Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his intelligent question, like the ones he often asks at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. That is what I was talking about earlier when I spoke about having a vision for the future. When we take action, we need to consider what things will be like in 10 or 20 years. We need to start informing, training and providing information to our you…
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Madam Speaker, that is an excellent question, and the member basically answered it for himself. My esteemed colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue is absolutely right. He raised a very important point, and he provided a more in-depth explanation of what I was trying to quickly explain earlier. I am talking about a societal choice, about public infrastructure that would create an ecosystem. That is w…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for that great question. My colleague said that the trade alliance represents 90% of farmers. They often say that, but it actually represents 90% of exporters. That is an important nuance. Of course the alliance is worried, because it believes that we will need these producers in order to develop other markets. What we are being told is that the governme…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I would like to know what he thinks about something specific. Earlier, I asked a question about whether enough is being done to protect our head offices. The member told me that he agreed with me but that there must be balance in all things. What we want to do locally—
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois thinks that Bill C-34 does not go far enough in protecting our economic flagships, our head offices, and the innovative efforts of SMEs, which are being bought up by foreign entities. Often, they come up with important innovations that become profitable abroad. We do not think that enough transactions are being reviewed. I would like my colleague to elaborate on tha…
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Mr. Speaker, I will start from the beginning. I was thanking my colleague for his speech and telling him that a little earlier, I had mentioned that the Bloc Québécois members feel that this bill does not go far enough in protecting head offices. However, as in everything, there needs to be balance, reasonable measures. We cannot shut down all outside investment. Several MPs have reiterated today …
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Mr. Speaker, I will try to make this quick. There was a lot to her question. First of all, the carbon tax does not apply in Quebec. I have said it many times. I would like her party to get that through their heads. It is an important detail. That is why we voted against the Conservative motion yesterday. We did not want to create an imbalance between people in this country. There are ways to help …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his smart, well-articulated question. How refreshing. We could study his proposal. I said earlier that there is a major issue with the oil companies. Essentially, for years, the Bloc Québécois has been very vocal in every one of its speeches in the House about starting by ending the subsidies for the oil companies. They will have gotten $83 billion by 2035. It…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his brilliant speech. I am going to do something I do not normally do and talk about a family member. In a few minutes, my sister-in-law Carole will be going to an extremely important medical appointment. I want her to know that she has always been there for me and I will always be there for her. She can count on my support. My question for my colleague relate…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to draw my colleague's attention to something important. At the beginning of her speech, she focused on the climate crisis and the fact that we must take action in light of that crisis. In the measures that the NDP is proposing, however, no distinction is made between different sources of energy. Does my colleague not believe that her party could have proposed something better …
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Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague, who sits next to me and often discusses things with me. I would like to ask him a very pragmatic question. The proposal before us today seems well intentioned. Unfortunately, the numbers do not add up. The estimated cost of giving heat pumps to everyone would be at least $75 billion, if not $100 billion. The proposed tax might generate up to $…
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Madam Speaker, we often hear the Conservatives say they want to help ordinary folks and put money back in their pockets. The huge profits oil companies are making were mentioned a number of times today. Could we not take the $83 billion that has been earmarked to subsidize oil and gas companies between now and 2035 and instead use it to increase old age pensions for seniors aged 65 and older? We h…
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Madam Speaker, there is a strange atmosphere in here. There are two extremes in the House, both of which are panicking over the polls. In fact, I could even say there are three extremes. The government is starting to make last-minute decisions in a panic. If there is one point on which I could agree with the Conservatives, it is that panic has gripped the government, spurring it to make poor decis…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his generous question and for helping me answer it, because he supplied half the response before giving me the floor. Indeed, Quebec has always been a leader. We saw that with child care. It took 25 years for Canada to get on board. I hope that Canada will get on board when it comes to energy as well. Quebec helps people install more efficient heating systems,…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my learned colleague from Drummond for his very clear presentation. I would also like to thank him for repeating the motion, because I was just about to do so. It is easy to see that we share some ideas and that we belong to the same party. We are also serious about wanting to bring the debate back to the forefront at the end of the day. A lot of things have been said throug…
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Mr. Speaker, of course it is not a bad thing that there is francophone immigration. However, that is not what we are talking about today. Whether immigration is francophone or anglophone, here is what we are putting on the table: Is the government prepared to consider reviewing its thresholds after consulting with Quebec and the provinces, to support integration? Of course we always support franco…
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Mr. Speaker, today I wish to acknowledge Jean‑Luc Barthe, mayor of the municipality of Saint‑Ignace‑de‑Loyola, for his many years of dedication and loyal service. Municipal government is local government. To have staying power, municipal politicians must be close to the people. While pursuing his career at Bombardier and Marine Industries, Mr. Barthe first got involved as a city councillor for 21 …
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Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to speak to this bill. I have to say I was a little surprised to hear my friend, the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford and a fellow member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, say that he protects provincial areas of jurisdiction. What an odd thing to say at this juncture. We could talk about that at length. I would like to go have a beer with him…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Foothills for his bill and his speech. One of the primary objections to this bill in committee was that it acts as a sort of gag by preventing whistle-blowing when there is mistreatment and that there are not necessarily other ways to blow the whistle. In fact, there are. For example, the Quebec Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food deals with complaints…
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Mr. Speaker, I will try to make this quick. In my speech earlier, I spoke about contempt, and I think that is what this is. The member can call it a cavalier attitude if he wants to be nice, but I think that we can call it contempt. The government does whatever it wants and acts however it wants. It launches programs and makes promises to people and then, a month later, it tells them that there is…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my seatmate very much for the assist. That is exactly what I was trying to say. We are not saying that we should not take in immigrants, but rather that we should take them in properly, with the necessary resources. How can someone from British Columbia give the same example as I did about Quebec? That is because the resources are not there. We must ensure that the resources a…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think the government quite grasps the urgency of the situation. For producers of root vegetables, 64% of lands were damaged by rain. For strawberry and raspberry producers, it is 73%. For pea producers, it is 88%. This will affect food prices if the government does not intervene, and everybody will be impacted. We need emergency supports and a one-year extension of the emerge…
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Mr. Speaker, our farmers are still suffering from this summer's catastrophic weather. According to a survey by the Union des producteurs agricoles, precipitation ravaged no less than 60% of Quebec's market gardens. Respondents lost a third of their revenues in the midst of an inflationary crisis. Worse still, more than half of producers think that this damage will continue to affect the 2024 crop.…
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Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the hon. member for Mirabel for championing this very important bill. Some elected members responded to the bill's intent saying that the government formed a committee to look into the whistle-blower protection regime. Does the member for Mirabel think that is a good excuse not to vote in favour of the bill?
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his impassioned speech. I would like to know whether he would be open to creating another bill or at least finding some way to do more to protect our high-tech sectors as well as the head offices of our small businesses. What I would like to say to my colleague is that the Quebec economy in particular is made up largely of SMEs. The thresholds are not reviewed…
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Mr. Speaker, I like the parts of my colleague's speech where he says that sovereignty is not for sale and other such things, but that we must not block appropriate investments. I understand the argument. I would like to know what he thinks about the importance of protecting strategic investments in small business innovation or land ownership, for example. This issue has not been discussed in much …
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Mr. Speaker, I agree that we must work diligently and intelligently. That is what I was saying earlier. That is why, during my statement, I mentioned Bill C‑282, which is currently before the Senate. The purpose of that bill is to protect a very important sector. We can be in favour of free trade and adopt agreements that are smart, that do not sacrifice certain groups to the benefit of others. I …
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Mr. Speaker, this does not happen very often, but I have to say that I again agree with the member for Winnipeg North. I am always happy when that happens. I am a regular guy who is in touch with the people. Since becoming a member of Parliament four years ago, I have found that things move so slowly that any time we are asked to move quickly, I answer “yes”. Let us move forward carefully and inte…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak to Bill C‑57. I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Beauport—Limoilou, who did me a favour by allowing me to go first. Let me say from the outset that, generally speaking, we are all in favour of free trade and we are in favour of this agreement with Ukraine. We know that we are in a partnership with the Ukrainians, whom we have been supporting…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague from Mirabel for his intelligent question. I agree wholeheartedly. That is why I addressed the issue in my speech. It requires urgent action. It reflects a trend we are seeing not only in Canada and Quebec, but also around the world. Governments are increasingly off-loading their responsibilities onto private states. The gene editing regulations that…
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Mr. Speaker, I wish to acknowledge the success of the different branches of the Fédération de l'âge d'or du Québec, FADOQ, a seniors association in Berthier—Maskinongé, that is celebrating its 50th anniversary. As an MP, it is great privilege for me to spend many an evening with them where they have shown legendary indulgence in trying to teach me to follow the beat in line dancing. In particular …
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Mr. Speaker, our farms are among the 250,000 SMEs at risk of shutting down. High interest rates, the price of fuel, the damage that climate change is doing to crops, and I could go on, have left them teetering on the brink. If the federal government tops it all off with the Canada emergency business account, it will force them into bankruptcy. The government must postpone repayment of emergency bu…
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Mr. President, groups and unions held a protest in Quebec City on Saturday to demand an end to closed work permits for temporary foreign workers. They are right. Closed permits leave workers totally dependent on their employer. Unfortunately, some employers take advantage of the situation. The Bloc Québécois has finally managed to bring this issue forward for study in committee. Can we count on th…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for her speech and for these negotiations, which are very important. I would like to ask her a two-part question. First, supply management was included when the order to import products from Ukraine duty-free was adopted. The groups that were impacted and the opposition parties fought hard to have this removed when the order was renewed, and it was in fact removed…
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Mr. Speaker, we need answers. Closed permits lead not only to abuse, but also to absurd situations. Radio-Canada reported on a good example, specifically the case of Mr. Bérard, who is from Mauritius. He works in Beauce and wants to stay in Beauce, but the plant where he works is shutting down. Because he has a closed permit that binds him to that employer, he cannot look for a job, except in anot…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his first speech in the House. I have a very specific question for him. I hope he will be the type of colleague who answers questions in specific detail. That would be helpful. The government is announcing a housing measure that consists of removing the GST on construction without any guarantee that it will be used for social or affordable housing. We ar…
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Mr. Speaker, the Festival de la galette de sarrasin de Louiseville, Louiseville's legendary buckwheat pancake festival, is now in its 44th year. Over the past few days, I was thrilled to be inducted as an honorary member of the Confrérie des Sarrasins, the buckwheat brotherhood. I was delighted to pledge that I would faithfully promote this invaluable local product. The members of the Confrérie ca…
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Madam Speaker, I always love it when the people I am talking to appear to be listening, at least. What I was saying is that it is essential. I challenge anyone here to accept the same working conditions as those people. Rain in the summer brings us down because we cannot go for motorcycle rides or head to the beach. What do they do when it rains? They do building maintenance. They go place orders.…
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Madam Speaker, does my colleague think any meaningful measures for social housing could be introduced? The Bloc Québécois has repeatedly proposed investing 1% of the budget in social housing on an ongoing basis, so that crises like the one we are currently experiencing will be less frequent. Obviously, this measure is less popular because there is nothing spectacular about it. The government could…
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Madam Speaker, I feel like starting my speech in a different way. I just heard that the Liberal government is supporting this bill. Everyone is pleased to be pleased, and everything is perfect. However, we asked if it would be possible to seek unanimous consent to send the bill directly to the Senate. That way, it could move forward and produce growers could finally get some protection when they a…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for York—Simcoe for this bill and for his speech. The Liberal government members just congratulated my colleague for his leadership on this issue. However, the bill before us responds to a request from the sector that dates back to 2014. This Liberal government has been in power for eight years, but, all of a sudden, it is applauding this measure. Why does my coll…
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Madam Speaker, it is outrageous to let the people making money from a product decide what rules apply to their product. It is even worse when food or public health are involved. How can we let a company like Bayer write the rules on GMOs and gene editing? The public needs reassurance. A breach of trust has occurred. Nothing less than a rigorous regulatory review by truly independent experts can fi…
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Madam Speaker, Radio-Canada has made deeply disturbing revelations about close ties between major GMO companies and the federal government. In fact, the ties are so close that the two are literally playing on the same team, known as the Tiger Team. It includes lobbyists for giants like Bayer, but also federal public servants who allegedly drafted the GMO reform together. Worse than having the fox …
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Madam Speaker, it has been quite a day. We have heard a lot of different things. I will do my best to remain calm. For starters, the Conservatives wonder why we do not adopt their motions, why we do not vote in favour of most of them. I will tell them, quite honestly, that it is because most of their motions are rigged. Most of their motions contain inaccuracies. Then, they get offended when we sa…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Kings—Hants for his speech. It is nice to hear a well-articulated speech that is based on facts. I have a very specific question to ask that he will certainly have no problem answering. Could he inform the House of Commons about the clean fuel regulations that were adopted by his government on July 1 and tell us when the government asked for the Bloc Québéc…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a very simple question for the member. Can he tell us about the clean fuel regulations that his government adopted on July 1? I would like him to tell the House, first, if his government asked the Bloc Québécois to support it and, second, if the House had to vote on it.
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Mr. Speaker, I was listening to my colleague speaking proudly and enthusiastically about the fantastic measure that we have just adopted to build rental housing by removing the GST on the construction of apartment buildings. This only applies to privately owned buildings, however. Municipal organizations are already exempt. Non-profits that are already partially exempt will not be fully exempt. Ho…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by stating that I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert. For that reason, I will be talking less about housing than about competition. I would have plenty to say about housing, but my colleague will do a better job. All I am going to say about housing is what I said earlier: This is just window dressing, like most of the Liber…
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Mr. Speaker, of course removing the GST from housing construction is not a bad idea. All I was saying earlier is that this is a half-measure that will not have much of an impact. My colleague mentioned it himself in his question. Interest rates are rising well above the 5% GST and builders will pass on the cost in the price of rent. What we really need are measures that will lower the price of ren…
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Mr. Speaker, unfortunately it is very difficult to review a transaction that happened years ago. All we can do is take action for the future. We are currently regulating future transactions, and that is fine. Now, what can we do to make it easier to enter the market? Could the government not create measures that would favour independent grocers, that could increase food supply and therefore increa…
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