Parliamentary Speeches
1,100 speeches by Andréanne Larouche — Page 7 of 22
Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue for his speech and for his perspective on this issue as a Quebecker. In his speech, my colleague clearly explained the problem with people appropriating government programs to get funds when those funds could have been given to people who really need them. I am looking over the report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women on…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague and I serve together on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, and we have had the opportunity to work together for some time now. I will try to be brief. What bothers me today is that all these false indigenous identity claims are being used to obtain funds that could be going toward reconciliation efforts and nation-to-nation dialogue. As my colleague knows, stu…
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Madam Speaker, I want to give a nod to my colleague. In his speech, he was comparing MPs to artists, but the examples that he gave were all American artists. If he wants, I can make him a list of francophone artists from Quebec of whom we can be very proud. Obviously, we could talk about Rémy Girard and Patrice Godin. I could name a lot of others like that. I would invite him to take a look at the…
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Mr. Speaker, the government introduced its GST holiday bill and set aside the $250 cheques that it had promised to everyone except seniors and those who are struggling the most. It should take this opportunity to take a step back and seriously rethink its priorities. This government is prepared to spend $6 billion to buy votes, but it refuses to improve the old age security pension for seniors 65 …
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Mr. Speaker, that says a lot about Liberal values. As they see it, giving money to a couple earning $300,000 a year and giving nothing to seniors is fair and equitable. The Liberals see the Conservatives scoring political points without having any sense of social justice or solidarity with people who are struggling, so they decided they would copy that strategy, since it seems to be paying off. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, it has become standard practice for this government to ignore seniors. The government believes it has done enough for seniors, so it is hanging them out to dry. Some seniors will not even benefit from the GST holiday for Christmas, because all their income already goes towards their basic needs. The government can do something. If it can give $250 to everyone just to show how generous…
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Madam Speaker, this evening we are debating a bill. As we, Bloc Québécois colleagues, talk to each other about our meetings with constituents in our ridings, we have come to realize that many people are angry about this. Even experts on the economy have said that it is a bad idea. In these inflationary times, the Bloc Québécois pointed out that it has long been calling for action to help the most …
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Madam Speaker, I do not think that my colleague heard the rather unanimous comments from Quebec. I gave the point of view of community organizations, citizens and economic organizations. Everyone really is unanimous. Over the weekend, elected officials at the municipal and other levels of government told me that this measure is completely ridiculous. It excludes basic necessities and includes prod…
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Madam Speaker, I can see that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives have a grasp of Quebec's reality. No one back home talks to me about the carbon tax. People talk to me about meaningful measures, like increasing old age security by 10% for seniors aged 65 to 74. Given the current economic uncertainty and the likely return of inflation, it is more important than ever to restore the purchasin…
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives, the Liberals and the New Democrats do not understand the reality of Quebec. With regard to the dental plan, what I am hearing is that seniors did not know where to go, that people were confused, that dentists have changed their minds and that the money was given to a private company. The government could have done many things with that $6.3 billion, such as increa…
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Mr. Speaker, according to FADOQ, the federal government is turning its back on retired people. FADOQ had already denounced the Liberals' refusal to provide equitable OAS to all seniors. Now that organization is furious that they are handing out $250 cheques to almost anyone earning a taxable income of up to $150,000 a year, except pensioners. There is not a penny for seniors, not even those who re…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Terrebonne for her speech, but, at the same time, every time I hear this, I shudder. I am a bit shocked, actually. A few months ago, I replaced my colleague from Beauport—Limoilou on the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. The meeting was on hiring external consultants. This was around the time when we were seeing news reports about the…
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Mr. Speaker, today, the House of Commons started sitting at 11 a.m., as it does every Monday. Every Monday at 11 a.m., the Speaker of the House leaves his office and walks in a solemn parade to open the House so we can start the week's work. It is currently 3:30 p.m. The House has been open for four and a half hours now. That is not very long, but it was enough time for the Conservatives to paraly…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to go back to a particular aspect of my colleague's speech that caught my attention. If I understood correctly, he talked about problems at the border. If I am not mistaken, he cited the Eastern Townships region as an example. I represent a riding in the Eastern Townships. Here is another example of mismanagement. I have to say that the Liberal government is as much at …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to ask a question, after hearing the speech and comments by my colleague from Terrebonne, who did a great job explaining the infamous concept of double-dipping. She also explained that the problem of hiring outside consultants stems from the fact that, under the Conservatives, the number of public servants was reduced to such an extent that it created a problem. The Lib…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague spoke about stolen vehicles. I met with people to discuss this issue, and they raised the following question. How could we better use technology in the ports to more easily determine what is in the containers? How can we make sure that there are more technologies in the ports to make it easier to discover stolen vehicles? This possible step towards a solution was sugges…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech. The Standing Committee on the Status of Women is currently studying this increase, this femicide epidemic. Yesterday, former senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu came to testify, and I would like to hear what my colleague has to say about Bill S-205. My colleague spoke about violence against women, but we do not understand why, in Bill S-…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. One of the things he talked about was the cost of living. It seems to concern him a great deal. At the same time, we have concrete proposals here on the table, in the House of Commons, but nothing can move forward because of the current situation in the House. This will certainly have an impact. In Quebec, there is no doubt about it. Farmers are te…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech, in which he talked about something that is indeed worrisome. We are once again taking a step backwards at a time when we are talking about the fact that a lot of guns and drugs are getting across the border and when we should be strengthening border measures. My colleague from Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia spoke at length about this in her spee…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague is a bit off topic this morning. He addressed other topics related to public safety. However, I would like to circle back to this morning's topic, which we have discussed at length, and that is the increase in crime, in particular against women. This morning, a lot of my questions relate to that, because the Standing Committee on the Status of Women is currently studyin…
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Madam Speaker, as I listen to my colleague, I cannot decide which expression is more apt: “they are not walking the talk” or “it feels like Groundhog Day”. I want to pick up on my colleague from Victoria's comment about cuts to border services. I worked as an assistant during the Conservative era a few years ago, and I remember fighting for the member I represented, who had border crossings in his…
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Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that my colleague's comments are a bit biased. I am surprised to hear her say that, because only a short while ago, members of her own party were recognizing the work—
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Mr. Speaker, the way I see things right now, they are not walking the talk. Let me explain. My colleague from Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia gave a speech earlier explaining all the work that has been done by the Standing Committee on Public Safety on the issue of better gun control and on Bill C-21. One problem with the buyback program is the definition issue. My colleague clearly explained th…
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Madam Speaker, I want to bring us back to the matter at hand today. In my first question, I pointed out that the Standing Committee on the Status of Women often realizes that indigenous women and girls face certain difficulties. The issue of infrastructure and housing has come up repeatedly in our studies. My colleague, the member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue, and I had the opportunity to meet with r…
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Madam Speaker, the discussion we are having this afternoon is very interesting. At the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, we carried out a study on women's economic empowerment. We are trying to find ways to help indigenous women take better control of their lives. However, we are seeing that there are many barriers related to this and other issues because of the Indian Act, which hinders …
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Madam Speaker, we have been talking a lot about how infrastructure affects indigenous people and about the lack of infrastructure. We have talked about housing. We could talk about water and the economic impact on communities. Not only is the government not providing the right infrastructure, but there are also negative effects from resource extraction, for example. I am thinking of a study carrie…
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Madam Speaker, as I said earlier today, my riding is home to many SMEs, businesses and members of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, or CFIB for short. I am in regular contact with the folks at CFIB, and they talk to me about fees and input costs for businesses and SMEs. These are some of their biggest concerns for the future, because with costs going up across the board, their input…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as we stand in solidarity with American women, let us not forget the Iranian women who are fighting for their rights. Let us keep in our thoughts Ahou Daryaei, the new heroine of the resistance. When confronted by the morality police about wearing a veil, she shed her clothing in front of the misogynistic authorities with dignity, pride and courage before she was arrested. Her fate re…
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to be a bit biased here. There is a strong entrepreneurial spirit in the riding of Shefford. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, or CFIB, often reminds me that a great many small and medium-size businesses and merchants in the riding of Shefford are members of the CFIB. I gave an interview on the subject last weekend. A certain journalist found the press releas…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, as the status of women critic, I want to draw attention to the presence of one more woman in the House at a time when people are worried about not maintaining women's 30% share in the next election. My feminist parliamentary group colleagues and I signed a letter calling for greater civility in the House. We must set an example. The current climate of highly polarized debates and po…
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Madam Speaker, I know that my colleague works hard at the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology to defend small businesses. Is this not another sign of Liberal incompetence? The government says it took action, but we now learn that there was no agreement and that it was actually just a unilateral, temporary, voluntary decision. All these words confirm that without a stricter law in place, …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to follow up on the question from my colleague from Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie. The minister responsible for seniors is the one who led the debate in Quebec. When I spoke to her, she said that her government was obviously going to move forward, but that she thinks that it is a shame that the federal government will not follow suit for the reasons my colleague from Montca…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, I met with delegations from across Quebec during their visit to Granby, host of the next Special Olympics Quebec. This athletic event will feature more than 1,050 athletes from 12 to 70 years of age with intellectual disabilities or autism, accompanied by more than 400 coaches and 100 officials. About 3,000 visitors are expected to attend what is sure to be an unforgett…
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Madam Speaker, very briefly, I would like to table an important petition concerning Bill C‑319, which would increase OAS for people aged 65 to 74 to the same amount paid to people aged 75 and over, and would also increase the GIS by $1,500. Indeed, 79% of Canadians agree. The ball is now in the government's court. The petition has been signed by 1,450 petitioners. I have another petition containin…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The interpreters are saying that there is a telephone causing interference. That can hurt the interpreters' ears and damage their hearing. We need to listen to them.
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Madam Speaker, the whole issue of revictimization is absolutely terrible for victims. We heard a bit about that in committee. Who are these people the minister has appointed to the commission? What do their pasts look like? Do they truly want to shed light on what is happening in the sports world and work for the victims, or would they rather participate in a system that allows people to help frie…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague's question is an important one. We talked about the impact on victims at the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, but I know that, at the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, my colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue was mainly concerned about the issue of governance. Our committee also heard about governance and accountability for the people running these sport…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Standing Committee on the Status of Women for her question. I will simply say that we should be listening to what victims and survivors are asking for. Victims and survivors were pretty unanimous in their calls before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, but that is not what the ministers put in place. It is not working. For example, the Offic…
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Madam Speaker, I want to begin by reminding everyone in the House that people are watching us at home right now. I would remind them that victims and survivors are listening to this debate. I want to recognize Kim Shore, from Gymnasts for Change, who is calling on us to rise to the occasion and to take action for victims and survivors. I also want to recognize her entire team. I am rising today to…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I have held back from making comments for some time. After what I just heard, however, I have a question. South of the border, a presidential candidate has just aired an ad on social media featuring his appearance at a McDonald's restaurant. Here, the Conservatives are talking about cheeseburgers and the same restaurant chain. Do we have to take our lead from what happens south of the…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, on October 11, we celebrated the International Day of the Girl Child. This year's theme was “Girls' vision for the future”, which conveys the need for urgent action and for hope, driven by the power of girls' voices and their vision for the future. In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to recognize girls' rights and…
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Mr. Speaker, sometimes it seems like the Liberals want people to hate them. About 79% of the population wants old age security to be increased for seniors 65 to 74. Seventy-nine percent support means it is as popular as ice cream on a sunny day. All seniors are calling on the government to stop dividing them into two classes. Every age group is also asking for this, including young people. Even th…
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Mr. Speaker, frankly, we are wondering why the Liberals are seeking a fourth term when their plan for society is to withhold income from one million Quebec seniors. They are out of touch, and the public is starting to notice. We will say it again: The Liberals have until October 29 to pass Bill C‑319 and increase the pension for people aged 65 to 74. Time is flying by, especially since the Senate …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague opened an interesting door in his speech. He spoke about the hybrid Parliament, the motion and the fact that things did not go the way they should have, that is, by consensus. One of the criticisms against this Parliament is that there is less accountability. People often say that ministers and members can hide a little more easily behind a screen. They see the lack of ac…
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Mr. Speaker, what I am hearing in the House today is not particularly edifying. I get the impression that both sides are simply trying to capitalize on the obstruction. I can confirm that it was my Conservative colleague who talked about lies. I would actually like to point out that a big one was told, specifically that the carbon tax applies in Quebec. We have a party on the other side that refus…
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Mr. Speaker, at the beginning my colleague spoke about the fact that we are in a minority government. I would like to thank him for this reminder because I sense that the government and the official opposition have forgotten that this is precisely the mandate voters gave us during the last general election. Essentially, they told us they did not want either the government or the opposition gumming…
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Mr. Speaker, when we demand that the government increase old age security for seniors between the ages of 65 and 74, the Minister of Seniors accuses us of saying no to seniors. However, he should know that the Bloc Québécois says yes to seniors. We say yes to retirees, yes to improving their living conditions and yes to putting an end to two classes of seniors. The minister is the one saying no. T…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is not the only one saying yes to seniors: 79% of the public is saying yes to increasing old age security for people 65 to 74. The House is saying yes. Seniors are saying yes. Seniors' groups are saying yes, including FADOQ, AQDR and AREQ, even the AREQ branch in Outaouais, the minister's region. They came to support us on the Hill. The minister stands alone. In his…
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Mr. Speaker, across all age groups, 79% of the population is in favour of increasing OAS, regardless of age. No need to be between the ages of 65 and 74, everyone agrees. Why is that? It is because people respect seniors and stand with them. If we can improve the living conditions of those who need it, people are all for it. Even in the House, everyone agrees except for the Liberals. When are they…
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Mr. Speaker, since he was appointed Minister of Seniors, the member for Gatineau's only accomplishment has been to turn his back on people aged 65 to 74. All he does is play petty politics when he should be thinking big. He promotes Liberal interests when he should be thinking of the collective interest. He is an old-style politician, devoid of statesmanship. It is not too late. He can still take …
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