Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, that is an excellent question. That is probably also a big part of the problem. During the last election campaign, the Bloc Québécois called for cutbacks in the use of outside consultants, because it leads to both money being wasted and contracts being awarded under questionable circumstances. Furthermore, it leads to a loss of expertise within the public service. Modernization is c…
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Madam Speaker, I want to address this issue with a great deal of compassion today. I will start with a bit of history. After I was first elected in 2019, I was deeply affected by one of the first cases I dealt with in my office. It was the case of a young woman who came to my office in tears, carrying her infant in a car seat. I handed her a tissue box and invited her in. This mother, who had just…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, as I said, there has been a loss of expertise within the government. It has been shifted to external consultants. Perhaps the government should have listened more closely to the public servants who raised concerns about the Phoenix system. It is clear that their comments were not taken into account. I would also like to address the fact that the government tried to downp…
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Madam Speaker, of course, we have to modernize our systems. The problem is that this modernization was poorly planned and poorly executed. In my speech, I raised a lot of questions that could have been asked beforehand, questions that we still do not have answers to. The reason we are calling for an independent public inquiry is so that we can find out what was not done properly in the planning st…
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Mr. Speaker, I am trying to understand how it is acceptable, in a secular society like Quebec, to argue that someone should not be criminally prosecuted under a religious exemption even if there is a hateful intent behind it all. That is unacceptable. Quebec has chosen secularism. It is unacceptable, but that is our current reality. This is not misinformation. The Criminal Code allows someone to d…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to make a comment before asking my question. I have been listening to this debate, and clearly, the federal government is out of touch with Quebec's unique circumstances. In Quebec, we understand that secularism is a progressive value that is deeply rooted in Quebec's values since the time of the Quiet Revolution, given our history. It is a very modern and very current principl…
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Mr. Speaker, this is being proposed despite the fact that the committee had demonstrated its good faith by proposing an interpretive clause. The committee even set aside Bill C-9 to study Bill C-14 at the Conservatives' request. The committee studied Bill C-14 and then went back to Bill C-9, thinking everything would be fine, but no, even though their request was granted, the Conservatives continu…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, according to the government, 85,000 seniors have been having problems getting their old age security benefits because of issues with the Cúram software. Some of them have been waiting for nine months. Yesterday, we saw why it is taking so long. The government House leader said that the errors would be corrected. He said, and I quote, “If there are cases...[we] would have heard about t…
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Mr. Speaker, according to the government's own estimates, 85,000 pensioners have been affected by the issues with Cúram. That is 85,000 people who have been affected by a software with cost overruns of close to $5 billion. If this were happening in Quebec, there would have been a public inquiry a long time ago. However, the government House leader thinks that everything is fine and dandy. He is ba…
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Madam Speaker, we are talking about creating this position through Bill C-10, which we are debating today. We can only commend the creation of this position as an important step. I am a member of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. For genuine reconciliation with indigenous peoples to occur, we must ensure that action is taken for indigenous women and girls. How many reports show that t…
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Mr. Speaker, the minister said that 85,000 retirees are having problems with their old age security payments because of the federal government. When 85,000 people are affected, it is time for the Liberals to stop treating them as isolated cases. The government needs to pour resources into resolving these cases, which are piling up in Ottawa. The problems with the Cúram software need to be fixed. C…
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Mr. Speaker, there are seniors who have been waiting for their OAS pension for nine months. Meanwhile, we have learned that the government is not only pretending that everything is fine, but it is also not telling the truth to the media or to us when we ask questions. The government is asking public servants to lie to people and tell them that their problems have nothing to do with the Cúram softw…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech and for her excellent work. She raised a number of important points, and I want to pick up on a few of them. Of course we agree that this GST credit was necessary. However, I think we need more meaningful measures, which are being discussed in our ridings. I would like to give my colleague the opportunity to talk more about the issues the Liberals…
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Mr. Speaker, some retirees are being deprived of their old age security benefits because of errors in the Cúram software. The minister is telling us to give her their names and that they will help them. There are 500,000 new applicants every year. If we are to believe the minister's figures from yesterday, figures that are constantly changing, and if it is true that only about 2% of files are prob…
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Mr. Speaker, at first, the Liberals did not think there was any problem with pensions. They called it fearmongering. The following week, there were about 30 cases, or 0.2% of the files. Yesterday, that rose to 2% of claimants, which could mean up to 10,000 cases. The Liberals are still treating this like it is no big deal. This government is so accustomed to providing poor services to the public t…
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Mr. Speaker, we are speaking to the bill introduced today, Bill C-19, on the GST credit. It is a start, in that it provides some necessary relief, but it does not go far enough. Bill C-19 seeks to provide financial relief to millions of Canadians against a backdrop of the persistently rising cost of living. My colleague from Mirabel just explained the Bloc Québécois's position on the bill in detai…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague on his speech. He spoke at length about his criticisms and what is missing from the bill. I would like to return to certain important aspects that a number of victims' groups have called for and that even his female Conservative colleagues are calling for. For example, in Bill C‑16, there is an openness to criminalizing coercive control, which is somethi…
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Mr. Speaker, in five years, people will still need to pay for groceries and rent. Where will we be economically? No one can predict that. One thing is for sure: It is time we thought about solutions that will help people and give them some predictability. This measure will make people think they have a little more money now, but that they have to be careful because they do not know what will happe…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is somewhat unusual for me to be rising this morning to speak to Bill C-245, which was introduced by my colleague from Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères and which seeks to amend the Canadian Multiculturalism Act so that it does not apply in Quebec. This is something that the Bloc Québécois has taken a strong stance on, something that we are calling for. In a way, multicultural…
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Mr. Speaker, I addressed that a little in my speech. It breeds political cynicism. The government did not act until it sensed it was in hot water, or once it saw an electoral opening or opportunity. As I said earlier, my electoral crystal ball is no more accurate than any other. This government is presenting measures that might look extremely appealing at first glance. In the past, the Liberals we…
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Mr. Speaker, we are debating a lot of issues related to the Criminal Code. However, I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on this because it once again raises the issue of the fiscal imbalance. We can pass all the bills we want, but the bottom line is that Quebec and the provinces are the ones responsible for the administration of justice. It is important for the House to pass legislation, …
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Mr. Speaker, I think I more than covered that in my speech. The Bloc Québécois made a proposal, and we believe it is one way to help people who are truly in need. We were told that there was no money to increase OAS for people aged 65 to 74 who did not receive anything, yet money was found for this benefit. I would point out, however, that the cost is the same, or nearly the same. The government t…
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Mr. Speaker, imagine retiring and then not receiving your pension for nine months. Imagine how much that would affect your financial planning. Some people need their pension to pay their rent. Some people need it to pay for groceries. Imagine being in their shoes and watching this government behave as though everything were going smoothly. The Bloc Québécois is calling for an investigation into th…
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Madam Speaker, let me begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with the member for St. Albert—Sturgeon River. Today we are debating Bill C-16, which means we are talking about court delays, sexual violence and protecting victims. I am speaking today on behalf of the Bloc Québécois. First of all, my party and I would like to extend our deepest condolences to those affected by what is already …
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Madam Speaker, I noted some of our concerns and some of the progress made, which we will support. However, in terms of prevention, I would like to remind members that Bill C-16 will not fix everything. Criminalizing coercive control is really something that groups on the ground are calling for. I had a conversation with people from the shelter in my riding, Maison Alice Desmarais, who shared some …
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Mr. Speaker, emotions are running high in this debate. We are thinking about all the women who have been victims of femicide and the fact that femicides are on the rise. The bill does contain one measure that women's groups have long been calling for. On their behalf, I spearheaded a study on the criminalization of coercive control at the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. Bill C-16 paves …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean. However, this bill was a team effort. Bloc Québécois members prefer to work as a team. I want to reiterate the active involvement of our colleague and fantastic critic from Rivière-du-Nord, who sits on the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. He worked very hard on the issue of the Jordan decision, in collaboration w…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague just mentioned that much of what is in the bill was requested a long time ago. I agree with her. She addressed the issue of mandatory minimum sentences for serious crimes and that is something the Bloc Québécois had asked to be reinstated. From what I understand, to ensure that the bill is consistent with the charter and the many Supreme Court decisions that struck down…
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Madam Speaker, I am running out of time. First, on the issue of deepfakes, as I mentioned earlier, I hope that the Standing Committee on the Status of Women can conduct a study on this issue. We now know that AI and deepfake images disproportionately affect women. The consequences of that are huge. Second, with respect to elevating femicide to first-degree murder, I know that some stakeholders cal…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I get very emotional when talking about some bills, and Bill C-222, the relieving grieving parents of an administrative burden act, or Evan's law, is one of them. As my colleague said earlier, most parents cannot imagine what it is like to lose a child. It must be the worst tragedy a parent can experience. I am thinking of my little Naomie, and I am going to give her a big hug tonig…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by noting that Quebec's fourth femicide tragically took place in the riding of Shefford. My thoughts are with Véronic Champagne's family and loved ones. A vigil was held in Rougemont. I was really struck by what one of her friends said in an interview. She said that femicide is one of the most easily preventable crimes, because there are often warning signs. This bring…
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Mr. Speaker, seniors aged 65 and up deserve real answers before this turns into another Phoenix scandal. No one should have to wait nine months to get their pension, but there are cases where that is happening. No one should have to spend hours on the phone trying to get through to someone who can help fix the federal government's mistakes. The first step in solving a problem is admitting that the…
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that there are a lot of measures in Bill C-16. That is why it will be important to carefully study the bill in committee. Earlier, I spoke about the work that I did to spearhead a study in committee. I have been advocating for years about the importance of revisiting the issue of coercive control and criminalizing it. I have been waging this battle at the request of the Que…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands for the speech she gave as part of this very important debate. In the current context, market diversification is crucial for our businesses. However, I am also a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, so this is an issue that I follow very closely, and I find it troubling that, in 2025, …
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Mr. Speaker, in my previous question, I reminded the House that the Bloc Québécois is very committed to addressing these international trade issues. My colleague from Jonquière introduced Bill C-228, which aimed to establish a committee to discuss these treaties here in the House, to negotiate international agreements. I would like to come back to that because my colleague from Saint-Hyacinthe—Bag…
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Mr. Speaker, I travelled to Washington in 2023 with a delegation of Uyghurs to meet with American elected officials and speak with them about this law. This was mentioned earlier, but Canada has managed to intercept just one single container. We keep using this example because it is striking to see just how much we need a law that has a lot more teeth. This shows that it is not incompatible to pro…
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Mr. Speaker, some new retirees have not been receiving their old age security pension for nine months now because of problems with the new Cúram software. What did the Liberals have to say to these people yesterday? The Liberal House leader said that software problems happen. He said that we were fearmongering. The Liberals were made aware of this in June by their own officials. With answers like …
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Mr. Speaker, my takeaway from this afternoon is that we are being led to believe that economic interests and human rights are totally irreconcilable. With its bill to reverse the burder of proof in cases of forced labour, however, the Bloc Québécois is strengthening ties. Indeed, that just happens to be one of the things that the United States has requested of us as it takes action to ensure that …
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Mr. Speaker, if things were going as well as the government House leader claims, then we would not have seniors who have not received their pension since last spring. We would not have seniors who are receiving the wrong amounts and who will be getting less on their cheques in the future. This is not fearmongering. We are talking about real people who are saying that the government's new software,…
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Mr. Speaker, this is the Phoenix fiasco for seniors. The worst part is that the federal government was warned about this in a public service union report back in June. The federal government has known since June that it is unable to make OAS payments properly. Even today, absolutely nothing has been fixed. How much longer will pensioners have to wait before the Liberals take this problem seriously…
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Mr. Speaker, here we have yet another government IT fiasco. This time, the victims are seniors who have been struggling to receive their old age security pension since the new Cúram software was rolled out. Some pensioners have been waiting for months—since May, in fact. They have not received any benefits for nine months. Other seniors have received overpayments, and even if they are not cashed, …
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Mr. Speaker, I think the minister was reading from the wrong notes. This $25 million per year is paltry when set against an $80-billion deficit. It makes no sense to cut funding for the fight against homelessness. This means tens of thousands of dollars less for each of our community organizations at a time when they are concerned that the crisis is affecting increasingly vulnerable people, partic…
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Mr. Speaker, today we are debating a motion that deals with the agreement between Ottawa and Alberta for a new pipeline. However, I want to follow up on a concern that my colleague and I share, and that is the cost of living. As the critic for seniors, I hear all the time that seniors can no longer afford rent and groceries. Last week, a study showed that, in 2026, people will be spending at least…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to express my condolences to the minister on her cousin's death, her cousin's femicide, if I understood correctly. We will never forget these women: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, M…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I will try to do something in three and a half minutes on a subject that I am sure everyone understands is in my wheelhouse as the status of women critic for the Bloc Québécois. I want to mention that this debate is taking place during the 12 days of action to end violence against women, which run from November 25 to December 6, the day when, unfortunately, people will commemorate the…
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Mr. Speaker, last Sunday, I went to Ange‑Gardien to meet with volunteers who were organizing food drives. Today is the day of the media food drive. Saturday morning, food drives are being held in Saint‑Césaire, Waterloo and Rougemont. On Sunday, I will be raising money for the SOS Dépannage Moisson Granby food drive. In short, it is food drive season. Everywhere I go, I talk to people. The HungerC…
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Madam Speaker, I would say that this is a budget of dashed hopes, a budget of disillusionment. I know that my colleague's region is one with an aging population. We need to talk about the importance of providing more assistance to seniors. There is nothing in this budget to help seniors aged 65 to 74, who did not receive the same old age security increase as seniors 75 and over. There was nothing …
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Madam Speaker, in his speech, my colleague spoke at length about the cost of living. That is something that is important to us too. When we talk about the cost of living, one of the most important things is housing. During the last election campaign, the government boasted about its Build Canada Homes project, claiming it would solve the housing problems. However, as we are seeing once again, it h…
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Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague briefly touched on the issue of health care. The Bloc Québécois had called for an increase in health transfers to give more resources to the health care system in Quebec and the provinces that really need them. Just this morning at the Standing Committee on Health as part of our study on antimicrobials, a witness wrapped up his presentation by saying that m…
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Mr. Speaker, my question will be short and simple. My colleague talked a lot about Brookfield. How is it ethically dangerous and concerning for a prime minister to put his personal interests ahead of the interests of his fellow Canadians?
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