Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I will circle back to the recommendation I had just started talking about, the code of conduct, because it is an important aspect of controlling food prices. We have come to realize that a lot of money is being taken from the middleman. I want to talk about the worst example I have seen recently. A lettuce salesman delivering lettuce to a large grocer was called back a few days late…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I appreciated the thoroughness of most of his comments. Obviously, we all share the same concerns about public protection, the removal of non-consensual images, the protection of children and privacy. I understand all that quite well. If I am not mistaken, he referred a few times in his speech to Bill C‑412. I have a question for my colleague, who …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, to answer his question, what we want are intelligent measures. We do not want a populist announcement that says that we are going to reduce this by a certain percentage. That is what matters. The Bloc Québécois speaks out a lot about refugee claims. We want to welcome people, but our major concern is the proportion of temporary people that Quebec has to take care of. We are not just…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and especially for having worked so hard to deliver an introduction in French. This is the first time I have heard him speak French in such a long time. It is rather interesting. To answer his specific question, the Bloc Québécois does not support a government. The Bloc Québécois imparts its decisions one division at a time. If it is good for Qu…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I would have liked to have the opportunity to ask my colleague one last question. Since he is still here, I will ask him anyway. Perhaps he can answer me by me asking a question. He spoke about supply management in response to a question from my NDP colleague. He said that his government has always supported supply management. That is reasonably accurate. Bill C-282, which is import…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, in his speech, my colleague raised a number of very important points about accountability and how the government seems to think this is no big deal and not its responsibility. That is what happens when government responsibilities are delegated to the private sector. That is essentially what happened with GC Strategies. For some time now, I have noticed everything going down a slippe…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, that is a bit ironic. First of all, let me offer a correction. The French word for “support” is “soutenir”, not “supporter”. It is obvious that my colleague works a lot in English. I will reassure him right away that that is not what we are doing. Our job is not to support the Liberals or to replace them with Conservatives. Our job is to work for Quebeckers and defend their interest…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by greeting everyone and wishing everyone a happy and pleasant return. I encourage my colleagues to work for the common good and in the collective interest rather than their personal interest. It is a subtle message. Some will hear it; others, not so much. That is where I wanted to start. We are talking about Bill C‑379, which seeks to amend the Criminal Code to …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech, his intelligent and constructive attitude and his open-mindedness. Of course, he talked about the prospect of Quebec citizenship. We are currently talking about Bill C‑71, which solves some of the problems. Does the member not think that the entire immigration and citizenship process needs a solid overhaul and that we could commit to contributing…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, some folks from the Maison des Cageux in Lanoraie are on Parliament Hill today. Isabelle Regout and Alexandre Pampalon are walking encyclopaedias who know everything there is to know about raftsmen, expertly immersing their visitors in the impressive universe of these brave, adventurous men. Listening to the stories of Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, Joseph-Charles Taché and many others…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am going to repeat my colleague's last sentence. He said that if we do not measure, there is no result. He is right. We have to measure. If there is one thing the Conservatives are right about today, it is that we need information. We voiced our agreement right from the start. Parliamentarians need information to make sound decisions. Does my colleague agree with me that just know…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the minister a question on a topic she is quite familiar with because of her former role. What does she think about the budget being allocated to defence across the country? As a member of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Canada should theoretically be investing 2% of its GDP in defence, but that is not happening. It is not clear that the plan that h…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have a very simple question for my colleague. How does he explain the fact that the minister made the documents public today after this motion was tabled? Can my colleague encourage the members of his government to learn from their mistakes and to be more transparent? Now, the Liberals are going to try to appear virtuous. They are going to say that, yes, they provided the study. Tha…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague for making an effort to speak French. I would say that every elected member could make the effort to properly read the documents they are given. The Bloc Québécois is the third-largest political party, and we have a whole research department. Our researchers are brilliant and work very hard. They carry out analyses and give us a really detailed background…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my distinguished colleague from Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques. That is unfortunate, though, because I have so much to say. I am going to break free from the populist, accusatory cycle where each person accuses another of having done this or that. I am going to offer some actual substance. In the last few minutes, people have been talking abou…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is funny that he should mention that, because I raised it earlier in the day. I do not know if he heard my speech. What I would like to say is that we have two choices. We have a bill that has been amended by the Senate. We can choose to accept the amendments and immediately give our grain producers a win, since they would be able to get the exemption this fall, and then do somethi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, in his speech, the member talked a lot about housing, massive investments and connections with the municipalities. Is he aware that, in Quebec at least, the money for municipalities has to go through Quebec? It is a law that exists in Quebec. Is he aware that Ottawa imposing conditions, trying to set requirements and starting to get involved in municipal zoning, when it is so far from…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I was impatient because I was so excited to answer. What a great question. I am certainly getting spoiled this evening. We are not against pharmacare. Let us ask these union representatives the question and give them the choice. Let us tell them this: The federal government is increasing health transfers and we can put more money into our Quebec pharmacare program, which has been arou…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague talked about many things, obviously, including international trade. He talked about the importance of improving our performance in international trade and increasing our markets. That is good. There is Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy. I think it is important to make every effort to diversify our markets. My question has more to do with respecting existing international t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am going to try to show restraint. This is astounding. I hope my colleague has put his earpiece in to understand what I am about to say. The Bank of Canada has analyzed the impact of the carbon tax, and it is 0.02%. The carbon tax has a very minimal impact on Quebec. It is very minor. I would like to inform my colleague that Quebec has its own system, known as the carbon exchange,…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I regularly see in the House and at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food that my colleague is very interested in the cost of the carbon tax and its secondary impact. Is he also interested in the cost of climate change and its secondary impact? We, of course, have to take into account the effects of any policy that we put in place. Does he, in good conscience, believe th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I commend my hon. colleague from Pierre‑Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, who set the bar high, as usual. When we, the members of the Bloc Québécois, share our speaking time with each other, we always want to go first because we are all good and that puts pressure on the next person. I will try to make sure my speech is as good as my colleague's. Today's motion is indeed repetitive, as…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, while the Weather Network is predicting another high-risk summer for natural disasters, the federal government has yet to provide any compensation for last year's disasters. We are not off to a good start. What is the result? One in five farms is unable to pay its debts. One in 10 farms wants to shut down within a year. Emergency assistance is urgently needed. Farmers have been callin…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, farmers suffered disastrous harvests last year, due in part to natural disasters. Last week, they finally reached an agreement with the Quebec government on compensation and have said loud and clear that now it is Ottawa's turn. Representatives of produce growers are in Ottawa today. They met with the minister this morning to remind him that they exist and that they deserve support. T…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the answer to his question is yes. That is actually what our leader decided to do, and I think that all the leaders should do the same to ensure that they have all the information. Apart from that, what my colleagues and I wanted to say at the outset is that we thought that the parliamentary secretary thought we wanted names when we were asking questions. Obviously, we understood th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am glad to know that at least one member listened to my speech from start to finish. We get along well and agree on most things. That is why the commission's terms of reference need to be expanded, so that these individuals can be identified and each party leader can do their job and kick these people out of Parliament. I completely agree with my colleague that these members shoul…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for his effort to speak in the language of Molière. I would like him to explain something to me. If foreign interference and trust in democratic institutions are so important to his government, how come it took months for his government to take action? How come it is the Bloc Québécois that is moving a motion today to move things forward, so t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I do not have a rational explanation. That is what I said for half my speech. The only explanation I have is that we are the adults in the room, we are the trustworthy ones. I am glad we are doing this. I am glad that the other parties support us. When we have a Prime Minister who openly says that he does not read the CSIS reports, it makes us wonder. Does the Prime Minister know ho…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like the parliamentary secretary to explain his vision. In his opinion, why are trust and truth so important in a democratic system like ours? I would also like him to explain why his government does not act unless it is pushed into a corner. I do not think it is right that the Bloc Québécois was the one that had to move a motion on this matter. If there were effective governa…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is always a privilege to speak in the House. I want to begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with my respected colleague from Saint‑Hyacinthe—Bagot. I say that it is always a privilege to speak because it is a great privilege just to be in the House. Out of more than 40 million people, there are 338 members. It is a prestigious position, and the people have put their tru…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, when my colleague from Joliette asked the member a question about the possibility of putting the Canada Border Services Agency under third party management, his response was not really clear. Do the Conservatives approve of this measure? Also, how do they envision the right of appeal for people who feel they received abusive or inappropriate treatment at the hands of border services o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to hear my colleague's take on something. As I said earlier today, we have before us a government that keeps piling up scandals in a rather spectacular and surreal way. The Liberals never have to account for the previous scandal because it gets buried by a new scandal in the news. Does this situation not help to dispel the suspicions that we have about some members of t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know my colleague's thoughts about setting up an appeal process for inspections that are deemed unfounded. Also, does he agree with the Bloc Québécois's proposal for oversight at the port of Montreal, that is, temporarily implementing some form of third party management to find out what is going on and why this location has become a conduit for all kinds of illegal goo…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, while Ottawa drags its feet, the processor Saladexpress in Châteauguay—Lacolle has just shut down its operations. When workers arrived this morning, the doors were locked. This means that a lot of our growers found out just this morning, after the planting season, that they had lost their one and only buyer. This comes on the heels of a disastrous season in 2023 and repeated natural d…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, our colleague wants to know if we are going to support the motion. I will answer his question. We completely agree in principle with the substance of the motion on transparency. However, there are things in the motion that simply do not work. For example, the motion imposes a 14-day deadline on the production of documents and makes a recommendation directly to the RCMP. I am not sure …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the tragedy in all this is that every time there is a Liberal scandal, they quickly cook up a fresh scandal to bury the previous one. There is no end to the mismanagement and lack of transparency. I think that, in this matter, there are reasonable doubts that justify making these documents available to parliamentarians. Will the parliamentary secretary commit to providing them, as w…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, last year was disastrous for our farmers. One in five farms is unable to pay its debt. After months of demonstrations, the farmers have been heard by their government, the Government of Quebec. Now it is Ottawa's turn to listen, warned the Union des producteurs agricoles. Quebec already asked the federal government in November for a one-time relief payment through the AgriRecovery pro…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I agree with many of the things my colleague said. I especially agree with the fact that we are here to work for people and to get results. I am always saying that, every day. My colleague knows me well enough to know that I believe what I am saying. I am appalled by the fact that members are playing partisan politics. However, we are currently dealing with a loss of confidence. I und…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, this business about chocolate bars borders on demagoguery. Can we get serious? The member for Winnipeg North mentioned several times in his speech earlier that opposition members do not like the Speaker. It is not a question of liking or not liking him. We actually have a great deal of respect for the member for Hull—Aylmer. That is not the issue. The issue is confidence. It is not …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Louiseville and Maskinongé have lost one of their most illustrious sons and a great leader: Yvon Picotte. Mr. Picotte began his career as a teacher and principal. He also worked as a radio host and newspaper columnist and served in many volunteer positions in the community. Elected MNA in Maskinongé in 1973, he represented his riding in the Quebec National Assembly for 21 years. He se…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I recognize my colleague's passion, but it is not always well directed. I am going to read him two quotes, and I would like him to give me his opinion. These are quotes from Lester B. Pearson, a Liberal prime minister, just like his. He said, “Although Quebec is a province in this Confederation, it is more than a province, for it is the home of a people: that is why it is fair to say …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we are fine with applying this everywhere. That is not the problem. The problem is that Quebec is unique and has its own organizations. It is a distinct nation. Let us manage our own affairs. That is all we are asking. The feds are not good at doing the things they are supposed to be doing. I will give a quick example, the AgriRecovery program. The Union des producteurs agricoles spok…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, earlier, when I read the quotes to my colleague, I thought he would understand them. After all, they seem pretty clear to me. Now, since he does not seem to have understood them, I am going to explain them to him. There have already been Canadian prime ministers who recognized Quebec's specificity and areas of jurisdiction, and who accepted or offered the right to opt out with full co…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to talk about interference. Actually, I am not pleased. I find it rather irritating to talk about interference because we always have to talk about it, given that many people in this Parliament do not understand what it means. I was happy to hear my Bloc Québécois colleagues explain, each in their own way, what our motion means. My explanation of the motion …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is interesting that my colleague brings this up because I do indeed know people who signed up. I also received phone calls from people who told me that their dentist did not want to participate in this program because it was a botched program that the federal government implemented when it has no business in this sector. We want the money, but the federal government has no busine…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his passion—his regional passion, I want to say. What is going to happen? It is simple. Some producers have already stepped away from producing this year. My colleague told me about Abitibi. I can tell him about the south and market gardeners. Producers are pulling out. Why are they doing that? They are stepping away to do something else, because they keep l…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as always, it is a privilege to speak in the House on these questions. We are talking about the implementation of the budget. I will be a good sport and highlight the positive elements of the budget. Everyone is in favour of doubling the tax credit for volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers. Extending the family allowance by six months for parents whose child has di…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is a very important question, one we discuss regularly at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. One of the things we have looked at is food prices. A bottle of Pepsi costs quite a bit more in northern Quebec than it does in Montreal. I am inclined to use unparliamentary language here, because allowing that kind of thing to happen makes no sense. Government member…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak to this bill tonight. I will be fairly brief. The work we have to do here, as elected representatives of the people, is very serious. We have to do it rigorously. Unfortunately, these days, that rigour is not always there. We had a great example of that for a good part of the day. I will now get back to the bill. Bill C‑355 deals with a sensitive issue, and…
Read full speech →