Parliamentary Speeches
683 speeches by Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe — Page 3 of 14
Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the minister obviously did not watch the report. The problem is not the universities; the problem is international organized crime. Criminals are taking advantage of Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada's negligence to make hundreds of millions of dollars. Border services know that this money is being used to prop up a criminal organization in the Ivory Coast, and even to fund…
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Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. Not everyone takes long vacations, and all summer long, I met with groups that will be affected by Bill C‑2. For these meetings, I was joined by my colleagues from Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon and Rivière-du-Nord, because we will all be sharing the task of studying Bill C‑2 if it goes to committee, as we hope it will. My que…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to say more about this topic, because it is quite surprising. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons says this is a new government, but I do not believe this is the first time I have seen him. He has been rising in the House for some time, and, all of a sudden, he is saying that we need to tighten our borders and toughen up the asylu…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Lethbridge for her passionate speech. I think this is a very emotional topic for her. I understand her and I congratulate her on this speech. This bill will likely end up in committee. Does my colleague think we need to make a lot of changes to it? Will the parties have to work as a team to ensure that this bill can be passed in the House? If the Liberals do …
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Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. One part of his speech really caught my attention, and that was when he referred to part 11 of the bill. If the bill were applied as it is currently written, it would prohibit cash transactions of more than $10,000. The hon. member referred to his riding, which is rural. I have also heard indigenous community leaders express their concern…
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Mr. Speaker, we can all agree that this is a rather lengthy bill. It is no less than 130 pages long and affects around 15 acts and a number of departments. We are going to have to do an extremely thorough job. There is one thing I have not heard my Conservative friends talk about as much. My colleague could surely enlighten me on their concerns, their understanding or their position when it comes …
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to repeat a question I asked a Liberal colleague on the same subject and for which I do not believe I received a suitable response. It is a simple question. Many groups that we met for Bill C‑2 shared their apprehensions over some clauses in the bill that, according to them, might be unconstitutional. I doubt that we the only ones they shared that with. They must have share…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the five-year lease that Public Services and Procurement Canada contracted with ILG LTÉE (Pierre Guay) in August 2021, to consolidate previous leases and retrofit two existing buildings (337 and 339 Guay Road, Lacolle): (a) did the lease, which was to run from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2027, end with the closure of Roxham Road, at midnight on March 25, 2023; (b) if the new five-ye…
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With regard to the approval rate for French-speaking international students: how many study permit applications, other than extension applications, has Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada processed since January 1, 2023, broken down by (i) country of residence, (ii) number of people, (iii) year?
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, I wish you could take part in this debate. That is the last time I will say it. I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. I was obviously already somewhat familiar with his position on the matter, since I also worked on Bill S‑245 and Bill C‑71. Right now, we are working on Bill C‑3. We have been working on this issue for years, so I think we all know where…
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Mr. Speaker, we unfortunately did not have time to hear the entire question. All we can say is that Bill C‑3 will correct an injustice once and for all. The amendments from Bill C‑71 are already included in Bill C‑3. In fact, it is as though we were passing Bill C‑71 without the parliamentary obstruction that took place at the time. I think that now is the time to do it.
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Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that this will be the last time I give a speech on such a bill at second reading. That is a lot, considering Bill S‑245 and Bill C‑71. That brings us to Bill C‑3. I hope this will be resolved once and for all. A few months ago, I stood in the House to speak to Bill C‑71, which was in fact a reintroduction of Bill S‑245, which sought to correct a historic wrong by gran…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on her election. If this bill is passed, an injustice will certainly be corrected. Yes, these things take time. Sometimes, however, they do not take long enough. Would my colleague like to talk about Bill C‑5? It makes no sense. That kind of bill should take plenty of time. Unfortunately, the government decided otherwise. That said, I believe that Bill C‑3 …
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Mr. Speaker, if there are good amendments, I will consider them and support them. If they are bad, I will consider them and not support them. That is pretty much it. This should not have dragged on since 2009, however. The Liberals were a majority from 2015 to 2019. They could have fixed this mistake promptly. Sadly, however, they made no effort whatsoever to address this injustice. Today, they ar…
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Mr. Speaker, we put forward proposals regarding temporary foreign workers and the measures that were implemented last fall. We asked for the government to restore the previous measures, for example, to allow Quebec companies to hire up to 20% of their workforce as temporary foreign workers, except in Montreal and Laval. That is what we mean when we talk about unilateral measures. The problem is th…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said, we will seriously study all of the amendments that are tabled. I already see a few problems around these two issues, such as the fact that the government wants to make it so that people have to spend three consecutive years in Canada to get their citizenship. For one thing, this would limit their right to move. What happens if someone wants to spend a week in Cuba? They blo…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, this is not the most urgent priority. As I mentioned earlier, over the past 10 years, the Department of Citizenship and Immigration has been the most dysfunctional department in the federal government. There have been seven immigration ministers in 10 years. When a ship is sinking, changing captains is not going to help. A new ship must be built. The problems with immigrati…
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Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying that I am very pleased to see you in the Speaker's chair. However, I must also say that I would have liked to see you take part in today's debate in your former role as immigration critic. I would have liked to see someone as thorough as you participate in the debate on a bill of this nature. The Liberals are concerned about borders. Finally. After 10 years, the…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be quick. I asked the member for Winnipeg North a question earlier. It is not that complicated. The CBSA union wants this, the officers want this and the Bloc Québécois supports this demand: the ability to patrol between border crossings. It would not require new legislation. It could be done through regulations. My question is, why does the government not do this right now? Th…
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Mr. Speaker, I would also like to welcome my colleague from Elgin—St. Thomas—London South to the House. I enjoyed his speech. Can my colleague tell me how we have gotten to this point? In his opinion, why is the government introducing a bill that I would call too radical for the current situation, a bill that will amend about 15 acts and attack legislation affecting three different departments? Ca…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member for Eglinton—Lawrence on his election. He seems like a serious parliamentarian who wants to work constructively. That is exactly how the Bloc Québécois operates. We work constructively on bills. This bill is going to take time. It will require thorough and rigorous study. In the meantime, we have proposals that could help us now at the border. There i…
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North just told us that he was proud to represent Quebec. I have a simple question for him: Is the National Assembly of Quebec important to him? If so, does he think that when 125 elected members from Quebec call— I will stop there because this is a big moment for us right now. I am being told that the Bloc Québécois bill on supply management has been adopted i…
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Madam Speaker, the Liberals are saying that since it is written in their platform, they are doing it. In their election platform, in their leader's speeches, during the leaders' debates and during the election campaign, they kept talking about seniors. They said that they would help seniors financially. The Liberals are in the habit of stealing bits and pieces of every party's platform. In fact, t…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague just said that she has full confidence in the Government of Quebec. The Government of Quebec and all the other parties at the National Assembly, or all 125 elected members from Quebec, called for the reimbursement of $814 million. Like the Parliamentary Budget Officer, they understood that we were robbed. Since my colleague has confidence in the Government of Quebec, shou…
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Madam Speaker, in the last Parliament, we saw the NDP vote with the Liberals to adopt one closure motion after another. Then we saw what happened in the last general election. Does my colleague think that the Liberals are playing the same game with the Conservatives as they did with the NDP, by forcing them to vote with them to adopt one closure motion after another? Are the Conservatives not shoo…
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Mr. Speaker, that is fantastic, because we were told that the Prime Minister is a master at managing public finances. I might be forced to admit that is true, since none of these members are following up on what the Parliamentary Budget Officer said about the rebate paid out on a carbon tax that was never collected. None of these Liberal members is repeating the Quebec National Assembly's call for…
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Mr. Speaker, as world leaders gather at the G7 summit, we must speak with one voice about international human rights and freedom of expression. The G7 is happening at a critical juncture. The trial of Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong political prisoner and defender of freedom of expression, is set to resume in mid-August. He is 77 years old, diabetic and has already spent four and a half years in arbitrary an…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague said he wants to work on behalf of workers, on behalf of hard-working people. This kind of talk really hits home for me. Before I was elected, I worked in a pulp and paper mill. I am probably one of the only members in the House who never sat in a university classroom, so this kind of discourse resonates with me. I am also here to work for the workers, for my friends at t…
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Mr. Speaker, what do a foreign entity involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil, a tyrant who ordered the dismemberment of a journalist at an embassy in Turkey, and a malicious leader who silences any form of opposition have in common? The answer is, of course, that they are all honoured guests of the Prime Minister at the G7. Human rights should not get in the way of a good business …
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Mr. Speaker, Justin Trudeau welcomed “those fleeing persecution, terror and war” to Canada. We remember the fiasco that this tweet caused and the impact that it had on our intake capacity. Nevertheless, Justin Trudeau wanted to welcome the persecuted. Now the new Prime Minister has chosen to welcome the persecutors. Are there any Liberals on the other side who will talk to their leader, the Prime …
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Madam Speaker, there is talk of social licence when it comes to this government's energy projects, such as running a pipeline through Quebec. Do the government's plans include giving public money to oil companies to build pipelines?
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Madam Speaker, I congratulate the member for La Prairie—Atateken on his election. In his speech, he said that he and his government would protect our economic interests. Today, that same MP had the opportunity to walk the talk by protecting Quebec's economic interests and by asking the federal government to repay the $814 million that it stole from Quebec. The Bloc Québécois is not the only one sa…
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Mr. Chair, from what I understand, the government has no target processing time. Is that right?
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Mr. Chair, we will try again in committee. I believe the Conservative member asked the minister earlier about processing times for asylum claims. What is the government's target? I am told that the government wants to reduce processing times. By how much? Do they have a number in mind? What should the processing time be for an asylum claim in Canada?
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Mr. Chair, it is not complicated. I want a number. Are we talking about six months, a year, two years, three years, four years or two months? What is the government's target processing time for asylum claims? The government must have a target for how long it should take to process an asylum claim. What is the target?
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Mr. Chair, if they are working to reduce processing times, that must mean they have a target. Without a target, reducing processing times is absolutely meaningless. It is not complicated. It is a yes-or-no question: Is there a target? Reducing is not a target. Is there a target of six months, a year or two years for the time it takes to process an asylum claim?
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Mr. Chair, I will drop that question. Does the minister believe that asylum claims fall under federal jurisdiction? If so, does she believe that asylum seekers are being divided evenly throughout Canada?
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Mr. Chair, I am talking about social assistance. Quebec is asking for $500,000 for the social assistance it paid. This is not included in the appropriations. Will Quebec get that money? Furthermore, I do not think Quebec received $750 million for asylum seekers. If we had, we would be very happy. I think the minister meant $750,000.
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I understand now, Mr. Chair. It was $750 million. However, Quebec has not received anything in terms of social assistance. There is nothing in the estimates. Why is it not in the estimates?
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Mr. Chair, asylum seekers fall exclusively under federal jurisdiction, pursuant to the international conventions that Canada has signed. No province has authority over asylum seekers. Does the minister think asylum seekers are currently being distributed evenly throughout Canada? Does she not think that they are concentrated in certain provinces, such as Quebec and Ontario?
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Mr. Chair, the minister just admitted that Quebec is doing more than its share and that its intake capacity has in fact been exceeded, yet she says she supports Quebec. Quebec is asking for $500,000 to cover the social assistance cheques it sent to asylum seekers in 2024 alone. Asylum seekers are actually a federal responsibility, but the $500,000 is not included in the appropriations. Why is that…
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Mr. Chair, the minister says she is helping and supporting Quebec, but the Quebec government has spent $500,000 providing social assistance to asylum seekers. This is not included in the appropriations. When will the government reimburse Quebec for that social assistance?
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Mr. Chair, will the government amend the changes that were made in the fall, yes or no? This is very important to people, especially business owners and foreign workers in the regions, who are feeling scared and anxious right now.
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Mr. Chair, last fall, the previous government implemented measures for temporary foreign workers. Those measures are currently having an extremely negative impact on businesses in Quebec's regions. For example, in the housing sector, if a company builds roofs on site, 20% of its workers can be temporary foreign workers. If the roofs are built in a factory, only 10% of them can be temporary foreign…
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Mr. Chair, I want to reassure the minister that I am not here to put on a show or to impress my leader or the House leader of the Bloc Québécois. I would like to ask the minister some questions and have a constructive debate with her. In any case, not many people are watching this evening, and I am not looking to get any sound bites from our discussion. I will begin with the following question. Wh…
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Mr. Chair, the 2024-25 budget committed $4.1 billion in spending. Ultimately, $6.3 billion was spent. For 2025-26, $5.1 billion in spending is projected. The Liberals were off by $2 billion last year. How many billions of dollars does the government think it will be off by this year?
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Mr. Chair, when the estimates were tabled, the minister said that her government would also table the departmental plans for her department in June. Is it correct that the government was supposed to table the plans in June?
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Mr. Chair, in February 2022, the minister's predecessor announced an $85-million investment to improve the client experience and modernize the immigration system. That plan was in the 2021 economic and fiscal update. It would have reduced processing times and addressed difficulties encountered during the process. The plan also called for 500 new officers to be hired. In 2024, her department announ…
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Mr. Chair, as of today, June 9, 2025, the ministerial plans have still not been tabled. Normally, they are tabled after the estimates. My understanding is that the minister will not be tabling a departmental plan in June. Normally, there is a departmental plan, a kind of forecast that is presented after the estimates. Someone needs to get their ducks in a row.
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Mr. Chair, in 2022, the government invested $85 million to hire 500 officers and reduce processing times. In 2024, those times increased and the department laid off 3,300 officers. Can the minister explain the logic behind all that? Is that what we should expect in the coming years?
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