Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague has provided an accurate description of the turmoil and concerns that Bill C-9 has caused among the people. Does he not acknowledge that the government may have failed to explain Bill C‑9 properly, allowing the situation to escalate because of what appears to be incorrect information? What will the government do differently next time to explain its legislative initiativ…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my riding neighbour for his speech. My colleague represents a riding on the other side of our beautiful Chaleur Bay. I want to ask him a question. He brought up remarks made yesterday in the House. I was there. It was about 11:50 p.m. He spoke on the importance of not repeating remarks that might be hurtful to others, yet by taking a few minutes of his speech to go over these …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, in the drafting of Bill C‑9, some interpretive clauses were added that, in my opinion, address the concerns of my Conservative colleagues. I am going to read them, and I want my Conservative colleagues to tell me what is missing from these clauses so I can reassure them. The goal is not to prevent individuals from worshipping in accordance with the religions they wish to follow. The…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am going to ask my colleague the same question I asked earlier. I hope I get an answer by the end of the debate. Bill C-9 contains interpretive clauses specifically intended to ensure that under no circumstances are individuals prevented from practising the religion of their choice or communicating the contents of a biblical text. The following involves subsections 319(2) and 319(…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, behind the economic update lies an economic situation that is strongly affected by the trade war with the United States. I would like to ask my colleague for his insights. I would like him to tell us what he has heard from his contacts in the United States regarding the next steps in the renegotiation of CUSMA. Also, what is his view of how the Liberal government is currently conducti…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his great speech. I heard all of his demands for his province of Saskatchewan that Ottawa has not listened to. I heard him list the things that Saskatchewan is asking for and not getting. I have a serious question for him about something that is bothering me. The Conservatives often talk about reducing the deficit, as my colleague mentioned, and being responsi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for all of the work he did during the study of this bill, which required a lot of effort, listening and compromise. I personally was pleased to be here to listen to his speech from beginning to end. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on the amendments that the Bloc Québécois managed to get adopted during the study of Bill C-9, particul…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague's remarks and would like to hear him speak to the issue of Canadian sovereignty, since he brought it up again. From the Bloc Québécois's perspective, we feel that this amounts to Canadian subservience to Donald Trump's demands, particularly in the cultural sector. One of our expectations regarding the latest economic statement was that the government would reint…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, one of the major challenges of the fast pace of modern life is to avoid living in a bubble. It is important to understand what happens before consuming a product and what happens after. The lemon in my glass grew somewhere, and it will end up somewhere. In the case of my phone, people had to work in mines to extract the material needed to produce it, and it will eventually end up some…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague and riding neighbour for his contribution. I would like to add a dose of moderation to our discussion. People boast that our electoral system is strong. However, it took a bill, the one that we are about to pass, to make it clear that bribes meant to force a vote, or bribes meant to persuade someone to vote one way or another, are prohibited. The infamous “brown…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his kind words about Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, which is an absolutely wonderful place. I would like to ask him another question. The action that the Quebec National Assembly took to reconcile these two principles, or in other words to guarantee equality of voting power and ensure that the ridings are not too big, led to an increased numb…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have a follow-up question for my colleague. I really enjoyed his answer, and we read the same Supreme Court decision. My question is this: Is he ready to consider increasing the number of federal ridings to ensure that they retain their human scale?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the National Assembly of Quebec passed a law to protect certain ridings in my region, the Gaspé Peninsula, as well as one in Montreal. With every electoral redistribution exercise comes tension between, on the one hand, population growth and the need to ensure that each vote carries similar relative weight, and, on the other hand, the importance of ensuring that ridings do …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am going to take advantage of the fact that the minister responsible for democratic institutions is here to get his perspective on something that happened in the National Assembly. Yesterday, they passed a bill to protect certain electoral districts. As we are well aware, each time a redistribution happens, we try to reconcile—
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I know that my colleague is very concerned about the issues raised by Bill C-22, and I understand that the purpose of today's motion is to split the bill, but I would like to hear my colleague's views on the substance of the matter. One of the concerns he raised is that, if Bill C-22 is passed, it will allow people's personal information to be retained for one year. He touched on th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to continue the discussion with the minister. He mentioned prefabricated houses, and I am aware that both the Quebec and Canadian governments prefer them as a means of reducing costs. However, what we are seeing in the Gaspé Peninsula is that prefabricated components have to be shipped, and that poses a problem. I therefore ask that, when planning future programs, the g…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to take advantage of the minister's presence here to tell him about what is happening in my riding, in the Gaspé region and in the Magdalen Islands. The cost to build housing is not the same across the board. In the Gaspé region, in particular, it often costs about 25% more because of the remote location and the fact that there is less competition. It is even worse in the Mag…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thought my colleague's speech was very interesting, especially the first part, when he talked about drifting away from democracy. It resonated with me, because I was elected last year and I have noticed that, month after month, the government keeps introducing legislation to bypass lots of other legislation, saying that, from now on, as much power as possible is going to be placed u…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, with regard to defence spending, what has been done over the past few months is pretty spectacular. The government has invested an additional $60 billion in the space of 10 months. What I have to point out is that Canada was a laggard and had not been doing its part since 2014. Our fear is that one big push can come with certain risks, such as the risk of abuse, the risk that the mone…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleague a question to determine his party's position on a request that is very important to the Bloc Québécois and that was brought to me again yesterday. I was in the Magdalen Islands, and some seniors came to see me to ask about the status of the Bloc Québécois's request to increase the old age security pension for seniors aged 65 to 74. This would cost just over …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague said something that resonates with me because it is something I have felt as well. According to feedback from the public, when they saw the exchange between my colleague and the Minister of Finance, they did not understand why the minister was not answering. I must admit that, over the past year, this is one of the things I have noticed that really amazes me. When we go t…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today is Gaspé Day, a day to celebrate the region that I love. The landscapes there are breathtaking, but let us talk instead about the people back home and, above all, about the bond that unites us. Loneliness is taking a toll on society, but the Gaspé is an exception. Back home, when I see an ambulance go by, my heart sinks as I wonder who has run into some misfortune. Back home, I …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today is Gaspé Day, a day to celebrate the region that I love. The landscapes there are breathtaking, but let us talk instead about the people back home and, above all, about the bond that unites us. Loneliness is taking a toll on society, but the Gaspé is an exception. Back home, when I see an ambulance go by, my heart sinks as I wonder who has run into some misfortune. Back home, I …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, looking at how the Canadian economy has been performing, it is clear that the real problem is exports. We know that the forestry industry is being hit hard by 45% countervailing duties, which of course limits its ability to export competitively to the American market. We in the Bloc Québécois proposed that the government buy back the countervailing duties, the money owed to our busine…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, despite everything my colleague said, the fact remains that Canada has the highest level of household debt in the world, or one of the highest in the world, according to the IMF. The people most affected by that are those with the lowest earnings: seasonal workers who are struggling to get enough EI, given the rising cost of rent and groceries. I want to share the story of Lise Lapi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague wanted to talk about natural resources in particular. One economic sector in serious difficulty in Quebec is the forestry industry. In the Gaspé, where I come from, forestry businesses are often family-owned. Those that export their products have been hit with 45% countervailing duties since October. One business operating in my riding is struggling financially. I am talk…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my riding neighbour for his speech. He and I represent ridings where seasonal work is a reality. According to the IMF, Canada's household debt is one of the highest in the world right now. Those most often affected are low-income earners, our seasonal workers, the very people who are indispensable in economic sectors that serve as pillars of our regions, such as the fishing in…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my colleague's list did not even include the backtracking on environmental assessments, the protection of endangered species, and so on. The Canadian Climate Institute says the government will not meet its climate targets. The Pembina Institute says the same thing. The former environment minister who resigned says the same thing, too. All we are asking the government is to provide evi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, can the minister answer the question? Does she agree that the number of asylum seekers should be distributed fairly among Canada's provinces based on their population?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I understand that this is a conversation and that the government has already paid Quebec compensation for its efforts. My question for the minister is the same. Does she agree in principle on the need for equitable distribution among the provinces?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I understand that the minister is working toward the objective of distributing asylum seekers fairly among the various provinces and, therefore, that she supports this principle. Now, what steps is she taking to achieve this?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, the minister tells us that she believes in the goal that is the equitable distribution of asylum seekers. She even tells us that it is a success. She explains that the number of asylum seekers is decreasing, which does not answer the question. The question is that there is currently an inequitable distribution of asylum seekers and that Quebec receives more than 38% of all asylum seeker…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, should the minister not acknowledge that there has been no progress and that the situation is still as bad as it was in 2024?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, does the minister agree in principle that it is appropriate to distribute asylum seekers fairly across Canada's various provinces?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, does the minister agree that it is appropriate for the number of asylum seekers to be distributed fairly among Canada's provinces?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I understand from the minister's response that she supports this objective of distributing asylum seekers fairly. That goes without saying, because, obviously, the more asylum seekers we have, the higher the costs to the public treasury. In Quebec, there is also the challenge of integration in French. According to the French language commissioner, between 33% and 40% of asylum seekers a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I would ask the minister to explain where the success is when it comes to the equitable distribution of asylum seekers.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, the distribution of asylum seekers is still just as inequitable as it was when the minister got the job. Is she telling us that Mr. Miller, her predecessor, was unable to solve the problem—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, on the whole, I agree with my colleague. We are witnessing a pathetic display of obsequiousness by the Conservative Party today. It has decided to champion the interests of American companies in the House even as our culture and media sectors are being hit hard by an unprecedented advertising revenue crisis. We have to support them. Some American companies are going to use our cultura…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, does the minister intend to draw on practices in Europe, in particular, to establish a process for the distribution of asylum seekers?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome my colleague and congratulate her on her first speech in the House. I would like to hear her comments on the Liberal government's backtracking on the digital services tax. What are her thoughts on this?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his remarks. He said a number of things that the Bloc Québécois agrees with. I often say that we protect what we love. We love our culture. We love our free, independent press. We want to protect it and give it the means to continue entertaining and informing Quebeckers. I have a question for my colleague. If he loves Quebec culture and the free press, as we d…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I would like the minister to answer this very simple question. I understand that conversations are going on and that there may be some shining examples. However, does she agree with the principle that asylum seekers have to be distributed among the various Canadian provinces?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to address the argument put forward by my colleague and his party about how we must never, ever tax web giants because that would be a trade irritant. Why is it a trade irritant for the Americans? Obviously, because massive corporations like Amazon, Netflix and Prime Video want to come here and make as much money as possible without contributing to the media ecosystem while tra…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague on his remarks, and I have no doubt about his commitment to culture and the importance of giving our producers a chance. Otherwise, they will be crushed. I still want to point out the hypocrisy of all this. Liberal Party members of Parliament are talking to us today about defending culture, but they have given up on pushing for the digital services tax. I think …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague to tell us more about her intention to work toward convincing the government to reinstate the digital services tax. Earlier, I was talking about the Conservative Party's pathetic obsequiousness. I think the same thing happened with the Liberal Party last year. To avoid ruffling feathers south of the border, the government decided not to tax a percentage of th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, does the minister acknowledge that efforts to date have not borne fruit, that the distribution is still inequitable and that her predecessor failed to meet expectations?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, will the minister acknowledge that her predecessor failed in her attempts to get the provinces to agree on a better way to distribute asylum seekers?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, Quebec is a welcoming place. Quebeckers are welcoming. We understand that we have a duty of solidarity toward asylum seekers. We also understand that asylum seekers and those who become refugees are an asset and that they contribute to Quebec. Figures released this morning clearly show that this is still the case. Quebeckers are taking in a very large proportion of asylum seekers. I wou…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, how does the minister explain that, despite her efforts and the voluntary action of some provinces, the distribution of asylum seekers is still so unfair in Canada?
Read full speech →