Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, affordability pressures are indeed very real, and the Government of Canada takes concerns about food prices in particular very seriously. It is a real issue for women and for all Canadians. Families, farmers and businesses are facing global challenges, from supply chain disruptions to geopolitical instability and climate impacts, that are affecting prices here at home and around the w…
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Mr. Speaker, I do agree with the issues my colleague pointed out. I do agree that people in remote communities and many other communities, such as in Montreal and Toronto, have difficulty accessing health services, but that has nothing whatsoever to do with asylum seekers, for Christ's sake. That has nothing to do with asylum seekers. Come on, guys. Wake up.
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Mr. Speaker, I have some thoughts on that, but I am afraid they probably would not be parliamentary, so I will abstain from going that way. I find it deplorable to say that the very real problems with our health care system across Canada are the result of large numbers of asylum seekers.
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Mr. Speaker, I have only been here since April 2025, so I will refrain from commenting on what happened before or on what should or should not have been done. However, the problem with the safe third country agreement, the agreement that allows asylum seekers from countries considered safe to be sent back, had to be resolved. That was done. After that, Roxham Road was closed.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague made a reference, I think, to two or two-and-a-half million illegal asylum seekers—
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Mr. Speaker, that is what I heard. Can he clarify that? Is it really two million?
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Mr. Speaker, I withdraw, but I find it surprising.
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Mr. Speaker, it is my turn to say a few words on an extremely interesting and important matter. I will do it in English to make sure we are all on the same page. I will start by saying that, as a government, we need to manage public funds responsibly. However, that cannot be accomplished—
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's point, but I think it is important to say this in English. However, that cannot be accomplished at the expense of our values. We have already taken steps to ensure the sustainability of the interim federal health program and make sure that vulnerable people have access to care. We are maintaining necessary health care coverage while taking important steps t…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that we should be able to ensure that asylum seekers are spread more evenly across Canada. We are not going to do that by force, and we are not going to force people to leave, but we should find a mechanism to facilitate a better spread. Yes, we must also compensate the provinces that take in a large number of asylum seekers. These discussions are ongoing with the governments,…
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Madam Speaker, I have to say that, in general, I agree with most of what my colleague said. I would just like him to get into a little more detail. He said that the Conservative motion is treading on dangerous ground by conflating a lot of things, which can lead to confusion. What is my colleague referring to, specifically?
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Madam Speaker, yesterday the government announced its new auto industry strategy. It is a comprehensive strategy that will invest in companies that invest in Canada. We will continue to protect Canadian production of automobiles, and we firmly believe that the future of the industry is in electrical vehicles. There will be the assembly of electrical vehicles in Canada.
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Madam Speaker, the strategy for addressing these issues is set out in Bill C-15. It is set out in the budget. That is our plan. It is a very broad and comprehensive plan, with many measures. Will our Conservative colleagues do what needs to be done and support us so that we can pass the budget as quickly as possible?
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Madam Speaker, I do not know how to say this with parliamentary decorum, but that is just not true. Yesterday's announcement confirms our commitment to our industry, and it confirms our assistance to companies that invest in Canada. There are very large companies that have currently committed to investing in Canada and will continue to do so. In order to promote that investment, that is what we an…
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Madam Speaker, finally our friends from the other side acknowledge and recognize that the issues with the auto industry come from the U.S. tariffs. It is the first time I hear this from their side. It is about time. Besides that, as I said, we are going to invest in companies that invest in Canada, in those that commit to Canada. By the way, currently, the two largest auto manufacturers in Canada …
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Madam Speaker, since our colleague from Quebec is talking about employment statistics, I am sure he must have noticed that we have created a large number of jobs in Quebec and that Quebec now has the lowest unemployment rate in the country. However, we also recognize that the industrial sectors that are directly threatened by the U.S. tariffs are being hit hard. That is why, yesterday, we announce…
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Madam Speaker, the short answer is no. We will not support our colleagues' motion. At least that is clear. The Canadian economy is going through an extremely complex period triggered by the U.S. tariffs and trade war. The Canadian economy is showing incredible resilience. The same problems exist around the world and the Canadian economy has shown that it has the capacity to adapt to these major ge…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our colleague, the member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue, for his speech. I fully agree with him and his colleagues that what happened in Mirabel in 1969 is unacceptable, should not be repeated and will not be repeated. Now, I would like the member to give us his point of view, his opinion on the merits of a high-speed rail project such as Alto. We know that this is a…
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Mr. Speaker, I noted my dear colleague from Hull—Aylmer's enthusiasm for this project. Can you tell me whether, in your riding, the people of Hull—Aylmer are as interested and just as excited about this project as you are?
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Mr. Speaker, I fully support what my colleague is saying, even though that is not what we are talking about today. She has my full support and the support of all my colleagues here. Let us come back to today's topic, which is high-speed rail. Like my colleague, I, too, am an engineer and, as such, I can say that a project like this one is complex. It takes time to get everything in order. We are b…
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Mr. Speaker, like several of our colleagues have already done, I would like to take this opportunity to mention that yesterday, one of my employees celebrated five years of service. I would like to thank India La Haye for her work and congratulate her on this recognition. Now let me return to the motion and the subject at hand. Ultimately, what we are discussing here is the Alto high-speed rail pr…
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Mr. Speaker, since my colleague is a member of Parliament for a region neighbouring Mirabel and knows the area very well, could he tell us what he is hearing in his riding in terms of support for the Alto project in the Lower Laurentians?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague, the member for Trois‑Rivières, hears when she is out and about in her riding. How are people responding when she talks about the Alto project, especially since one of the stations will be in Trois-Rivières?
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Mr. Speaker, once again, as I said to our colleague who spoke before, what happened in 1969 is obviously unacceptable and inexcusable. We will not do it again, and it will not happen. Now, with this high-speed rail project, we are still a long way from the final route. Consultations are currently under way to determine the route. Could my colleague tell us why it would be a problem to hold these p…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, greenhouse fruit and vegetable production will be included in our bill, which we will be discussing this afternoon in committee. We are including measures in that bill to promote greenhouse cultivation, vertical farming and urban agriculture. I think all of that is very important. As for the research centres, I think there was some consolidation going on. The work will continue t…
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Mr. Speaker, I apologize for leaving my phone on the desk. I was using it to keep an eye on the time, but I understand. I will also try to be more measured with my remarks because I see that it is causing some commotion. I was talking about deflation and saying that we do not want to trigger deflation. At the same time, we recognize that the cost of living is very high and that this is affecting d…
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Mr. Speaker, it is my turn to say a few words on this issue. I will try to stick to four topics, and I count on your assistance to keep me on track. It will not surprise anyone if I say that I do not agree with the motion of the opposition, because it is way off base. Let us talk about one of the four points I want to talk about. Let us talk about inflation, because that is a theme that keeps comi…
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Precisely. This is getting a little out of hand, and—
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Mr. Speaker, am I being sarcastic? Of course I am. Of course I am. It worked. Market-based mechanisms worked, and acid rain stopped being the problem it was. The industrial carbon tax is in the same vein of mechanisms. It will be with a robust industrial carbon tax that we will accelerate our transition to a less carbon-intensive economy. It does not mean we will all of a sudden stop producing oil…
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Mr. Speaker, there are many things I could talk about, but I do not have much time. I do note the reality of food banks. There is a very important one in my riding, Moisson Laval. During the Christmas holiday period, I visited them. I worked with them. They, with other food banks in the Montreal area, were among the first to suggest to us that we should find ways to increase the incomes of everyda…
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Mr. Speaker, one of the problems that we have in Canada is that our food distribution industry is highly concentrated. There are a few suppliers, a few businesses that operate in that sector. These businesses are also large conglomerates that have other much more profitable activities. However, we have found that grocery stores' operating margins do not seem to be out of the ordinary compared to w…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, I agree entirely with what my colleague just mentioned. When we want to change a behaviour, when we want individuals or corporations to behave in a different way, we use policy tools. We use incentives. We use market-based incentives to achieve that goal. That is what we think should happen. Just like the consumer carbon tax had no impact on food prices, removing the indust…
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Mr. Speaker, it might not surprise the House that I agree entirely with what my colleague is saying. When I visited Moisson Laval, the food bank in my riding, one of the things it is doing is not just distributing food to people in need but also creating groups or classes, for lack of a better word, to pass on information to the users of the food banks on how they could best maximize their meagre …
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Mr. Speaker, obviously supply and demand is the name of the game. Indeed, competition is key in food processing and in food distribution. In any one industry, competition is key. There are many different ways we can stimulate competition. One of the things that I agree with the previous speaker on is that we have to find enough space for locally owned, smaller grocery stores to be able to operate.…
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Mr. Speaker, I must say that I agree overall with what our colleague just said. Climate change has a very significant impact on the price of food. We have no intention of removing industrial carbon pricing. Could my colleague talk a bit about the connection, if there even is one, between industrial carbon pricing and food prices?
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition just said that the government and government policies are responsible for causing inflation in Canada. How does he account for the fact that inflation is 2.4% in Canada when Canada was one of the first G7 countries to get its inflation rate under control?
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our colleague for the good work she does and for her excellent question. The Government of Canada is focused on building a stronger economy to make life more affordable for Canadians. The new grocery and essentials benefit will provide up to $805 in additional support, on top of the GST rebate, which will go directly into the pockets of Canadian families. In addi…
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Mr. Speaker, after a few weeks away in our ridings and after a break from the parliamentary session, we are back in the House of Commons ready for a new year of work. I wish all my colleagues in the House a happy new year. In 2025, we delivered concrete results: a more resilient economy, strategic investments to strengthen our industries and clear measures to protect Canada's interests. We made a …
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Mr. Speaker, I have a quick question. Could the member opposite clarify if the Conservative Party is for or against the industrial carbon tax?
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear from what is happening at the Standing Committee on Finance that the opposition parties do not want to study the budget or the budget implementation bill. That is unfortunate, because Canadians are counting on us here in the House to get things right. This budget contains major measures that will shape our economic future, such as the clean electricity investment tax credi…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech, which included several points on which we agree. I would like him to comment on the second section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which relates to fundamental freedoms. What does the Bloc Québécois understand these fundamental freedoms to mean?
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Mr. Chair, I would like to ask my colleague a very simple question. Does she think that Canada should sign any agreement with the Americans at any cost just for the sake of having an agreement? Would it not be better to negotiate an agreement that benefits all Canadians, while taking the necessary time to come up with something that makes sense, rather than rushing headlong into an agreement that …
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Mr. Chair, as I said earlier, there are five automobile assembly operations in Canada and hundreds of parts manufacturers. We are in constant contact with the industry. We know where they stand. We know what they require. Yes, we are engaging in that process of revising and reviewing CUSMA. It is very important. We will not negotiate in public, and we will not cave in. We will not panic, and we wi…
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Mr. Chair, there are several things. Perhaps we should start with the fact that 90% of automobiles made in Canada are sold in the United States. Therefore, the key to this whole thing is to continue to have access to the U.S. market. There are other issues, but the fundamental issue is access to the United States market. That access is threatened by U.S. tariffs and the U.S. desire to block the en…
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Mr. Chair, the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario have been working with the automotive industry for decades. My colleagues from Ontario have mentioned that. We have been working with this industry for decades. We are quite surprised. We will not forget the companies that are now turning their backs on Canada and fleeing to the United States. We will not forget that. We will not fo…
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Mr. Chair, there are many issues that we share. If we discussed things, we could possibly get to some understanding. I do not agree, obviously, with everything that was said, but I do thank my colleague for mentioning that, for example, the tariffs on steel and aluminum are one of the largest contributors to the recent increase in the cost of production of automobiles in the United States and Cana…
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Mr. Chair, that is indeed a very important question. I would say that there are two parallel components to the government's strategy, and both are important. On the one hand, we need to support the industry, which is affected by these tariffs. It needs liquidity and emergency support. We are doing this with the programs available at the Department of Industry. At the same time, we also need to con…
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Mr. Chair, I have one simple question for my colleague. On the fact that the auto industry is severely affected by those unjustifiable U.S. tariffs, what is the Conservative plan? I still cannot visualize how the industrial carbon tax will address the issue of U.S. tariffs.
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Mr. Chair, the automotive industry is a key sector of the Canadian economy and, as several of my colleagues have already mentioned, it generates billions of dollars in economic activity. It accounts for 8% of Canada's manufacturing GDP. It is important to note that the sector includes five world-class automakers that are supported by a network of 700 parts suppliers. Automotive companies directly …
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Mr. Chair, I think we all agree that the Canadian automobile industry is undergoing a serious crisis. I would just like to know from our colleagues across the aisle if they could tell us the source of that crisis. Is it the U.S. tariffs, which are unjust and unjustifiable, or is it the EV mandates?
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