Parliamentary Speeches

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I welcome the comments of my colleague. Yes, we will work together hand in hand for the future of this country and on environmental and climate change issues. What the member has highlighted is something I truly believe in. The private sector knows how to deal with pollution, not the government. Those people are the ones who know how to address it. They know where the problem is and…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I am pleased with my colleague's question, but I am a bit upset that he did not use the word “skeptical”. Generally when he hears a Conservative member, he says he is skeptical, so I am a bit upset, but I think he will have another chance. Obviously I am just teasing my colleague. The question he raises is very important, especially when it comes to pipelines. The member must know t…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, first of all, we would like to see what the amendment is precisely. I am quite sure the member would do it correctly, and we will study it very seriously when he tables the amendment. Obviously, when we talk about a toxic situation, we do not want to see people having access, freely, to some difficulty. There is a lot of debate on that, but first and foremost, we have to study it ba…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, my colleague is a doctor, and I am very pleased to see him here in the House of Commons. Based on the member's question, I think we have a responsibility, first of all, as citizens. Do we need to have access to something that is polluting? This is what we have to keep in mind. Do we need it, or can we do things differently to reduce our footprint of pollution? Yes, government has a …

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, consultation does not give veto rights, which is why we have to work together hand in hand and be sure that each and every person who is involved in a project are partners in its prosperity. Again, I will give the great example of the agreement of the Government of Quebec and first nations in 1975 for the James Bay project. It was huge. It was almost half a century ago, and we may h…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, this is a very serious issue. The government has always said that it never interfered in the judicial process regarding the tragic murder of 22 people in Halifax. That is completely false. Yesterday, a recording was made public of a meeting that took place a few days after the tragedy. It clearly shows that the government was in up to its neck in the judicial process. At that meetin…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, I want to repeat the testimony that was made public yesterday: “I flew it up the flagpole because it was a request that I got from the minister's office. And I shared with the minister that in fact it was going to be in the news releases, and it wasn't.” She told the minister. Moreover, we later learn that the RCMP commissioner was waiting for the Prime Minister to call her so she c…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take part in today's debate because this directly affects Canadians. If there is one thing on the minds of every Canadian family from coast to coast to coast, from British Columbia, to Manitoba, to Quebec, to Newfoundland or the Far North, it is inflation. Unfortunately, things are not really getting better. The most recent figures show inflation hovering around 7%. Th…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I welcome my colleague's question. The point is that when we talk about tax breaks, we talk about real tax breaks. For many weeks, if not for many months or even a full year, we have asked the government to lower the taxes in this country. It is not because we are good guys on this side of the House, but because we are actual citizens and we understand. More than that, everybody in …

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, each and every country in the G7 has lowered taxes, except the Canadian government. Shame on them.

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot for his question. Of course we are in favour of that. The entire world agrees that climate change is real and that we need an energy transition. We have been saying that for years too. However, we need to find the right approach. As a Canadian, I will never understand why we are sending hundreds of millions of dollars to other countrie…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I am very proud to be the environment and climate change critic, or shadow cabinet minister. I am very confident in the mandate that my leader gave to me. As a Canadian and Québécois, I am so proud to address this issue. For years we have been asking the government to lower taxes. We could not believe it when we realized a few months that the government was still keeping the plan to…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, we should have done what every G7 country has done, that is, lower taxes. Only Canada under this government has refused to lower taxes. To stand alone like that suggests that the others may be right and we are wrong. Every G7 country, even the U.S. under Biden, the Prime Minister's friend, has lowered certain taxes. This government has refused to do the same. Why is the government ref…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, what the Liberals fail to understand is that the Liberal carbon tax is having a real and direct impact on the rate of inflation. Winter is coming. What does that mean for Canadian families? It means that heating costs will go up. It means that transportation costs will go up and, as a result, the cost of food will go up. All three are basic necessities for Canadian families. The Liber…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, inflation is the number one problem in Canada for all Canadian families. When we get to the point where four in five families have to cut their food budget because of inflation, action is needed. Burdening Canadians even more and increasing taxes is the worst thing to do, yet the government wants to triple the Liberal carbon tax on April 1. We know that Quebec has a carbon exchange.…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, if nothing changes, they will vote to triple the Liberal carbon tax on April 1, 2023. I am going to repeat my very simple question, and I want a real answer for Quebeckers. Quebec has the carbon exchange. This Liberal government wants to triple the Liberal carbon tax on April 1, 2023. My colleague must stop playing politics and give a clear answer. What kind of impact…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I enjoyed the comment by my colleague from the NDP. We shall pay respects to each and every idea. It is why when we talk about taxation and putting a price on pollution, we say the Liberals have the ambition to triple the price on pollution that they impose on Canadians. It is not the right thing to do to triple a tax when we are addressing the inflation crisis.

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, in two weeks, I will celebrate the seventh year that I have known my hon. colleague from Winnipeg North. It is a real pleasure to sit with him, even if we totally disagree, especially on the facts. Let me be clear. Barely a month ago, the Parliamentary Budget Officer tabled a report that says in black and white that 60% of Canadians do not get as much back as they pay into the Liberal…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, indeed, I am the member for Louis‑Saint‑Laurent. Louis St. Laurent was the prime minister of Canada during the 1950s. He was the one who, among other things, balanced the budget after the Second World War. I make that historic reference today because I want to talk about the issue of public finances, the direct repercussions they have on Canadian families, and the management by this L…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, a particularly apt song lyric springs to mind: “C'est une langue belle”, it is a beautiful language. However, I will restrain myself. I would like to acknowledge the presence of my hon. colleague. Ultimately, printing money is what drives inflation. That is why Conservatives believe that the most important thing a government can do is leave more money in people's pockets. That is the …

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I attended an event in my riding on Friday morning in support of Wendake's Comptoir Agoshin, which provides food and clothing to those in need. I also attended the grand opening of the Val Bon Coeur community fridge in Val-Bélair. I wanted to share that because these two important events are both about food aid. This is a challenge many families in Quebec and across Canada are facing.…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about the essentials. We are talking about food. We are talking about families in need. We are talking about people who, as recently as a year ago, were donating food but now need it themselves. That is the reality in Canada today. We are talking about a G7 country. What the government wants to do is raise taxes. Could the government at least show some compassion and un…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to political U-turns, we are looking at the masters. They formed government seven years ago, and boy, have they broken election promises. They said the country would run three small deficits. That is one promise broken. They said they would not run a deficit in 2019. That is another promise broken. Now they are announcing that they are going to triple the Liberal carbon …

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing all parties should agree on, it is the fact that Canadians should have enough to eat. Unfortunately, four in five families have had to cut their food budget because of inflation. The government could have chosen to help Canadians directly. Instead, it committed to tripling the Liberal carbon tax as of April 1. That will have a direct impact on food. Canadians are…

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, I am very happy to be participating in this debate. Before getting to the crux of the matter, I would like to send my best wishes to all of the Canadians and Quebeckers affected by hurricane Fiona. We were all stunned to see the devastation in the Atlantic provinces, as well as in the Magdalen Islands and on the Lower North Shore in Quebec. Our hearts go out to the brave residents w…

Private Members' Business

Mr. Speaker, I will not be asking questions, but I will share my comments, which I hope members will find very interesting. First and foremost, let me pay my respects to those people who have to get ready for Hurricane Fiona, which is coming to their area, especially members such as you, Mr. Speaker. I do not know if I can personalize it, but you warned us very clearly today that this is a very se…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing that everyone can agree on, it is that food is a basic necessity. Unfortunately, though, inflation is having a direct impact on food prices, which have risen by more than 11%. We must do something. The Conservatives have been calling on the Liberals to lower taxes for months now, which all of the other G7 countries have done, but the Liberals have unfortunately c…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to see the Prime Minister in the House, especially since he was able to see many of his counterparts over the past few days. Does he know that Canada is the only G7 country not to have lowered taxes? The other countries understand that providing tax relief helps families, but not the Prime Minister of Canada. Why is the Prime Minister insisting on raising taxes, whic…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I rise here as a member of Parliament, but first and foremost as a man and a citizen of this world. As a citizen, what I saw yesterday was completely unacceptable. We see intimidation all around us, but I do not recall ever seeing it this bad. I am also speaking as a former journalist. I was a journalist for 20 years, including six years as a parliamentary reporter at the National A…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about Canadians who are struggling and how this government claims to want to help. They are doing precisely the opposite. The bad news for Canadians is that on January 1, the government is raising taxes on workers. Also, on April 1, the Liberal carbon tax will triple. This is going to cost Canadian families a lot more. Why can the Prime Minister simply not explain to Canad…

Madam Speaker, a woman, a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother, who was also a Queen, has passed away. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a woman who embodied, in all her dignity and splendour, the durability of the state and duty done right. For 70 years, she inspired millions of people around the world, her subjects and people who were not British royalty, but who respected her greatly…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, this is a very serious and appalling situation. Darren Campbell, a senior RCMP officer, has said that there was partisan political interference in the Nova Scotia tragedy. This is both appalling and disgusting. A lot of people trust Mr. Campbell, including us. The Globe and Mail quoted former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson, who said that Darren Campbell “is one of the best investigator…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I am completely flabbergasted that the government member does not want to have a debate. That is the antithesis of what we are supposed to do here. He must have misspoken, and I am certain he will stand up, apologize and withdraw his words. I liked the member for Joliette's comments, as always, but not all of them. I found his Captain Haddock approach of attacking people by calling th…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded division.

Oral Questions

Here are the facts, Mr. Speaker. A minister claims he did not interfere, but a senior RCMP officer, Mr. Campbell, says that there was in fact political interference. Who is telling the truth? Some very serious people say that Mr. Campbell is telling the truth. Peter Lepine also told The Globe and Mail, “I've followed Darren Campbell since the day he was a recruit. He's an extremely competent polic…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, this morning, Canadians woke up to more bad news from this government: Inflation in Canada is at 7.7%, the highest it has been in 40 years. This affects every Canadian family, especially lower-income earners. For months, the Conservatives have been calling for the tax on the price of gas to be reduced. We are not alone in thinking that way. U.S. President Biden, a Democrat, is calling…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, by not following President Biden's lead, the Liberals have made Canada the only G7 country that has not reduced its gas tax. We do not need to search high and low for proof that cutting the gas tax works. In Canada, on April 1, when the government increased the Liberal carbon tax, the Alberta government lowered its tax and even removed it. That has lowered inflation in Alberta. If it …

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Saint‑Jean for her speech. I am glad that she said she was not a criminal law expert, because if she were, we would have gotten another great lesson. I congratulate her on giving such an excellent, well-documented and detailed speech, as usual, especially on a topic like this one. With respect to Bill C‑28, I must admit that I am not naturally a particularl…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, Radio-Canada's Daniel Leblanc reported this morning that the Canada Revenue Agency closed the criminal investigation into a tax evasion scheme by KPMG a year ago. At noon, KPMG confirmed that it had been cleared of any wrongdoing. Members will recall that in 2017, the Minister of National Revenue stated, and I quote, “We’re going to get to the bottom of this, and we’re going to catch …

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, this is the same minister who, weeks ago, kept telling us that the net was tightening. The reality is that she is the one getting caught up in the net. In 2017, she said that she was going to make this public and that the whole truth would come out. The investigation has been over for a year and the minister said that once everything was public, it would all become clearer and they wo…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the number one issue on every Canadian's mind is inflation. This Liberal government is responsible for rising inflation. Conservatives are not alone in saying so. Yesterday, Scotiabank's chief economist, Jean‑François Perrault, said that “high levels of fiscal spending will necessitate an unnecessarily large crowding out of private spending”. In other words, the government does not kn…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, all of our constituency offices are getting calls all day long from desperate Canadians about the passport problem, and I am sure this is true in all 338 ridings. Once again this weekend, a nurse had to take time off work instead of treating patients. She had to stand in line today to get her passport. In Laval, police officers had to be sent out to calm the unrest among the people in…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, every Canadian knows that on April 1, this government increased the Liberal carbon tax. Writing in Le Journal de Québec and Le Journal de Montréal today, Loïc Tassé was blunt but truthful. He wrote that all these measures by the Liberal government will not fight inflation. On the contrary, they will accelerate it. He asks: “What magical world is she living in?” The problem is that w…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, yesterday in Toronto, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance was supposed to make an announcement that would give Canadians some relief from inflation. Unfortunately, once again, the Minister of Finance showed that she is completely out of touch with the reality all Canadians are facing. There was no announcement at all, just more rehashing of the same Liberal talking poi…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, it is always a treat when the founder of Équiterre, who is currently being sued by Équiterre, is in teacher mode. The fact is, countries such as Germany, England, Australia, South Korea and the United States have taken steps to lower taxes, especially those that affect the price of gas, which affects everyone, particularly when it is time to buy groceries. Groceries need to be trans…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure and a joy to listen to my Bloc Québécois colleague. I say that in all sincerity, but not without chiding him for mentioning the leaders meeting, which must remain confidential. However, I want to salute him because we share a point of view that he talked about eloquently, as only he knows how, regarding the riding names that are too long. It makes no sense. I…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate and thank my colleague for his speech and his very honest, but unfortunately sad, presentation of the financial reality of this government. The big issue of the day is inflation. It has hurt every family, especially when we talk about the price of gas. We all realize and recognize that elsewhere offshore we see great countries applying positive action to reduc…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been clear about what they want, and that is effective policies to fight inflation. As gas prices continue to rise, the tax rises too, so the government is pocketing more and more money. The government is putting more money in its own pockets and less in the pockets of Canadians. This is a direct measure that Canadians want. Other countries have adopted this measure, so…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, people in my riding woke up to some bad news this morning. The price of gas is up to $2.24 a litre. That is a record high. This is the reality for every Canadian family in my riding and from coast to coast to coast. As we know, when the price goes up, the tax also goes up. Basically, the government makes more money when the price goes up. However, what differentiates Canada from other…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I should let you know that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. I want to start by congratulating my colleague from Kings—Hants on his French. He delivered half his speech in French earlier, and it was really impressive. I want to congratulate him and encourage all my colleagues to learn the second official language. By “second official languag…