my highly respected colleague for his very pertinent question. He either wanted to turn the matter over to me or he thought I was not upset enough. He spoke about the guaranteed income supplement, or GIS. I just went through my first re-election campaign. I thought that I was a member until September 20 and had to continue working for my constituents. I am very naive. When p…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I sincerely thank my esteemed colleague, whom I respect a lot. I also want to congratulate him publicly on his recent appointment as parliamentary secretary. That is exciting news. My colleague asked me about our constituents. There is one thing I cannot understand. Members are rising to delay proceedings even though they, I would imagine, are also getting calls to their riding offi…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Sainte‑Geneviève‑de‑Berthier conference of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, an institution that makes a huge difference in the lives of Berthier—Maskinongé residents. I would like to highlight the contribution of the volunteers, who work together to keep this conference of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul alive and wel…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague and favourite seatmate for her fundamental question. I thank her for giving me the opportunity to emphasize this point. Just last week, I had discussions with people who were at a crossroads. Take the vaccine, for example. Imagine someone is afraid to get vaccinated, but then thinks about it and finally decides to go ahead. If that person arrives at the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I agree, it is absolutely critical. I will take this opportunity to come back to the urgent need to pass this bill. Earlier today, debate was shut down on the pretext that it was urgent to pass the bill. However, someone pointed out earlier that the 10 days of paid leave were proposed a long time ago. The COVID‑19 crisis began a long time ago, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C‑3. I must admit that this bill is a little strange because it deals with two completely different topics. It would amend the Canada Labour Code and would also amend the Criminal Code. The bill's scope goes in two completely different directions. First, the bill would amend the Criminal Code to increase penalties on people who intimidate …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and openness. That is exactly why we are here. My colleague noted that Canadians re-elected a minority government. I would point out to him that combining the Liberal and Bloc members results in a majority. The Bloc Québécois proposes initiatives every day in the House because we are an intelligent and constructive opposition. I talked about the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. Since this morning, much has been said about this motion, whose purpose seems to be to score political points, rather than quickly producing tangible results to help the people of Afghanistan. This morning, we heard several times that some people are now—just as we are talking together or going for a snack in the lobby—in so-called safe houses, or …
Read full speech →