Parliamentary Speeches
799 speeches by Alexandre Boulerice — Page 14 of 16
Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the final petition is from people who are concerned about pollution and, in particular, the impact of explosives in fishing waters, interprovincial waters and international waters. The petitioners are calling for an end to the construction of all facilities used by highly polluting industries. They are also calling for meaningful consultation with indigenous communities and for impact…
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Mr. Speaker, the third petition is about the machinists' union. Federal law contains loopholes that make it possible for employers to pay part-time and casual workers a lower hourly wage than they pay full-time workers doing the same work. That is discrimination. Legislation received royal assent in 2018, but a date of effect was not given, which means this discrimination has gone on since 2018.
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from people who are concerned about the G&R recycling facility in Kanehsatà:ke. The facility contains toxic waste being spilled into the environment, which is a threat to residents' health. The petitioners are calling upon the federal government to secure and decontaminate the site. From a reconciliation perspective, they are calling on the government to fight e…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a few petitions to present to the House. The first is about National Defence's excessive use of a temporary road on the Plains of Abraham that negatively impacts the quality of life of individuals, of the people of Quebec City who live near the site. It degrades the heritage site. The temporary road has been in use since 2013 and is still open.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question. We do agree with the polluter pays principle with respect to fossil fuels and other sectors, as well, such as mining or forestry. I think it is an important principle that significantly helps change behaviours and make companies and businesses more environmentally responsible in general.
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Madam Speaker, it is very easy to explain. This is a Liberal budget, not an NDP one. When we no longer are the fourth party but the first, we will not present this kind of budget. In the meantime, we are negotiating and attempting to get what we can. I remind my Bloc Québécois colleagues that they too have supported Conservative or Liberal budgets that contained subsidies for the oil companies or …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his extremely important question. There are some consolidated media groups that have broad enough shoulders and deep enough pockets. I think they will be able to negotiate on their own with the web giants. That is why the possibility of having a clear process for collective bargaining is extremely important. I think that all these small media outlets, such as …
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Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to my colleague's speech, and I have to say I completely agree with him. My colleague emphasized how important local media is to democracy. I would like to hear his thoughts on the sound management of public funds and accountability requirements. Maybe he could tell us about the Laval region, where there was virtually no local media. Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt took …
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to participate in this fundamental and very important discussion on how a federal, provincial or other government can support journalism and media outlets in our communities, cities, towns and regions across the country. This is the kind of bill that makes the NDP say, “finally”. Finally, the government is doing something about this issue. It was high time. Unfortuna…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. I just want to come back to the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages to issue orders. In the bill, those powers apply only to parts IV and V of the act, but part VII is the part that promotes the equality of official languages and supports the development of official language minority communities. Does my colleague not think the …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Joliette for his question. I completely agree with him on that. That has always been part of the NDP platform. The majority of federally regulated business have already voluntarily become subject to Bill 101. That said, I find that what is in Bill C-13 is also very interesting in terms of the right of consumers to be served in French and the right of worker…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her good question. I do not think that the bill can change the prerogatives of the Prime Minister to choose the governor general or lieutenant governors. However, I think they need to set a very clear framework: The official languages are important. We have to give the act more teeth. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister did not listen and did not follow the ph…
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Madam Speaker, the NDP has always been a strong advocate for that program, which aims to support court challenges brought forward by minority communities. Obviously, this affects many francophone minorities and has been very useful in the past. I would like to take this opportunity to say that we are very pleased that the Commissioner of Official Languages has new powers to issue orders. I hope th…
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Madam Speaker, I am extremely honoured and happy to participate in tonight's debate on a subject that is particularly close to my heart, namely the vitality and future of the French language, whether in Quebec or anywhere in the federation's francophone minority communities. That is why I would like to raise some points for consideration in tonight's discussion. The first thing to do is to provide…
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Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to have heard my colleague's speech. The NDP agrees that the French language is in decline in Quebec and Canada. In fact, the government adopted a motion to that effect during the last Parliament, which I remember quite well because I was the one to move the motion. This bill, which needs much improvement, still achieves something fundamental because, for the first…
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Madam Speaker, there is absolutely something we can work on. There are many aspects of this bill that can be improved. I look forward to working on this bill in committee and making amendments. I hope that the government will be open to that and will listen to people from francophone communities in Quebec and outside of Quebec.
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to speak to the measure taken to move this forward. On behalf of all artists in the cultural community in Montreal and Quebec, it is high time that we take action and move forward. The current system is unfair and antiquated. It should have been changed a long time ago. Why not move ahead quickly to study the bill, improve it and ensure that people …
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House condemn the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh; call for an independent inquiry into her death in order to ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions; and reaffirm that targeting journalists is a war crime.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right. Bloc MPs have the right to make deplorable choices, but that is up to them. Likewise, we have the right to an opinion on the subject. If they ask us a question, obviously they should expect us to have an opinion. Let me offer this reassurance, however. I will vote in favour of the principle underlying his motion, which I find valid. It is a legitima…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to start by saying that I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague, the member for New Westminster—Burnaby. I am very eager to hear what he has to say about the motion we are debating today. My speech is divided into two parts. First, I will talk about how important state neutrality is for all leftist men and women and for all progressives. The role of the state i…
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Mr. Speaker, five of the largest oil companies made nearly $21 billion in net profits in 2021. They really raked in the dough. This year, they have already reached $9 billion and counting, with record prices of $2 a litre. People's purchasing power is shrinking, while the CEOs of the big oil companies are getting bonuses averaging $13 million. It is obscene. When are the Liberals going to tax the …
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Madam Speaker, I do not know where to start because my colleague raises so many points. I thank him for making such a clear comment, but I completely disagree with him. I do not think that taking prayer out of the House will undermine the foundations of our society, our democratic system or our Parliament. I think we have to respect the beliefs of everyone, whether they are Christian or not. There…
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With regard to the $15 federal minimum wage, since coming into effect on December 29, 2021, broken down by economic sector, size of business, province and territory: (a) how many workers benefitted from a wage adjustment following the coming into effect of the federal minimum wage; (b) how many workers in the federally-regulated private sector are currently paid the federal minimum wage; (c) among…
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Madam Speaker, there are a lot of problems with the budget, but it also contains measures designed to help people. Thanks to the agreement that the NDP negotiated with the Liberal minority government, we are going to be able to give the poor and the middle class access to dental care. Does my colleague not think that it is a positive development for the people in his riding, including children, yo…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to learn that the NDP is in government, because I was not aware of that. The Liberal government is incapable of providing services to Canadians. The immigration delays are a catastrophe. The unemployed find it impossible to talk to someone about employment insurance. Now there is a crisis with passports, even though everyone knew that people would want to travel when th…
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Mr. Speaker, while people are paying more and more for necessities, there is a bunch of bad apples lining their pockets. In the seven years that this government has been in power, becoming a first-time homeowner has become an impossible dream, and it is getting harder and harder to find decent housing at an affordable price. In the meantime, the housing market is overheating and there is a growing…
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Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today in the House to talk about something that is so important for Quebeckers, as well as for all francophones in Canada and North America. I would like to thank my colleague from Salaberry—Suroît for introducing Bill C-238 and giving us the opportunity to have this vital discussion in the House of Commons. From what I hear from my colleagues, I think that…
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Madam Speaker, for the past two years, immigration processing times have been ridiculous. Thousands of people are waiting. They have no idea what is going on, and the government is not treating them with respect. These are human tragedies, uprooted lives and broken dreams. The Liberals can see that, yet they do nothing. They tell people to contact their MP, but our offices can only handle five app…
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Madam Speaker, there are some things about the budget that we do not like either, namely, the oil subsidy increases. However, there are also some worthwhile things in there that will help people in a meaningful way, things like funding for dental care and for children, youth, seniors, the poor and the middle class. Does my colleague not agree that his constituents will benefit from these social me…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Repentigny for her speech and for her passion for Quebec culture in particular and cultural diversity in general. I think we are at a point where the web giants have to participate in the cultural funding and production ecosystem, especially the francophone one. For years now, these digital broadcasters have been left alone, and it is as if we…
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Madam Speaker, I would like my colleague to speak about fiscal balance and fairness. For years, broadcasters and cable companies invested in the production of Quebec and Canadian content. The new players, that is to say digital broadcasters, were given a gift, a free pass, for many years. My question is simple. Why does he think that Vidéotron should pay, but Google and YouTube should not?
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's speech on the interest of the people of our nation in taking care of the people of Quebec. As he said, the NDP agrees with allowing Quebec to opt out of new federal programs with financial compensation. The problem with his bill is that he also wants to exempt Quebec from its obligation to honour the five principles of medicare. Does my colleague realize …
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to speak to the bill sponsored by the hon. Bloc member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, the dean of the House. I am a little older than my Conservative colleague who just spoke. I was 11 years old when my Bloc colleague was elected for the first time. I agree with much of what was said earlier, and I will focus on three points. We agree on the first po…
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For dental care, it is about paying the bills, not giving—
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-271, An Act to give legal capacity to the St. Lawrence River and to provide for measures respecting its protection. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and honoured to rise in the House to introduce this private member's bill to give the St. Lawrence River the right to defend and protect itself. We know that we are experiencing a major environmental crisis, likely th…
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Madam Speaker, on April 24, 1915, a telegram sent by the minister of the interior of the Ottoman empire launched the operations that would eventually lead to the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in the first genocide of the 20th century. This tragedy was sadly followed by the Holodomor, the Shoah and the Rwandan genocide. We have a duty and a responsibility to never forget. The situation is still…
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers have made a clear choice. They want a universal public pharmacare plan. An overwhelming majority, specifically 73%, of those surveyed in Quebec are in favour of such a plan. Why is that? Because they know they are paying too much for their prescription drugs, and the cost continues to rise. People know that a universal plan will lower drug prices and improve their health. F…
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Madam Speaker, I am extremely pleased to rise today to take part in this discussion, this very important debate. I applaud the excellent speech given by the previous speaker, my colleague from Vancouver Kingsway. She did a great job presenting the progressive and humanistic vision of concrete gains that the NDP wants to achieve for people, including citizens, tenants, seniors, those who are strugg…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I did indeed have the opportunity to go to Saskatchewan. I did not meet with the workers she talked about, but I met many workers who were concerned about their future and who wanted to continue to have a good job to pay for their home and their children's education. That is why a just transition is so important for the NDP. I think that techno…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The NDP calls the Canada Infrastructure Bank the privatization bank, because it is governed by a market-based logic in which investors get guaranteed profits and returns. As a result, projects are selected mainly based on returns, not public usefulness. That is what the NDP has a problem with. We would like to see the Canada Infrastructure Bank…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to answer my colleague's question. I am very proud to have achieved real results for Quebeckers. We won on dental care for the poorest people and for the middle class. We have achieved results for tenants who are struggling and for Quebeckers having a hard time paying their rent. We have achieved results for workers who pay too much for their prescription drugs. We have…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. One of the most popular NDP proposals during the last election campaign was that people should have access to dental care, meaning that the government should foot the bill. What does my colleague say to people in his riding who do not have the means or are too poor to afford a dentist? What does he tell them about the fact that his …
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Mr. Speaker, the climate crisis is accelerating. Our ecosystems are in jeopardy. Our waterways, our green spaces and biodiversity are in jeopardy. A global movement for the rights of nature has arisen in response to the massive extinction of living species. It is time to change the paradigm. That is why the NDP is proposing legal status for the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries. Will the Libe…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties and I believe you would find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House: (a) recognize that Guy Lafleur, Officer of the Order of Canada, Knight of the National Order of Quebec, member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame was a legendary player for the Montreal Canadiens and the Nationa…
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Mr. Speaker, on the climate crisis, the Liberals still do not get it. In the same week that the IPCC released a report saying that we need to do a complete 180 in the next three years, the Liberals announced an additional $2.6 billion in subsidies to oil companies and approved Bay du Nord, a new fossil fuel project. That is the problem with the Liberals. They think they can solve the climate crisi…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his speech and for introducing this bill. I am very pleased to see that one element of the agreement negotiated by our two parties is in this bill. In reading this document, we see that the last line protects Quebec seats. It is good to see this come about quickly. However, this agreement also included other elements, such as making it easier to vote by prov…
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Madam Speaker, I am rather surprised to hear that someone read the speeches members gave 10 years ago to find out what people thought of the legislative review. I disagree with what my colleague said about how the system is based exclusively on the proportional representation of the population, because our system functions by exception, with those exceptions being the senatorial clause, the territ…
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Madam Speaker, before I begin, I would seek the consent of the House to share my time.
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the outstanding member for Timmins—James Bay. I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak to Bill C‑14 in the House today. I take pride in it because of the negotiations that the NDP, my party, conducted with the Liberal minority government. This is one of our very tangible wins, a victory we achieved by negotiating and getting things for people. In…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. It is true, there is still much work to do on this bill. There are still many things that need to be improved in order to make it easier to vote. We could, for example, make it easier to vote by mail and count the votes more rapidly. Unfortunately, in the last general election, there were no polling stations on university campuses…
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