Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we believe in the science of technology. It is actually surprising that the NDP and Bloc Québécois members do not want to believe in new technologies. It is as if we were going back in time. We only have to look at communications technologies, for example. We hold those in our hands every day. We did not have that 25 years ago. We were still sending letters by mail, as my colleague po…
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Madam Speaker, we are here this evening to discuss Bill C‑35, or what the Liberals like to call the universal child care plan. In particular, we are talking about the report presented by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, which studied this bill. One of the reasons the Conservatives are here is to ensure that parent…
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Madam Speaker, I did not say whether I would support the bill or not. What we hope to do here this evening, as we have done since the beginning in committee, is to potentially improve this program and how it is implemented. We want to avoid using smoke and mirrors to fool Canadians without actually delivering what was promised. It is always the same thing. The best example is the one I gave earlie…
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Madam Speaker, I am trying to think about the question I was just asked. As we speak, there is a Canadian political coalition. I did not draw up the deal, nor did I sign it. It is between the Liberals and the NDP. Perhaps my colleague should look in the mirror and figure out which party he belongs to. As far as I know, he is from the NDP. The question he just asked me has nothing to do with what w…
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Madam Speaker, my response will be brief: absolutely.
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Mr. Speaker, if I am not mistaken, my colleague is an economist and has taught economics. As recently as February of this year, the Minister of Finance said that higher deficits would add fuel to the fire of inflation. That statement from the finance minister is the exact opposite of what she proposed in the last budget. Does my colleague think that makes sense? Does he believe that the government…
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Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the Liberals are saying, the carbon tax will have an impact on Quebec—we just have to talk to farmers and truckers. As if that were not enough, this government wants to add a second tax, a tax on a tax. That tax represents $436 per family per year in Quebec. Canadians are already struggling with rising interest rates and inflation. People are sick and tired of this. W…
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Madam Speaker, since the Prime Minister took office, violent crime has increased by 32%. As an aside, I would just like to remind the House that the Conservative government lowered the crime rate by 23%. This situation is a direct result of this Liberal government's soft-on-crime policies. It is incredibly easy for criminals to get out on bail. Will the Prime Minister finally get the message and m…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for the debate that we are having this evening on Bill C-21 and that we will likely continue tomorrow. I want to approach this issue from a completely different angle, from my perspective as a hunter. I have been a proud hunter since the age of 15 and I am 61 years old now. I started hunting with my brother Pierre. He is the one who introduced me to hunting, pa…
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Madam Speaker, the member's condescension is totally unacceptable. Political parties raising funds in connection with various issues is routine. The Liberals do the same thing, as a matter of fact. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Of course Conservatives want to protect the public, but this is about taking aim at the right targets, so to speak. The truth is, hunters, sport shooters and…
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Madam Speaker, the member made a joke, so I will make one too. Good jokes always carry a deeper truth. We see how the Bloc Québécois positions itself: It no longer wants people to go hunting. No, it is not true. In fact, I will respond to my colleague anyway. I could almost quote what her colleague from Rivière-du-Nord said when the amendments were proposed last fall. He said that he could not hav…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague talked about the head office of a federation in his riding that represents hunters from all over Quebec. There are obviously other associations across Canada that do the same thing, and all of these associations have a very specific goal. My colleague talked about their goals and objectives in his speech. I do not know whether my colleague is a hunter, but since he is f…
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Madam Speaker, I would just like to say to my colleague that we are not in government, and, unlike them, we do not use speech writers.
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Mr. Chair, I will repeat my question. Has the target for the number of houses that were planned to be built with the money spent in his 10-year plan been achieved?
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Mr. Chair, I am a very patient person. I think I am a smart enough man to ask questions that I consider intelligent. I have a very simple question for the minister. How many federal buildings and property are available for conversion to social housing?
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Hell, Mr. Chair, am I being naive? I asked him a simple question.
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Mr. Chair, once again, the minister is taking us for fools for asking him simple questions that I believe are intelligent enough to be answered intelligently. Instead of accusing us of all kinds of nonsense, he really should try to answer the questions we ask him. How many federal government buildings and properties would be available for social housing in Canada now? Can he give us a simple answe…
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Mr. Chair, how many federal government buildings are available for social housing in Canada?
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Mr. Chair, I have a very simple question. I hope that the minister will have the number for us. How much of the money allocated under his 10-year plan has been spent to date? How many houses were expected to be built with the money that was spent? How many houses will be built in the coming years?
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Mr. Chair, the reality is that, after the minister spent all of that money on his plan for housing in Canada, 32% fewer homes will be built in the coming year. Could the minister explain why there will be 32% fewer homes built after he spent $92 billion?
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Mr. Chair, I am going to take a slightly different tack. All evening, the minister has been saying that we are asking ridiculous questions. However, he has not answered any of the questions that he has been asked since the evening began. I am going to ask him a very simple one. After spending $92 billion on his housing plan, does he think that he knows more than everyone else?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot take it anymore. We have said it over and over in many different ways. They are fed up. What is this Prime Minister doing? He is planning to increase the carbon tax again. Contrary to what he says, it will have an impact across Canada, including in Quebec. Quebec is not separate from the rest of the country, it is part of it. Everyone will inevitably be affected. This…
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Mr. Speaker, to answer the last question my colleague asked, because he asked several, yes, a Conservative government would review the act, likely within 10 years. We believe that a central agency is absolutely fundamental to managing official languages in this country. Our leader, the member for Carleton, has said very clearly that the act is not strong enough and does not go far enough and, most…
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Mr. Speaker, during the process, at the last minute, less than 12 hours before a meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, we were presented with a series of amendments proposed by the Government of Quebec, so we were able to speed up the bill's passage, because it was about Quebec's demands. Once again, it was a game of ping-pong between the two ministers, one in Quebec and one in …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague, with whom I sit as a member of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, as well as all the parties who worked on Bill C‑13 in committee. The committee members worked for some time on studying the bill. I sincerely think that my colleague did extraordinary work and that we did everything we could to improve this bill, unlike the coalition betwe…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are stretched to the limit. They are struggling to get by. They are at the end of their rope, they are fed up and they cannot take any more. Meanwhile, this government is digging in its heels and taking even more money out of their pockets and off their paycheques. It is continuing with its plan to increase the price of gas, groceries and housing. The people in my riding tal…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my friend a question. There was a consensus within the Canadian francophonie about setting up a central agency in charge of overseeing enforcement of the act within Treasury Board. Everyone was in agreement. Unfortunately, the Liberals rejected this option in multiple ways. Still, it would have been the best approach. Having two authorities in charge of oversight d…
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Mr. Speaker, ever since this Prime Minister came to power, everything costs more. A family of four will have to hand over $1,065 more for food. One in five Canadians is skipping meals, and more and more people are turning to food banks. What is this Prime Minister doing? He is making things worse by increasing the carbon tax. Contrary to what he is saying, this increase has an impact across the co…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, last Saturday was the seventh edition of the spaghetti dinner fundraiser in Montmagny. This charity event, organized by Enfants d'cœur, finally made a comeback after a forced three-year break. The evening was a resounding success. In total, 1,356 tickets were sold and over $17,000 was raised. The proceeds from the dinner will go towards supporting the foundation's primary mission, w…
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Madam Speaker, Canadians in our big cities are feeling less and less safe on the streets and when taking public transportation. The Prime Minister's soft-on-crime policies are to blame. Violent offenders are back out on the streets the same day they are arrested and others are serving their sentence from the comfort of their living room instead of in prison. Will the Prime Minister and his governm…
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Mr. Speaker, since the Prime Minister took office, violent crime has increased by 32% and crime related to street gangs has jumped by 92%. Sex offenders can serve their sentences in the comfort of their own homes while watching Netflix. Together with police forces, we are calling for tougher legislation so criminals go to prison rather than staying at home. Instead of gallivanting around the world…
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Mr. Speaker, at a time when inflation is eating away at more and more taxpayers' paycheques, families are being forced to pay $1,000 more each year to put food on the table, and mortgage payments are doubling, causing untold stress for Canadians, the Prime Minister sees nothing wrong with taking a luxury vacation to Jamaica. Can he at least tell us how much he paid out of his own pocket for his lu…
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Mr. Speaker, 24% of Canadians say that they cannot take a vacation this summer because of inflation. They are definitely not impressed when they see their Prime Minister vacationing in a Jamaican paradise at taxpayers' expense. The average Canadian dares not even dream of such luxury. This Prime Minister is so used to living on another planet that he does not even realize how this is perceived by …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon. He told me that his was the most beautiful riding in Canada. I am sorry to tell him that mine is the most beautiful. Sadly for him he represents the second most beautiful riding. This morning I have the pleasure to rise to speak to the report of the Standing Committee on Indu…
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Mr. Speaker, I must lower the member's expectations. I am far from being appointed minister. We are far from that. Actually, only one person can do that in a government, and that is the Prime Minister himself. The member is right to say that the Prime Minister is waiting. We hope he will not be waiting too long. The future Prime Minister of Canada is sitting on this side of the House. He was once …
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Mr. Speaker, since this Prime Minister took office, the average cost of mortgage payments has doubled in this country. Worse yet, because of the successive increases in interest rates, the cost of interest on mortgage payments was up by 26.4% in March compared to February. It is the largest increase ever recorded. Canadians continue to go into debt and have to give up their dream of home ownership…
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Mr. Speaker, I understand my colleague's question, that the pandemic had a global impact on the industry. The impact in Canada is even greater. The Canadian industry is so developed that we are not only supplying aircraft to Canadian companies such as Air Canada, WestJet and others, but we are selling aircraft, and aircraft engines and parts around the world. Obviously there was an impact. My coll…
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Madam Speaker, today the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry announced the merger of Rogers and Shaw, communications companies, which forces Videotron, another company involved in the transaction, to lower its prices in Quebec. However, the other companies involved in this transaction were not forced to lower their wireless prices. Why?
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, our streets are becoming more and more unsafe. People are afraid to go out alone and to take public transportation. That clashes with people's opinion of Canada. Since the Prime Minister took office, violent crime has increased by 32% and crime related to street gangs has doubled. Rather than taking real action to address this problem, the government is making things worse. Thanks t…
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Mr. Speaker, everything is getting more expensive. Successive interest rate hikes have doubled mortgage payments in Canada. One family in four will have to pay $1,065 more for groceries this year. The cost of heating, energy, food and even alcohol will continue to increase with this government. After eight years, this Prime Minister's policies are only making things worse. Will the Prime Minister …
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Mr. Speaker, the premise of my question is a fact. The allegations last evening levelled at a member of the Liberal caucus are so serious that Canadians need to know the truth. This affects our democratic institutions and our national security. For the umpteenth time, when was the Prime Minister informed of these allegations against a member of his caucus? On what date?
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Mr. Speaker, I have four microbreweries, a distillery and a number of bars and restaurants in my riding. Each of them has condemned the excise tax increase on their products. Since the government came into power eight years ago, life has never been so hard for people across the country. Now the government is doubling down to yet again fill its coffers on the backs of Canadians and Quebeckers. Desp…
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Mr. Speaker, this government has been in power for eight years, and life has never been more difficult for Canadians. In my riding, many people have to rely on food banks to eat. What has the government been doing all these years? It has been driving up the cost of living every year. Rents have doubled, the cost of groceries has increased by 30% and inflation is at its highest level in 40 years. W…
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Madam Speaker, when it comes to interference in Canadian elections, this Prime Minister's trust is somewhat selective. He says he trusts the parliamentarians sitting on the secret special committee that will prepare a secret report. However, when asked to let his chief of staff, Katie Telford, testify before a public parliamentary committee, he refuses outright. Why is the Prime Minister refusing …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is correct. Indeed, companies run or controlled by entities such as China, which is a communist regime, pose a risk. The threat to Canada comes from that type of country. There is a fundamental difference between private companies and companies run by countries.
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Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with my colleague that we need to implement the necessary safeguards to prevent national security risks for Canadians, whether it be in telecommunications, business or health. In every area, we need to ensure that these safeguards are broad enough to ensure that nothing harmful gets through and avoid this type of incident.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my Bloc colleague for that very important question. We will vote in favour of the bill at second reading. Together, we can make sure all the necessary elements are in place to do a review. Obviously, China is not the only country that could pose a national security risk to Canada. We want to work together to make sure the strictest standards and safeguards are in place to prev…
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Mr. Speaker, when we made that decision several years ago, the reality was that the value of international investments was much higher. We wanted the flexibility to conduct the reviews for contracts within those amounts. Yes, I agree with the amounts. Given the current cost of living, the cost of building or repairing a home or buying a business has increased spectacularly because of the inflation…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to speak to Bill C‑34, the national security review of investments modernization act, which was introduced by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. As the minister, my colleague from Saint‑Maurice—Champlain, mentioned, this bill is an attempt to update and strengthen the Investment Canada Act through seven amendments. I will not list…
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Madam Speaker, violent crime has increased by 32% since this Prime Minister took office. After eight years, gang-related homicides are up by 92%. Canadians are becoming increasingly concerned. It is sad to see that, in such a peaceful country as Canada, people are now afraid to walk down the street or take the subway in Toronto. What will the Prime Minister do to take things seriously and put in p…
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