Routine Proceedings
With regard to government funding for Équiterre, since November 4, 2015, broken down by department or agency: (a) what are the details of each instance where the government provided funding to Équiterre, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) amount, (iii) type of funding (grant, loan, contract, etc.), (iv) details of the funding agreement, (v) purpose of the funding; and (b) for each funding ins…
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Mr. Speaker, here are the facts. After nine years of this sanctimonious Liberal government, Canada has the worst environmental record in the G7. That is according to the commissioner of the environment, who concluded in a recently tabled report that the drop in emissions was not due to climate actions taken by the government, but was instead because of revisions to the data or methods used. The fi…
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Mr. Speaker, this week, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change proved himself to be the champion of consensus. Both environmental groups and Canada's energy industry have attacked his Liberal plan to cap Canadian energy production. He was a champion of consensus thanks to his bad decision, and now he has a duty and obligation to be the champion of transparency in the SDTC scandal. After al…
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Mr. Speaker, less taxes, more homes; the Conservative leader is proposing to eliminate the GST on new homes sold. What this means is that buyers in Quebec will save $25,000, or $1,300 a year, on a $500,000 home. This will also add 30,000 new housing units a year in Canada. The Corporation des propriétaires immobiliers du Québec, the Quebec landlords' association, has described this initiative as a…
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Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the question from my colleague from Rosemont—La Petite‑Patrie, who also proudly represents Quebec and knows what it means to be a Quebecker, as do the Bloc Québécois, Conservative and Liberal members. No one has any lessons to teach about Quebec nationalism or about being a Quebecker to anyone here in the House. I am sorry, but I do not take kindly to that. On t…
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Mr. Speaker, I will answer in English. I respect my colleague who asked the question; by the way, she is the member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, which is where Chalk River is. She knows a few things about that. I had the pleasure and, I would say, the professionalism to have been at Chalk River. I was there on March 22; yes, I asked a lot of questions. I was asking why we have to put it there w…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Durham. In fact, I am the warm-up act, because he is the great orator. I am very happy to participate in this debate on an energy source that Canada and the world need: nuclear energy. It helps supply us with energy, and God knows we need it. Nuclear energy is one of the five green energy sources that we on this side of the House have been…
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Mr. Speaker, I think I was clear earlier when I said that nothing comes without risk. I think I was also clear when I said that Chalk River has been around for 80 years. I think I was clear when I said that hundreds of millions of people have benefited from the work that has been done at Chalk River. I think I also mentioned the major incident that occurred in 1952. Some of the people listening ma…
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Mr. Speaker, the member knows perfectly well that my colleague has apologized. The reality is that he wants to divert people's attention from the economic reality. As a university professor, he should be paying attention to the facts, and he certainly cannot dispute the data from Statistics Canada or that of The Economist. He is probably familiar with The Economist. He must have read that a few ti…
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Mr. Speaker, let us be serious. We all know that this government is costing Canadians dearly. Now Statistics Canada has the numbers to prove it. The latest figures show that the gross domestic product per capita has declined eight times over the past nine quarters. What does that actually mean? It means that the GDP grew by barely 1% this quarter, while in the United States, it grew by nearly 3%. …
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Mr. Speaker, the point is that when it is rotten at the top, obviously there will be an impact everywhere in the government's pyramid.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, it is the government, not the official opposition, that sets the agenda of the House. The government can put an opposition day on the agenda and allow a debate on the question. That is the reality. Another thing that needs to be made clear is that, for five weeks, the Bloc Québécois believed in the Liberal government, believed in the Prime Minister. It placed its trust in this governm…
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Mr. Speaker, I see a good team from Saskatchewan celebrating yesterday's victory of the Saskatchewan Party. There is no link between us and the Saskatchewan Party. It does not have the word “conservative” in its name. Maybe it is in their attitude, which is good, by the way. Twenty years ago, the $42-million sponsorship scandal made headlines. Today, we are talking about $390 million in mismanaged…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to pay tribute the member for Lac-Saint-Louis. I really enjoy working with him. In fact, he chairs the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, and twice a week we have a lot of fun working together. I would like to commend his contribution to public debate and what he has accomplished as a parliamentarian for a good 20 years, if I reme…
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Madam Speaker, I am not a supersenior even though I just turned 60 years old a few weeks ago. I am very pleased to take part in today's debate on transparency and the sound management of public funds. Let us not forget that just over 20 years ago, Canada was gripped by a scandal that still reverberates today and likely will for decades to come. Of course, I am talking about the infamous sponsorshi…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to correct something I said just a minute ago. I said the following: “We need to get re-elected.” I attributed that statement to the Prime Minister, but it was one of the Prime Minister's staffers who said it. Anyone can see that is appalling. Having said that, I would respond to the member that we very clearly have the best interests of seniors at heart, al…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on the quality of his French. Answering a Bloc Québécois member's question entirely in French is really impressive, and I congratulate him. I listened very carefully to what he had to say. In his speech, he said that The Globe and Mail is a credible newspaper that always publishes relevant, fact-checked information. However, when the big SNC-L…
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Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, it starts at the top. When the Prime Minister, who has absolutely no respect for public money, spends without any control; when he has a problem with ethics issues, travelling all around the world without any problem with that and going to Christmas parties with some friends; when there is the WE Charity scandal, the ArriveCAN scandal and the SNC-Lavalin and Jody Wilson…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for Brandon—Souris for his excellent speech. Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight the fact that the member is one of the most experienced members of Parliament in the House. As a parliamentarian, he was first elected in 2013, but before that he served on the provincial legislature. He was first elected there in 1999, so this year we commemorate his 25th …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to talk facts. The young Quebeckers listening to us today are seeing their dream of owning a home evaporate. In just five years, house prices in Quebec have risen by 74%. In concrete terms, that means an extra $1,000 a month. This situation has been fuelled by the Liberal government's chronic deficits, which it ran with the enthusiastic support of the Bloc Québécois. Could the …
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Mr. Speaker, it is not the Conservatives saying that, it is the realtors association noticing the increase. In Quebec City, the price of a house is now $400,000. In Gatineau, it is $460,000. In Montreal, it is $590,000. Beyond the numbers, the issue is that the dreams and ambitions of young Quebeckers are evaporating under this government's watch. I invite the member for Papineau, who is the Prime…
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Madam Speaker, I am not very proud of what the member for Winnipeg North just said. The parliamentary secretary is impugning the motives of the hon. Leader of the Opposition who, may I remind you, has been here for almost 20 years and was a minister of the Crown. He does not need any lessons in ethics from anyone. We can trust his judgment. The parliamentary secretary implied that the Leader of th…
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Madam Speaker, I have the privilege and honour to sit in the House on behalf of the people of Louis-Saint-Laurent and to know my colleague from British Columbia. I thank him and congratulate him on his French and his efforts to learn the language. During his speech, the member highlighted the reason we are in the House today to debate this motion, which seeks to shed light on one of the most outra…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague reminded us of the proposal he made, as a member of Parliament, regarding the management of the St. Lawrence River. As we all know, this river is very important to our economy, but above all, it is important to our identity as Quebeckers. The St. Lawrence River is not only our main transportation route, but it has also played an important role in our history. My questio…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Lévis—Lotbinière for his excellent speech. I just want to mention that he has been here in the House since 2006. He said that, but it bears repeating. That makes him the longest-serving Conservative MP from Quebec. We can be very proud of his contribution to the debate. My colleague from Lac-Saint-Louis was talking about the memory we need to have h…
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Madam Speaker, this member is another colleague who was elected for the first time in 2015, even though we knew each other before then because he was a member of the Quebec National Assembly. I do not think that we served there at the same time. I think he left in 2007, and I arrived in 2008. In any case, we know each other well and we have served together in committee. Of course the answer is “ye…
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Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank my colleague for her question and congratulate her on the quality of her French. We were both privileged to be elected in 2015, and people can say what they like about the class of 2015, but everyone who was elected then for the first time, regardless of their party, shares a special bond. That is not to denigrate anyone else, of course, but we wa…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my newbie colleague, who was elected three years ago. I welcome her. After three years, she is doing a great job. We are very proud of the member. That is my point. I am sure we hear in each and every part of this country that people are fed up with the government. It is time to move forward. After nine years under the government, we can look at where the country is.…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my experienced colleague. Can we say that in English, “experienced colleague”? He has white hair like I do, but maybe not as much. Let me be clear: We are talking about almost $400 million of taxpayer money that was not well spent. That is why we are here in this room. As long as we are in this room, and as long as I have the privilege to sit on behalf of the people …
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Mr. Speaker, history will remember this as a government riddled with corruption. The latest scandal on the list concerns the green fund, which became a bottomless pork barrel for the government's cronies. The Auditor General was scathing. This fund's directors gave out subsidies to their own companies 186 times. What a bunch of winners. Corruption on that scale warrants police action. The question…
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Madam Speaker, I am both pleased and displeased to take part in this debate. I am pleased because the people of Louis‑Saint‑Laurent gave me a mandate to be here in the House to defend them. Therefore, every time I rise here, I think first and foremost of those who gave me that mandate, but I am also seeking to ensure that public funds are managed fairly, transparently and consistently, and above a…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question and his declaration. They are very important. He used the words “very important” when talking about the opposition. Being the opposition means that we are the loyal opposition of the current government. We have a job to do. We do not work with those guys to draft something, say it is over and that we are going to scratch the deal and the…
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Mr. Speaker, I too have a great deal of respect for the minister. However, the problem is that the Auditor General herself said that the minister did not do his job properly and did not do enough to keep an eye on what was going on with his fund. It is also important to note that it is the people here at the table who are saying that the RCMP does not have all the documents. The only way to resolv…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 60th anniversary of Conseil Montcalm 5529, better known as the Loretteville Knights of Columbus. This charitable group plays a major role in our community and helps the most vulnerable among us. We can always count on the Knights of Columbus when people are in need and could use a helping hand. For nearly 40 years, the Knights of Columbus have held their famous fle…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Trois‑Rivières. As we know, and as he just said a few moments ago, he is an ethicist. He was elected in 2021, so he has been here for three years. To put it mildly, he has been earning his keep over the past three years. I think that he has had a lot of work to do when it comes to ethics, and the House too, for that matter. He talked a lot about how Mr. …
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Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I did not have the privilege and the honour to sit with the Right Hon. Stephen Harper. Those were great years for Canada, and we were in a great economic position. Unfortunately, after nine years of the current government, it has destroyed all the good work that was done by Mr. Harper. My hon. colleague from Winnipeg North talked about the age of eligibility going fro…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that my colleague has put his finger on the problem. As he just said, we have a government on its last legs, a government of neglect. We can see that this government is not too bothered by the fact that a minister could have dipped into the fund and given contracts to his own company through the government. In this specific case, I think that they have crossed the line. There …
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Madam Speaker, I think the member is trying to break down a door that we had already opened, meaning that we too want to encourage employment. We want to reward work, not penalize it. Unfortunately, not only has the current government done nothing for nine years, but it has made things worse with its inflationary policies. Worse still—and the member may not want to hear this, but facts are facts—t…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé and offer my sympathy regarding his father. We all face that reality, and his remarks brought back memories of my own family. This government has been in power for nine years. The member has been watching this government day after day for five years. Just two weeks ago, the leader of this government stood in the House and twi…
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Madam Speaker, with all due respect, I am going to turn and face my Bloc Québécois colleagues. The member for Thérèse-De Blainville has highlighted the distressing reality of this government. This is a government that prides itself on wanting to help seniors, when in fact it has divided seniors into two categories: those aged 65 to 74, and those aged 75 and over. Frankly, I never saw this coming. …
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Madam Speaker, if those members want to know where Canadians are, and if they trust us, they can just call an election and repeat what their leader said three weeks ago, which was that he had no confidence in the government. However, suddenly, when it is time to vote, the New Democrats vote confidence in the government. Shame on them.
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Madam Speaker, that was an interesting speech, but it totally left out one aspect, one word, one verb: “divide”. This Liberal government did something that no one saw coming and, to my knowledge, we have not seen it in any other democratic countries. It divided seniors up by distinguishing between those aged 65 to 74 and those aged 74 and over. Why divide seniors up?
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Lévis—Lotbinière. We are gathered here today to talk about seniors. Canadian society owes seniors a tremendous debt. Canadian families owe seniors a tremendous debt. Seniors are the ones who built the country we live in, a country that has unfortunately been broken over the past 10 years but that nevertheless makes us proud to be Canadia…
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Mr. Speaker, 280 forestry workers learned yesterday that they will be losing their jobs a few days before Christmas. They include 160 workers in the Mauricie region and 120 in the Outaouais. Our thoughts are with the families who are being so brutally tested by this financial and social tragedy. In the meantime, what is happening here in Ottawa? We have a Liberal government that is being honoured …
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He says they are standing up, Mr. Speaker, but what has that accomplished? What are the results? I cannot believe that the Bloc Québécois is renewing its confidence in the government again this week, and probably will next week. It is even giving the government the benefit of the doubt. Will it ever realize that the government is running straight into a wall, and that forestry workers are the ones…
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Madam Speaker, as always, I acknowledge and appreciate my colleague's contribution to this debate. That said, I need to set the record straight about a few things. It always makes me laugh when he talks about the third link. Does he remember his leader's truly impressive dithering during the election campaign? In the morning, he was in favour of it; in the afternoon, he was no longer sure; and by …
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Mr. Speaker, members of the House and all Canadians are well aware that this government is always quick to lecture everyone about the environment, but it is “do as I say, not as I do”. According to The National Post, the Prime Minister caused $200,000 in environmental damage with his jet this summer, this government has not met any targets in the past nine years, and Canada is ranked 63 out of 67 …
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Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis is not getting any better. As we speak, 1,671 Quebec families do not have a roof over their head. That number has gone up since July. Housing starts are down 13% in Quebec, and 61% of young renters are not sure they can afford their rent. That is the reality after nine years of this Liberal government, enthusiastically supported by the Bloc Québécois. Does this gove…
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Mr. Speaker, I, too, have a great deal of respect for my colleague, who, like me, is very well dressed today, by the way. However, the fact is that Canadians are suffering when it comes to housing. These people have been in office for nine years and they are still taking the exact same approach. It is not working. As far as we are concerned, one thing is clear: Our plan to build housing does not r…
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With regard to government dealings with the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) and those representing the fund, broken down by year since 2016 and by department or agency: (a) how much funding, including any funding provided through contracts, has been provided to the TAF, in total and broken down by initiative or type of funding; and (b) what are the details of any reports received from the TAF, incl…
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