Parliamentary Speeches
772 speeches by Alexandre Boulerice — Page 14 of 16
Government Orders
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 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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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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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, 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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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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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, 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?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
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—
Read full speech →Statements By Members
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 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 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 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 …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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.
Read full speech →Government Orders
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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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. An urban-rural balance is important. My colleague probably knows that I represent a very urban, densely populated riding, with a population of about 110,000 packed into just 11 square kilometres. I think that it is important that the electoral boundaries commission's calculations allow for some deviation from the average, so that …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. I would remind him that, to achieve sovereignty, he should get himself elected to Quebec's National Assembly, if that is really what he wants. For now, here, we are trying to defend Quebec and, above all, Quebeckers. I think that the NDP has represented Quebec by keeping Quebec from losing a seat. That is a victory. With respect t…
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Madam Speaker, I feel like I should remind my colleague that the Bloc Québécois is not Quebec as a whole. The Bloc represents hundreds of thousands of Quebeckers, like other political parties, including those in the House, like the NDP. We took advantage of the government’s minority status to secure gains for Quebeckers, written in black and white in the agreement we negotiated, including a guaran…
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Mr. Speaker, just a few days ago, the IPCC released an alarming report. This is an emergency. The future of our children and grandchildren is at risk. We must take bold action. The Minister of Environment took action: He approved a new fossil fuel project. He will continue to hand out billions of dollars to oil and gas companies. He could have said no to this project, but he said yes to more oil a…
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Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis is hitting people hard all across the country, and the Liberals' national housing strategy is not working at all. People are being forced to live in motels, in their cars or even on the street. The Liberals are saying that they have built more affordable rental housing, but their definition of affordable is still above market prices. It is ridiculous. These are craz…
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Madam Speaker, I have a question for my Conservative colleague, who gave a good analysis of how Canadians are struggling these days, since housing is so expensive and groceries are getting increasingly expensive. Why not look at where the money is, in order to help people? The banks made record profits last year, totalling $60 billion, an increase of nearly 40%. While so many are struggling, we ha…
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Mr. Speaker, another IPCC report, another clarion call. Humanity has less than three years to reverse the current greenhouse gas emissions trend in order to ensure the planet's viability. We have to cut current emissions in half by 2030. We need urgent action, but the Liberals' plan is not good enough. They are counting on technology that does not work, and they are still pouring billions of dolla…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I am a bit surprised to hear him argue against dental care. I would imagine that getting reimbursed for dental care would save people in his riding a lot of money. However, I would also suggest to him that, if we want to pay for new services, then we need to go and get the money where it can be found. What does my colleague think about a special ta…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have just rolled over yet again for the oil industry. The Prime Minister told the entire world that he would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but he just announced that he is going to increase oil production. Instead of investing in green energy jobs, the Liberals are giving a free pass to the oil companies so that they can get richer at the expense of our environment. Th…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. We agree to some extent on the analysis of the cost-of-living situation and the fact that things are tough for people, but unfortunately, we get yet another unsuitable Conservative response. We in the NDP have a crazy idea: We think we should go look for the money where it is. This year, the big Canadian banks made record profits of $77.7 billion…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my Conservative colleague and congratulate him on his private member's bill. This is a very good idea, one that the NDP and other parties have already had. It would really help people. I always like it when the Conservatives, while in opposition, do things that are good for workers. However, it did take them some time to get to this point. Why did my colleague no…
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Mr. Speaker, it is not every day that I rise in the House to say that I agree with the member for Lévis—Lotbinière, but it does happen. I will warn you, however, that I may not make it a habit. I thank my Bloc Québécois colleague for her earlier comments. I believe that we can perhaps arrive at a consensus, even though it may not be unanimous, on the need to move forward with this bill. Many, if n…
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Mr. Speaker, the President of Ukraine is criticizing the international community for being too slow to impose sanctions on Russia. Meanwhile, Canada is home to the global headquarters of Russia's largest uranium producer. The company is owned by the Putin government, but this sector has been virtually untouched by the Liberals' sanctions. There is no way to know how many assets have been frozen in…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to participate in this discussion, this debate, this conversation, on an important bill, Bill C‑246, which has to do with Quebec's place, democracy, history and the recognition of the Quebec nation. I do need to point out that the agreement that the NDP negotiated with the Liberal government includes the condition that Quebec's 78 seats be protected. That was one of ou…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Drummond for his speech and for introducing this bill. I really enjoyed his historical references and the fact that he talked about people from Quebec's history who are close to my heart, particularly Simonne Monet-Chartrand and the film he talked about. I also liked his rather appealing notion of adding a “nation clause” to recognize the fact that Quebec bec…
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Mr. Speaker, I think I am totally on the topic of Quebec and what this might mean for Quebeckers. I will speak quickly. I would like to point out that, earlier, the hon. member for Drummond spoke for about eight minutes before he mentioned his bill, Bill C-246. He first outlined the entire history and digressed quite a bit. I think I am entitled to a little leeway, too. The fact that the NDP has n…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to the bill being studied this evening. However, I get the impression that it makes my colleagues from the Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party a little nervous when we talk about the victories secured by the NDP. That being said, the NDP has long recognized that Quebec is a nation. The NDP already recognized that by adopting the Sherbrooke declaration, than…
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Mr. Speaker, a lot of people are struggling. People are being robbed blind at the pumps while the big oil companies are making record profits. Families are being forced to shell out more and more for fruits, vegetables, meat, and all their other groceries, while CEOs are raking in the millions. It is time for the ultrarich to pay their fair share so that that money can be used to help those who ar…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. Fossil fuels are not “so-called” fossil fuels. They are simply fossil fuels. Although I share my colleague’s analysis of the situation, I unfortunately do not agree with his conclusion and the solution the Conservatives want to apply. Obviously, they do not want to touch the oil companies’ profits. These profits are sacrosanct, and …
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Madam Speaker, I am going to ask a question in the same vein as that from the member for Drummond. The ones really benefiting from the crisis right now are the oil companies, which are lining their pockets. The Conservatives' solution is to cut government revenues, when we need that money to help people. Why not go get the money where the money is, specifically in the oil companies' profits, to th…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recite a few lines from Gatien Lapointe's poem called Ode to the St. Lawrence: A big river flows through my country That shapes the mountains' days ... I say what grows and flourishes in my country I heard the river's deep song ... In this, the most beautiful place in the world From the Great Lakes to the ocean, the river defines Quebec, while its tributaries unite our…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to harassment complaints, workplace violence complaints, and disclosures of wrongdoing related to harassment and discrimination in federal organizations (departments, agencies, Crown corporations, etc.), for fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21, broken down by federal organization, by fiscal year, and for each type of complaint mentioned: (a) how many decisions were made by the organizatio…
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