Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to deviate slightly from protocol, as I would like to speak about a colleague who is held in high regard by all. His zest for life is unmatched. I am, of course, referring to our colleague from Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, who suffered a serious medical emergency last week. I would like to commend his assistant, Lauriane, who acted wit…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not need any lectures from my colleague across the aisle. This is the same member who said that nobody in his riding was calling him about Cúram, even though 48,000 seniors have been waiting for their money for eight or nine months. He was corrected by the government whip. I will take no lessons from him.
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Mr. Speaker, environmental issues are important issues. I can say that, at this point, Canadians do not have confidence in the current government's handling of many different files.
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Mr. Speaker, Liberal government members should make the most of the summer by going into communities and meeting with Canadians, who will tell them exactly what my colleague just said: People are struggling and cannot afford the cost of either groceries or rent. Just yesterday evening, a 53-year-old man wrote to me about how he recently moved back in with his mother. He has a job, but he cannot af…
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Mr. Speaker, our position is that temporary foreign workers must have decent workplaces that provide the quality of life every human being deserves. That is paramount in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, we will soon be adjourning for the summer and going home to our communities. The Prime Minister says that the cost of living is the best it has been in decades. The reality is that the country is in a recession, and Canadians know it. Canadians know that grocery prices have gone up. Canadians know that food banks are overwhelmed. Canadians know that rents are unaffordable, on the eve …
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Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate my colleague. Could he explain how the Liberal government led Canada into the only recession in the G20? This was due to a multitude of bad decisions and poor management. There are two issues I am still waiting for answers on: the $5-billion cost overruns for Cúram and the $200-million lease on a parcel of land. My questions are simple. When was the minister informe…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a brief reminder for the minister. The country's best years were under the Conservatives. Slower growth and a higher deficit: That is the alarming assessment from the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The result is that GDP per capita growth in Canada remains among the lowest in the G20; the Canadian economy has contracted over the last two quarters; and under this Liberal Prime Mi…
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I asked whether we were in a technical recession or a recession. Once again, there is no answer. In order to solve a problem, we first have to acknowledge that a problem exists. However, the Liberals still refuse to acknowledge that Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the Liberals are going to add $318 bil…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, whom I hold in particularly high regard and who lives in an incredible part of the country. This is sad. It is something we often say, for example during oral question period, which is aptly named. It is a question period, not an answer period. It is the same in committee. We ask questions, and sadly, we get no answers. There are Canadians who liste…
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Mr. Speaker, can you tell the minister, who just entered the House laughing—
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Personally, Mr. Speaker, I do not see the humour in the situation. What is funny, however, is that the site is located in a Liberal riding. The former aide to the Minister of Justice was a lobbyist for the project. The former Liberal premier of Nova Scotia sits on the advisory board. Furthermore, the president of the Canadian Space Agency has stated that she was never consulted about the choice of…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's greatest wealth is its natural resources. We have a duty to exploit them.
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Mr. Speaker, what is our role here as elected officials? We have a legislative role when it comes to bills. We must ensure the sound management of public finances. We represent the people of our ridings. We are the eyes, voice and ears of the people. Earlier, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House said that we were against the development of the aerospace industry…
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Mr. Speaker, it is pathetic to hear the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader speak. The parliamentary secretary is doing the Liberal government's dirty work, which is indefensible. It is indefensible. We are not against aerospace development. We are against financial scandals. Now the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader is trying to defend them. I commend the p…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. We are here to ask questions and get answers. We are not allowed to point out someone's absence. The Prime Minister was here for once—
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Mr. Speaker, this year, the Victoriaville CEGEP's Vulkins sports program is proudly celebrating its 55th anniversary. For over half a century, the Vulkins have embodied the pursuit of excellence, perseverance and teamwork. The CEGEP's dynamic teams and athletes have made Victoriaville famous across Quebec and far beyond. This anniversary is significant for me personally because my brother Carl and…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague opposite, whom I like a lot, also has the privilege of being a grandfather. It is unacceptable that our children and grandchildren are already $44,000 in debt the day they are born because the Liberal government caused the deficit to balloon from around $700 billion to $1.4 trillion in the space of 10 years.
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Mr. Speaker, all G7 countries are facing the same challenges, yet Canada has the second-highest unemployment rate among them. While Canadians are tightening their belts in the midst of a recession, the Liberals' wasteful spending is out of control. Just look at Cúram. The budgeted amount was $1.75 billion but the actual cost is $6.6 billion, which is a deficit of $5 billion. What about the plot of…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to note that I will be sharing my time with the member for Newmarket—Aurora. I rise today in the House to support the Conservative motion calling on the Prime Minister to take action to deal with the recession. I do so with a deep sense of responsibility, but also with great concern for the economic future of our country and that of our children and our grandchildren. The facts…
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Mr. Speaker, here is a sad reality: Canada is the only G7 country in a recession. The Liberals have been racking up deficits for 10 years. Since they took office, the debt has risen from $700 billion to $1.4 trillion. They are engaging in inflationary spending. There have been 10 years of economic mismanagement. The result is clear, and the facts are undeniable: 112,000 Canadians have lost their j…
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moved: That, given that, (i) gas prices are 13% higher in Canada than in the United States, equating to 22 cents more on average per litre, (ii) gas now costs 50 cents more per litre today than when global oil prices were at the same level in 2014, (iii) the Minister of Finance and National Revenue told Canadians on May 19, “We have already acted” (iv) Canadian families are still paying more to li…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal member who asked me that question is the same member who denied that there were any seniors not receiving what the Liberal government owes them. His party whip had to call him to order. The measures the Liberal government has put in place are partial measures. They apply for only a third of the year. We are calling for a permanent measure for the entire year of 2026.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to start by saluting the people of Richmond—Arthabaska, who placed their trust in a Conservative MP. That is the choice the people of Richmond—Arthabaska made in the last election. They made that choice because they are sick and tired of watching the Liberals spend so recklessly. After a decade of Liberal government management, the country's debt grew from $700 billion to $1.4 …
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Mr. Chair, Build Canada Homes is another agency that the Liberal government just established. That means even more red tape, and we have not seen any real results in terms of new housing. I want to come back to another subject: the space launch pad in Nova Scotia. A private company is leasing land from the provincial government for $13,500 per year. That same private company then turned around and…
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Mr. Chair, I hope that Canadians are watching. I just asked the minister to explain how we entered into a 10-year contract worth $20 million a year when a private company is renting that land for $13,500 a year. His response is that he is going to introduce me to some astronauts to avoid talking about this mismanagement. Again, a private company is renting property from the provincial government f…
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Mr. Chair, I have been involved in provincial and federal politics for 10 years. I have to give the minister credit: He came well prepared for the question period when he realized it was a possibility. I congratulate his team. On March 25, the Prime Minister said that affordability has not been good for over a decade. I want to know whether the minister shares the Prime Minister's opinion.
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Mr. Chair, I am going to have to correct the minister on that response. We are currently seeing an average increase of 3.6% year-over-year and a 30% increase since April 2021. The $13-billion Build Canada Homes program is a good way to build a number of homes. I would like to know how many housing units are currently being built through Build Canada Homes.
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Mr. Chair, we are talking about the number of homes built by this new organization established by the Liberal government, Build Canada Homes. The figure is 2%. Only 5,200 housing units out of a target of 500,000 have been built. That represents 2% of the target. At that rate, it would take nearly 50 years to meet the target. Is the minister aware that this cannot work at that pace? Why create a ne…
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Mr. Chair, we have just seen the proof. We have been asking questions for three hours. I asked the easiest possible one: Does the minister do his own grocery shopping? It does not get any simpler than that.
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Mr. Chair, I would like to know where the minister does his shopping, because at the IGA this morning, a pound of butter was $8.99. I will follow up with another simple question. How much does a two-litre carton of milk currently cost in Quebec? Can the minister tell us the price of milk?
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Mr. Chair, before I begin, I would like to note that I will be speaking for 10 minutes and sharing the last five minutes with my friend, the incredible member for Montmorency—Charlevoix, who will conclude these remarks. My colleagues have been asking the minister questions for nearly three hours now, but unfortunately, we have not received any answers to our real questions. Minister, I will give y…
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Mr. Speaker, our plan is clear. We want to cut the Liberal red tape. We want to cut spending on consultants, which amounts to several billion dollars. We want to reduce the size of government so we can put money back into taxpayers' pockets. That is the Conservative plan.
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Mr. Speaker, it is not complicated. It is about the supply chain. Naturally, if we can lower processing and transportation costs, that will have a direct impact on grocery prices for Canadians. What Canadians need right now is some breathing room.
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Mr. Chair, we are talking about affordability. I would like to know what the percentage increase in rent has been in Quebec over the past few years.
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Mr. Speaker, I will start with some praise for the minister. There is no doubt that, in the House, the minister uses Canada's two official languages in his various speeches in a very equitable manner. I want to take this opportunity to thank him for that. However, now I would like to challenge the minister. The motion I moved today has to do with the gas tax. Right now, we have a half measure, or …
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Mr. Chair, thank you for calling me to order. You are quite right. Here is my second, equally simple question for the minister, who has just confirmed that he does his own grocery shopping: How much does a pound of butter currently cost in Quebec?
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Mr. Chair, I am sure the minister is getting a little tired, so I will start off slowly. I would like to know whether the minister does his own grocery shopping.
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Mr. Speaker, with the Liberals we get higher costs, higher taxes, more spending, and more job losses. The Minister of Finance and National Revenue thinks that the Liberals have done enough. I agree. They have done enough damage. Just look at how they are managing the new Liberal space launch pad. A company is renting land from the provincial government for $13,500 a year. That company then rents i…
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Mr. Speaker, here is proof of how ridiculous the Liberals are. A company is leasing a piece of land for $13,500 a year and subletting it to the government for $20 million. That is Liberal management. Right now, it is harder for our young people to find a job than it has been for 50 years. They are struggling to find jobs, secure housing and put food on the table. They can no longer dream of owning…
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Mr. Speaker, 11 years of Liberal management have resulted in higher taxes, more debt, more credit card spending and more regulations. The National Bank's chief economist reminded us that the Liberals are now imposing over 320,000 regulatory requirements on Canadian businesses, while the United States is deregulating. The consequences of this are layoffs or, worse, closures. When will the Prime Min…
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Mr. Speaker, what a sad state of affairs. Since January, factory closures have been on the rise. On top of losing their jobs, Canadians are footing the Liberal Party's credit card bill. Savoura pays $2.5 million a year in carbon tax and in Éco Entreprises Québec penalties. These surcharges make it difficult to compete with tomatoes from Mexico, which travel across the entire continent. Instead of …
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Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I do not make the same kind of money our Prime Minister does. My investments are far more modest. However, that is certainly not the choice I would make. As for Canadians, Conservatives naturally are in favour of freedom of choice, so I will leave it to Canadians to make their own choices regarding their investments.
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Mr. Speaker, we are here today to discuss the Liberal government's announcement concerning the creation of a so-called sovereign wealth fund amounting to $25 billion. We are not talking about $25 million or $2.5 billion, but $25 billion, charged to the national credit card. As a Conservative member, I want to be clear. We believe in strategic investment, but we do not believe in writing a blank ch…
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Mr. Speaker, before becoming Prime Minister, the current Prime Minister had another life and was involved in similar initiatives in the United Kingdom. The idea in that case was also to use public funds to stimulate strategic investments, but the British experience revealed certain limitations, including results that were slower than expected, investments that were concentrated in certain sectors,…
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Mr. Speaker, it is not Canadians I am worried about. What I am worried about is how the Liberal government manages Canadians' public finances. This government has been wasting Canadians' money for 11 years now. When the Liberals came to power, the debt was $700 billion. Now, 11 years later, it is $1.4 trillion. What worries me is putting money in Liberal hands.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question because, once again, we have proof that what the Liberal government is doing is doubling and tripling the infrastructure. It is adding more layers and more structures. We already have the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which is there to do the job. The Liberals should be using the tools that are in place and continuing to build Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, by doubling the deficit promised by the former prime minister, the Liberals are wasting money and racking up credit card debt for future generations, including the students from Richmond who are here on the Hill today. The Cúram scandal rears its ugly head once again in the economic update. The Liberals are adding half a billion dollars in cost overruns to the $5 billion in cost overr…
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Mr. Speaker, we are talking about workforce training, and yet Quebec was not even aware of this program before it was announced yesterday. A $37-billion increase in spending is not a cut. That is more spending. The Globe and Mail reported this morning that, in the upside-down land of the Liberals, a spending spree is a spending cut and blowing a windfall of billions of dollars is prudent. I hope m…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wants us to believe that he is creating a sovereign wealth fund. That is incorrect. A sovereign wealth fund is built with years of surpluses, budget surpluses and natural resource development. It is not built by charging $25 billion to Canadians' collective credit card. The Liberals just ran up a record deficit, the biggest deficit outside of COVID-19. They are runn…
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