Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, oh, how wonderful it is to hear that, but there is one tiny problem. The hon. parliamentary secretary has forgotten one minor detail. There will no longer be quorum in the House as a result of this motion. What will happen then? We, the Conservatives, will do all the work, while the Liberals stay home and watch TV or do something else, like hanging out with their buddies or going ou…
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Madam Speaker, when I said earlier in question period that all the Liberal MPs would be at home watching TV, I was quite sure the member for Winnipeg North would be here in the House of Commons, like he is right now. I cannot say whether he is alone, but there are some clear indications around that. That has been a serious question, and yes, there is some comparison, positive and negative. As a Ca…
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Mr. Speaker, what a pleasure it is to see you in the chair. It suits you well. We never know what will happen in the future, but I think you would really appreciate being on the other side in three years, just as the Conservatives would and as all Canadians would like to see, by the way. We are therefore gathered here today to talk about Bill C-8, which deals with the economic update and implement…
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Madam Speaker, I salute my colleague from Drummond, whom I respect and hold in high regard, and with whom I share certain areas of interest, such as transportation. I want to point out that the hon. member has hit on something important. When the health crisis occurred with the pandemic, immediate steps had to be taken to help our businesses and business owners. Were those steps good? Were there t…
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Madam Speaker, let me begin by congratulating my colleague from western Canada on the quality of her French. Each and every tax measure deserves to be assessed on its own merits and should be reviewed at the appropriate time.
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Mr. Speaker, the Royal Bank of Canada says that those most affected by the current inflation crisis in Canada are the poorest Canadians, and that is easy to understand when the price of food, transportation and housing are going up. These are essentials and those most affected by this situation are the poor. What the government needs to do to fight inflation is control its spending. It has not don…
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Mr. Speaker, Wendake is right in the middle of the Louis-Saint-Laurent riding and it is surrounded by Quebec City, but Canada Post has assigned Wendake a postal code that classifies it as a remote area far from urban centres. As a result, businesses and residents in Wendake pay up to 30% more to have goods delivered, all because of a postal code that in no way reflects their reality. This is happe…
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Mr. Speaker, this is not a distraction; these are facts. The RCMP documents show that the Prime Minister committed fraud. He received a $215,000 gift from someone who lobbies the Canadian government. Yesterday, the Prime Minister admitted he never got that permission, but the RCMP never questioned him about it. I have one simple question for the Prime Minister, who, sadly, has adopted this singula…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Prime Minister of something. Does he remember Jody Wilson-Raybould? Perhaps he remembers this honourable woman who did uphold the law. The Prime Minister kicked her out of her role as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. Why? It was because she upheld the law and, more importantly, refused to play partisan politics with it. That is what the Pr…
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Mr. Speaker, with the rising cost of food, rent and gas, which are all basic necessities for Canadians, inflation sits at 6.7%, and this government is completely failing to manage its spending. Even worse, it is increasing the taxes that it created. Meanwhile, in France, the inflation rate is 4.7%. Why? It is because the government decided to freeze price rises. Why did the government increase the…
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Emergencies Act, the government is still falling short on its duty to be transparent. Let us not forget that, in 2015, the government campaigned on being a global example of transparency. It is quite the opposite. As required by the legislation, the government called an inquiry today, but it waited until the last minute to do so. What Canadians and especially we a…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that, at the very least, the minister has read the act and is enforcing it. The problem with this affair is that it reminds us of the unfortunate events at Winnipeg's National Microbiology Laboratory. Members will recall that this government did everything it could to prevent parliamentarians and the House of Commons from having access to the documents. Members wil…
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Mr. Speaker, I have to commend the Minister of Finance for her sense of humour, for being able to say the following yesterday with a straight face: “Canada has a proud tradition of fiscal responsibility. It is my duty to maintain it and I will”. Does the Minister of Finance realize that her government has done absolutely nothing in the past seven years to control spending? Spending has doubled sin…
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Mr. Speaker, today, the day after the budget was tabled, the price of food continues to increase. The cost of housing continues to increase. The cost of gas continues to increase. Why? It is because the government did not directly tackle the number one problem affecting Canadian families: inflation. Inflation is now at a 30-year high. That is the Liberal record. Today, in this budget, there is abs…
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Mr. Speaker, we all remember that shortly before the election, this government infamously invented the concept of two categories of seniors: those 75 and older, and everyone else. At least there is nothing like that in this budget. That said, there is nothing in it for seniors. I am not the one saying that; it is coming from Gisèle Tassé-Goodman, the president of the FADOQ network in Quebec, who s…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, in my role as critic, I rise today to speak to Bill C-244, which was introduced by the member for Richmond Centre. As we mentioned, this bill is a carbon copy of Bill C‑272, which was introduced in the last Parliament by the member for Cambridge, who sits beside the member for Richmond Centre. The House studied the former bill before the election was called, and members will recall th…
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Mr. Speaker, every family in Canada is affected by the rising cost of food, gas and housing, among other things. That is called inflation. The Liberal Prime Minister's policies have caused inflation to go up in Canada. Why? The reason is that, for the past seven years, this government has done nothing to keep spending under control. Worse, it invented new taxes that it increased last Friday. We ar…
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Mr. Speaker, what I hope, what I believe and what my colleagues also believe is that we must spend money more wisely. We have to make a dollar stretch further. I, a Conservative member, did not say that. It was my Liberal colleague from Pontiac, and she says she is speaking on behalf of her colleagues. Once again, tomorrow, we will have a new budget, a new government, a NDP-Liberal government. Wil…
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Madam Speaker, we have to be very careful on that, because the government's money is not the government's money. It is the taxpayers' money, and we have to be very responsible with it.
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Madam Speaker, as we gather here in the House of Commons, in Ottawa, to debate funding for national defence, our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, who, for the past 41 days, have been suffering, although very courageously, the agonizing pain inflicted by the terrible aggression of Putin's Russia. I want to emphasize that I said “Putin's Russia” because it is not the same thing as the people…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, whom I also find to be very interesting. I do not always fully agree with him. Actually, to be honest, I rarely agree with him, but he is still a member who deserves and commands respect. I hold him in high regard. I think the member's approach is the right approach. When it comes to national defence, and similarly when it comes …
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Madam Speaker, as I said in my speech, at the famous Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canada became a nation, according to Brigadier-General Ross, who said that in speaking about 1917. In the Second World War our country was again there at the right time with the right people on the right side. This is why we play an important role in history. This is why we were part of NORAD in 1949. This is why, more than…
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Mr. Speaker, all young Canadian families dream of owning a home. Unfortunately, home ownership remains out of reach for these families because this government is doing absolutely nothing to curb inflation. The cost of housing is increasing by over 30% a year here in Canada. That is completely unacceptable. Since the beginning of question period, this government has been bragging that its plan is w…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the minister and congratulate him on his first French sentence, which I very much appreciate, but I must nevertheless remind him about the facts. The fact is, housing costs are up nearly 30% in Canada. That pushed inflation to 5.7%, which is why food costs more, gas costs more, and Canadians are paying more tax. Last week, this government had a chance to give Canadians…
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Mr. Speaker, food prices are going up, rent prices are going up, gas prices are going up, yet this government is doing nothing. What is worse, as a result of the new NDP-Liberal alliance, on Friday, taxes went up. That is the legacy of this NDP-Liberal government. My question for the Minister of Finance is very straightforward. Will she rise in this House, look Canadians straight in the eye and as…
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Mr. Speaker, they are missing in action again. In Quebec, there is a great expression about governments “having both hands on the wheel”. That is a great political expression in Quebec. Unfortunately, what are we seeing with the new Liberal-NDP government? There are two people driving the truck. What is the result? There are two left hands on the wheel to steer left, and there are two right hands …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my Bloc Québécois colleague for his speech, which included lots of historical reminders and facts. I disagree with his conclusion, but I do think the facts he shared are relevant to understanding the reality of the French fact and bilingualism in Canada. Let me just say that I am happy to see you in the chair, Mr. Speaker. This is the first time I have addressed you, t…
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Mr. Speaker, we are two days away from April 1. If the government wants to know what is on Canadians' minds on April 1, the fact of the matter is that in two days, the Liberal carbon tax will go up. For weeks we have been calling on the government to give Canadians a break, to give them some breathing room and not increase the Liberal carbon tax. There are two days left. Can the government underst…
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Mr. Speaker, the fact is that for months and months inflation has been on the rise in Canada. The fact is that inflation is now at more than 5.7%. The fact is that all Canadian families are paying more today than they were several months ago. In two days, the Liberals are increasing the Liberal carbon tax. Do they understand common sense? Raising the Liberal carbon tax will increase inflation, and…
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Mr. Speaker, on Friday, the deputy governor of the Bank of Canada said that gas and groceries are facing some of the fastest price gains, that all households are affected by high inflation and that this situation is especially painful for low-income households because they tend to spend a greater share of their earnings on such items. That is exactly what Conservatives have been saying for weeks. …
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Mr. Speaker, here are the realities and facts. Inflation, at 5.7%, is the highest it has been in the past 40 years. The fact is that April 1 is this Friday. There will be a Liberal tax increase this Friday, and Canadians do not want it. One way to help Canadians with inflation would be to cancel this tax increase. Will the government finally see reason and give Canadian families a break?
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Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to be participating in this debate and also to be speaking after the member for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake. As Quebeckers and other francophones just heard, the member from Alberta, who represents one of the most oil rich ridings in the country, speaks impeccable French. It is late in the day, and we are gathered here to ask the Government of Canada to do what all the…
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Madam Speaker, I am very happy to hear from my colleague from Lac-Saint-Louis. I have a lot of respect for him and had the opportunity to get to know him when we worked together on electoral reform. Who knows what happened with that, but he was a very good chair. As a Canadian, I am very proud that our country has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. I am proud to go out with my vacc…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate both the form and content of the member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie's remarks. However, he has now been talking for five minutes. I know prescription drugs are important, but I do not think they vote. The subject we are talking about right now is the number of members in the House of Commons.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today after a two-week adjournment, which my colleagues and I spent in our respective ridings. As the saying goes, just because we are in our ridings does not mean we are not working. Some people think we are off duty, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is in our ridings that we have the pleasure, the opportunity, the privilege and the duty to meet th…
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Mr. Speaker, that was a great question. A great answer would be, “No.” Why? It is because we are talking about the GST. We are not talking about the Quebec sales tax. Why do we have that term in our motion? This is a great question from my colleague. I asked my friends the same question. I asked why we had that in our motion. It is because, when we talked to Revenue Canada, it was explained to us …
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Madam Speaker, what is deplorable is being unable to understand a totally logical explanation that falls under the law as defined. It is not convoluted, these are the laws and regulations we follow. That is exactly what we did. What is deplorable is to forget the fact that I clearly said that governments are among those who do benefit. Unfortunately, facts can be stubborn. When prices rise, the ta…
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Madam Speaker, I am also disheartened to see that my NDP colleague has come to conclusion to vote against abolishing a tax. It is too bad, but unfortunately that is what we can come to expect over the next few weeks, the next few months, and, unfortunately, the next few years. Until October 2025, we have a new government, one that was not elected but magically showed up all of a sudden last night,…
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Mr. Speaker, as we know, the Parliamentary Budget Officer is responsible for assessing the cost of each party's election promises. He did that last fall, and he did it for the NDP. Do my colleagues know how much new spending NDP committed to? It pledged $214 billion in new spending. My question is for the current Minister of Finance, and I say “current” because we never know what could happen. Cou…
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Mr. Speaker, as we know, the NDP is a centralizing party. That is not a fault per se, but we do not believe it is a good thing to be a centralizer in Canada. However, the NDP is a centralizer, so the new NDP-Liberal government will be one too. That will lead to fights with the provinces. We really do not need that. My question is for the government member, and I do not mean the “minister member” f…
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Mr. Speaker, this morning, Canadian families have a serious problem. This morning, Canadians woke up to the news that the price of gas is going up dramatically. Back home in my riding in Quebec City, gas is $1.85 a litre. It is $2 in British Columbia, and it keeps going up. There is one thing the government can do to at least ease the burden for Canadians. Can the government commit to not increasi…
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Mr. Speaker, what is rebounding this morning is not what the member just talked about, but the price of gas that all Canadians are facing this morning. I am sorry, but an increase of 40 cents in one month is not acceptable where I come from. The government continues to hide behind the numbers, whereas Canadians have to live with the reality every day. Transportation affects all sectors of the econ…
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Mr. Speaker, the question is really quite simple. This Liberal government plans to increase taxes on April 1. We are not talking about what is going on in the U.S. or about the inflation rate or the recovery or real GDP or who knows what. The reality is that taxes will increase on April 1. The reality is that the price of gas has gone up 40¢ to 50¢ in the past month. Could the government at least …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Thérèse-De Blainville for her question. They are not mutually exclusive. As the member pointed out, there are three points in our motion. Everyone agrees with the first two. The third, however, is a global issue, a matter of global energy security, and we would be remiss if we overlooked that. Canada has a concrete opportunity to help these people, and we a…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to inform the House that I will be sharing my time with the member for Thornhill. On Thursday, February 24, moments after Vladimir Putin's deadly, bloody and unlawful invasion of Ukraine, the Canadian Army issued a statement announcing that a contingent of 120 soldiers from Valcartier's 5e Régiment d'Artillerie Légère would be deployed to Latvia within 30 days to suppor…
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Madam Speaker, I welcome the comments of my colleague from Winnipeg North. I know he is, as is everybody in the House, very supportive of any action in this struggle to fight Putin's aggression. We are all in solidarity. We have all shown solidarity toward the Ukrainian people here in Canada, but first and foremost toward those who are suffering under this attack. This motion is not only about the…
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Madam Speaker, as long as we need energy, I will always fight for Canadian energy. It is not only me asking that. We have seen the Chancellor of Germany asking for support from elsewhere. We have seen the Democratic President of the United States asking to have more people working on that. We have seen the l'Union européenne asking to have partenariat with other countries. Canada is the fifth-larg…
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Mr. Speaker, today's debate is a very serious one. Canadians want to shed light on the events that took place in February after the government did nothing for three weeks. This committee will shed light on this matter. This is supposed to be a non-partisan parliamentary committee. What is unfortunate is that the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons came out swinging in his speech, accu…
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Mr. Speaker, as long as we need oil and natural gas, we on this side of the House will always stand up for this Canadian energy sector. Over the past 20 years, Canadians have purchased $13 billion worth of Russian oil from Putin. I am sorry, but we do not need that. Meanwhile, the government's goal is to slowly eliminate Canada's energy potential. Why, with its ideologically narrow-minded and clos…
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Mr. Speaker, it became clear this weekend that Canada did not need emergency measures to resolve the situation in Ottawa. Thousands of police officers from across Canada joined forces to resolve a specific situation. This is not the first time that has happened. Nevertheless, this government still wants to impose the Emergencies Act, which has no place in this context, in our view. The border cros…
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