Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, getting a portion of public funding is essential. I was told earlier that there was some uncertainty as to whether there was an agreement on this. I can confirm that there is public funding, because when someone donates $1,700, they receive a substantial tax refund. Public money is going into this. What we are suggesting is simply changing the formula, the way it is done, to prevent a…
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Mr. Speaker, this is another prime example of Liberal rhetoric that sounds virtuous but does not actually translate into any virtuous actions on the part of the Liberals. The House leader's proposal claims that the government wants proportional representation that is representative of the composition of the House. However, not only was there no prior consultation on the motion that was introduced,…
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is well aware that the Liberals are good at saying one thing and doing another. They are telling us that committees must reflect the composition of the House of Commons. I think my colleague and everyone here agrees with that principle. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on this: The government members want to give themselves 58.3% representation on committ…
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Mr. Speaker, I am usually very pleased to speak in the House. I know it is a great privilege. I do not want to take this privilege for granted, but today I take less pleasure in it than usual because we are deeply disappointed, as, I hope, are most Canadians and Quebeckers who are listening. They are realizing once again that Liberal promises are just hot air, as they usually are most of the time.…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question and I also thank him for the tone of his question. In our recent exchanges, there were comments about tone, among other things. I can see that an effort is definitely being made. However, as for the substance of the question, I am afraid I am going to have to disappoint him. We are not here to score political points. We are here to talk about the …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question and for his great assist. He is asking me for examples. The first one that comes to mind is my proudest accomplishment since getting elected in 2019. I am talking about the bill that I managed to get passed that protects supply-managed products from any new concessions in trade agreements. God knows how important that is right now as we …
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that my colleague likes our collaboration and the fact that he recognizes that there is collaboration. I am tempted to say that we probably would have come to an agreement. The government certainly has a majority. However, I cannot promise him on my own that this is the collective decision that would have been made. I will not do that. It would have been much closer to th…
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Mr. Speaker, all parliamentary committees are of great importance, but oversight committees are especially important. This could have been negotiated or discussed. We could have looked into it. Technically, committees should reflect the composition of the House, but in the current situation, where that principle is not being followed in most committees, perhaps we could have discussed it. I do not…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a fine principle. However, I find it rather ironic to hear about parliamentary tradition, given that the composition of committees has always been determined through negotiation and consensus precisely because of that parliamentary tradition. For them to force this change down our throats today and then dare to invoke that principle is a bit much. Those are polite words, becau…
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Mr. Speaker, I rarely have the opportunity to say so, but that is a really wonderful question. My colleague has raised a really good point, because this is indeed the second time that the results of a general election have been distorted. I think it is becoming a habit. Those people make flowery speeches from balconies, with the sun shining and their hair blowing in the wind while they tell us tha…
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Mr. Speaker, there are so many points to raise after listening to the speech by the hon. member opposite that I am struggling to choose. He spoke to us of parliamentary heritage and tradition while putting on a show of virtue. According to parliamentary heritage and tradition, the composition of committees must reflect the composition of the House—something the Liberals are failing to respect toda…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on April 4, the community of Saint‑Paulin said goodbye to one of its leading citizens, Claude Frappier. First elected to council in 2004, his dedication to the common good motivated him to take on the position of acting mayor in November 2020. Re-elected as mayor on 2021, he discharged his duties with unprecedented diligence, determination and dedication until illness forced him to st…
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, everyone agrees that investments should be made in housing. The government is facing a terrible crisis that it needs to manage. Unfortunately, in the past, the federal government has always used these crises as an excuse to centralize power. We support building more housing, but we are concerned about Build Canada Homes. We are concerned that a centralizing structure will be c…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, at the start of the conflict in Iran, Tehran launched dozens of air strikes. All of them were made public, except for the one on the Canadian military camp in Kuwait. Worse still, the Ali Al Salem base, which houses the Canadian military camp, was also hosting Italian forces. On the very same day, Italy shared the news publicly, but not Canada. Canada hid the news of this strike for t…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals cited operational security as a reason for their silence, but we are simply asking them for the same information that every other country discloses. It is only right to keep the public informed when Canada is attacked. This just raises further questions. The public does not know why the Prime Minister blindly supported Donald Trump. They do not know why he has been changi…
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Mr. Speaker, the war in Iran began while the Prime Minister was away on a trip. After backing Washington, he spent several days refusing to hold a press briefing with the media travelling with him. When he returned, he boycotted a debate on the conflict, even though the debate had been requested by the Liberals. He refuses to explain why he stayed silent regarding the Iranian strike against Canadi…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his excellent speech. It is rather shocking to see that, throughout his speech, my colleague pointed out the lack of support for the forestry industry, which will be vital for the housing construction, but nobody on the other side has responded. What does my colleague have to say about that? When he says that the $1 billion is a good thing and a good sta…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague's husband. If 25 years have felt like 20 to her, that is a good sign for their relationship. It means that time is flying by. On a more serious note, I have a question for my Conservative colleague. I would like him to comment on the fact that the government is creating a new centralizing structure that will incur administrative costs, among other thing…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, the bill addresses a very serious issue. We agree with many aspects of the bill. First, there is the seriousness of murder, of course. It is the most serious crime one can commit, and there are also different degrees. I am also grateful to my colleague for highlighting the importance of rehabilitation, even though that can be very difficult to imagine. However, with this type of bill,…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I want to pay tribute to Françoise Hogue Plante, a woman who has had a profound impact on life in Louiseville. She was elected as a municipal councillor and served with exemplary consistency and generosity from 2009 to 2025, more than 16 years. Known for her close ties with citizens and her willingness to listen, she championed several key issues with conviction, including the l…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, the Bloc Québécois supports Bill S-2. It restores an important right, the right to transmit status. What does the minister think of the Indian Act in general? First of all, the name of the act no longer works. There are sections in it that need to be reviewed. Should we not be doing even more to recognize first nations' rights and achieve a true nation-to-nation partnership…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. I respect her very much. I want to repeat the question I asked the minister earlier. Of course, we are in favour of the proposed change but, in our opinion, it is a fairly timid effort to change a law that is still sexist, discriminatory and the list goes on. Does my colleague not think that a next step needs to be taken to establish a true nation-…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, imagine retiring and then not receiving an OAS pension for nine months. That is the kind of problem that 85,000 people are experiencing because of the Cúram software. What is more, the 85,000 is a figure dating from the end of January. The minister has not updated the figures yet. Let us hope that they have improved. However, on Monday, the president of the Professional Institute of t…
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Mr. Speaker, it cost $6.5 billion, so I hope it is the biggest project ever undertaken. It is getting expensive. There are 85,000 victims of errors related to Cúram. There could be more. No one knows for sure. Cost overruns amount to $5 billion. The Liberals keep insisting that there is no problem and tell us to read the reports. We are reading the reports. That is precisely why the Quebec Nationa…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting in favour of the motion.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting in favour.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate you recognizing me. I simply want to inform you that, during the first vote, online voting began before you had finished reading the question to the House. This is not about calling anything into question, but perhaps some vigilance is needed here. This is the first time we have seen this.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting in favour.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the vote and will be voting against.
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moved: Motion No. 55 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 224. Motion No. 56 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 225. Motion No. 57 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 226. Motion No. 58 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 227. Motion No. 59 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 228. Motion No. 60 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 229. Motion No…
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to speak to this important bill. I will pick up on some of what my colleague from Mirabel said. I would like to be asked other kinds of questions rather than being told that I am fearmongering. The Bloc Québécois's job is to read the bills that are introduced. As a constructive and intelligent opposition party, we need to look at the issues in the bills and propose amendmen…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. She and I are riding neighbours. I was looking forward to that question. At long last, somebody asked it. Of course, there are inevitably some welcome measures in any omnibus bill, but there are many others that are not. Our job in the opposition is to identify these elements. We take out a marker and jot down, for example, “why change the law fo…
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Mr. Speaker, my lack of trust comes from being told to calm down and not worry, that expropriation laws have changed since the 1970s and that rights are protected. I believe those words and I accept them. My response to that is, okay, the laws have changed, so why are they being changed again to make way for the train? The laws were improved, and for good reason. Legislation and case law are built…
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Mr. Speaker, certainly when environmental rights are removed, we cannot help but be concerned. It is hard to feel confident. When it comes to information, it is such a sensitive issue in regions like mine. Local media outlets need capital investment. We worked so hard to implement the digital services tax. It is incredibly sad to see it being scrapped to please our American neighbours. I understan…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the result of the previous vote to this vote and will vote against the motion.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees to apply the result of the previous vote and will vote in favour of the motion.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech, in which he raised some good points. For one, he said that if our interventions are shallow, we risk becoming shallow. At times, I fear it is too little, too late for that. I also liked the point raised by my Conservative colleague about the Prime Minister being in the House. It is not a matter of saying he works only one day a week…
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Madam Speaker, I enjoyed my colleague's speech. I strongly disagree with him on one point, however. My colleague said that all members should be able to speak on every issue. We will soon be presenting a proposal on the circumstances in which a response from the House to the Senate is necessary. No doubt everyone remembers the infamous Bill C-234 from the last Parliament, which never made it back …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I will try to talk fast, because I have a lot to say this morning. No one will be surprised to hear that the first measure we are proposing is to abolish the morning prayer and replace it with a moment of reflection. Parliament must serve all its citizens, and not all of them share the same religion. Many have no religion at all. This is a matter of showing respect for each individu…
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Thank you, Madam Speaker. I was saying that it is important to schedule witnesses at different times for each political party so that we can ask them questions properly. These are people we invite to appear, and we prepare our questions accordingly. We often do not have enough time to ask them questions properly. This is also a very important point. There is also the issue of members attending com…
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Madam Speaker, I am glad for the parliamentary secretary's open-mindedness, and I thank him for it. That is kind of what we are proposing in terms of a question and answer formula on Fridays or weekday evenings. We would like to have 10-minute question and answer periods where the member would have time to ask their question and the minister would have the same time to respond. That would make for…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question. I agree I might be worthwhile to expand on that. The intention is not to prevent anyone from praying. Some members are religious, and that is an individual matter. That is precisely the point. Faith is a personal matter. This Parliament serves all citizens of Canada, the provinces and Quebec. These people have different religions. I am wondering…
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Madam Speaker, the fact is, I want to ensure that nothing structural, no organization, no political group is able to block a debate. It is very unfortunate when that happens. If a matter goes before PROC and nothing comes of it, it is because the government does not want to change anything. We are sending this message to the members of PROC. We have made proposals. These proposals are supposed to …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I believe the subject of my question was addressed in previous questions. Currently, under the Standing Orders, a minister who is online can make a proposal, but it takes 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 members to block it. These opposition members must be in the chamber, and that change was approved by the majority. This is a first in history and it clearly puts the opposition at a disadvantag…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, February is Black History Month, and this year marks the 35th annual edition in Quebec. This year's theme, “Together, Let's Raise Our Voices”, gives us the perfect opportunity to reflect on Quebec's openness and ability to live together in communal harmony, as well as the contributions made by Quebeckers from Black communities. As in past years, everyone is invited to attend a serie…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, there are pensioners who have not been receiving their OAS for nine months or have been receiving the incorrect amount because of the Cúram software in Ottawa. Ten days ago, when we asked the government about it, we were told that we were fearmongering. The next day, the problem persisted, but just for 30 or so cases. In a dramatic turn of events, yesterday, in committee, the minist…
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Madam Speaker, there are pensioners who are having problems with their OAS benefits and these are the answers they are getting. The Liberals went from 30 cases at one point about 10 days ago to 85,000 cases yesterday. The worst cost overrun of the Cúram software is the human cost. Even worse than that is the fact that just yesterday, when 85,000 people were affected by the software, the Liberals w…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would like to hear my colleague's opinion on question period. This morning, I spoke about a situation we recently experienced. The Speaker of the House intervened in order to cut off certain types of questions relating to something that was happening in Quebec City but that could have an impact on us. We felt that our questions were valid. The Chair would not entertain our argumen…
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Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary seems willing to make some changes, like most of the members we have heard from this morning. Unfortunately, we all know that the kind of discussion we are having this morning often ends up fizzling out at the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. Discussions fizzle out there and are never revived. It seems to me that we have proposed a numbe…
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Mr. Speaker, I would invite our colleagues to tell the truth. I would like to know which one of our members talked about high-speed rail in apocalyptic terms. I do not think anyone did. The apocalypse happened in Mirabel in 1969. These people experienced the end of the world. What we are asking for today is precaution. We are not sounding the alarm or saying that it is a bad project. We look at wh…
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