Parliamentary Speeches
172 speeches by Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault — Page 3 of 4
Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the motion before us today talks about the importance of investments, the cost of living and the economy. This is timely because Canadians gave our new government a strong mandate in the spring. They trusted us to build a strong economy that works for everyone. When we talk about an economy that works for everyone, we are talking about having measures in place to help Canadians deal w…
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Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague mentioned that the Conservative motion before us today lacks substance and contains several inaccuracies about our economic situation. I would like to know if my colleague could help us set the record straight.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke about investments that our government is making. These are investments that boost our economy. Moreover, we have an ambitious plan in place in terms of housing construction. I am already seeing real impacts in my riding that are the result of federal investments in cities like Edmundston, Campbellton and Saint‑Quentin. Could my colleague tell us more about our ambit…
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Mr. Speaker, last month, I had an excellent meeting with representatives of the Eel River Bar indigenous community in my riding. We talked about housing. This is a major issue in that community. Since 2023, the federal government has invested more than $10 million in the community through the rapid housing initiative. We have also invested over $375,000 through the affordable housing fund. Would m…
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Mr. Speaker, inflation and a high cost of living are global issues. Canada is not the only country facing them; all of the western nations are. In Canada, we are coming out of it in an enviable position, with the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio and a AAA credit rating. We understand that if we want help Canadians with the cost of living, we need to present concrete measures, such as the school food progr…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from London West for her excellent speech. Last April, Canadians gave us a strong mandate. I believe this is because they realized that our party was the only one with a real plan to defend our workers, our industries and our economy. In my colleague's opinion, how is the budget, which will be presented on November 4, an essential step in strengthening our economy…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑11 is essential. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces always show up to protect Canadians and their safety. We also have a duty to protect them from misconduct and harassment. We heard from our colleagues today during our debates. I think we all agree on the importance of this bill. A number of these colleagues have said they would like the bill to be studied in committee. Firs…
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Mr. Speaker, our two official languages are a fundamental pillar of our Canadian identity. I am pleased to be surrounded by colleagues who care about the vitality of our francophone communities across the country. Preserving our language and culture starts at a very young age and requires quality French-language education. That is why I would like to ask the minister what measures our government i…
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Mr. Speaker, September 29 was the second anniversary of the death of my wife, Stéphanie Bacher. Stéphanie was incredibly bright and quick-witted. She was committed to a fair and just society. She was a woman of conviction who stood up for what she believed in. She was a passionate advocate for democratic principles, human rights and respect for everyone, regardless of their background, sexual orie…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, for his excellent speech. I am proud of our government, which has proven that it takes public safety seriously with Bill C‑2, the strong borders act, Bill C‑9, the combatting hate act, and our upcoming bail reform. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on why it is so important, in the current c…
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Mr. Speaker, our new Liberal government was elected on a promise to reform the bail system. We have ambitious measures to protect public safety. On this side of the House, we understand that if we propose a measure, we need to ensure that it is constitutional. Could my colleague explain why, when we propose amendments to the Criminal Code, it is important to ensure that they comply with the Canadi…
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Madam Speaker, I want to clarify that I did not announce the content of any future bills. Rather, I said that a bill consistent with our election commitments would be introduced this fall. One of those commitments was bail reform. Canadians have told us that there is room for improvement in our justice system. Our decision to improve Canada's bail system does not mean that we think judges are not …
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Madam Speaker, I firmly believe that words need to be backed up by actions. If members are serious about public safety, why block a bill designed to strengthen our border security? If it truly believes in public safety, I hope that the Conservative opposition will work with us and allow us to move Bill C‑2 on to the committee stage.
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Mr. Speaker, we were clear during the campaign. We are going to take public safety seriously. Our actions speak for themselves. As soon as Parliament came back this fall, we introduced Bill C-2, the strong borders act. We also introduced Bill C-9 to combat hate crimes. We will soon be introducing an ambitious bill to reform bail in Canada. We are reviewing this bill seriously and thoroughly to ens…
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Mr. Speaker, during the last election campaign, Canadians across the country asked us to take concrete measures to build a safer Canada. They elected a new Liberal government, and they had a clear and legitimate expectation: reform our bail system, improve public safety and ensure that our communities are safe. Today, I am speaking to my House of Commons colleagues, but I am also speaking to Canad…
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Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to hear my colleague talk about the importance of agriculture in his speech. In my riding, Madawaska—Restigouche, there are vegetable farms, as well as farmers who grow potatoes in the Grand Falls area, and poultry farms in Upper Madawaska. I would like my colleague to talk about the importance of the measures we have taken to save agriculture, not only in rural rid…
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Mr. Speaker, our new government was elected to take real action to make life more affordable for Canadians. This includes taking concrete steps to address issues like food insecurity, such as with a national school food program. We are committed to supporting children and families with access to healthy food. What positive impact has this program had on communities?
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Madam Speaker, I would like to point out how interesting it is that my colleague mentioned the CBC, our national broadcaster, which provides high-quality information. Food security is a priority for us. That is why we are taking real action. The national school food program comes to mind. If this is such an important issue for my colleague, why did her party vote against this program? I hope the o…
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Madam Speaker, I am glad my colleague mentioned Chaleur Bay, which is hosting the Most Beautiful Bays in the World conference this week. I am so excited to attend the conference when I get back to my riding tomorrow. Getting back to the question, we understand the importance of maintaining an affordable cost of living and helping our seniors. That is why, a few years ago, we increased old age secu…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to point out that I do not live in Saint‑François‑de‑Madawaska, but I do represent Saint‑François‑de‑Madawaska in the House; it is known as the chicken capital because of its large poultry industry. To come back to my colleague's question, we were elected with a clear mandate: to make life more affordable for Canadians and to strengthen our economy. These two things go …
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Mr. Speaker, today we are debating a motion that, under the guise of legitimate concerns about the cost of living and food security, unfortunately proposes a vision that I would describe as simplistic and disconnected from Canada's economic and social reality. This motion ignores the global economic context. It also ignores the tangible, meaningful and responsible efforts our new government is mak…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech, which included some pretty interesting parts. He talked about living together as a society. A little later, he mentioned the bill, referring to it as smoke and mirrors. The bill before us, which seeks to combat hate crimes, is definitely not smoke and mirrors, especially for people living in fear, people who face intimidation when t…
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Mr. Speaker, I often say that my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche is full of talent, and today I would like to draw the House's attention to an exceptional young woman. Her name is Micekencia Carlie François, a teenager of Haitian origin who is now a resident of Edmundston, where she is pursuing her secondary studies at Cité des jeunes A.‑M.‑Sormany. Last July, she published her very first book, L'…
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Mr. Speaker, access to safe and affordable housing is a basic need and a shared responsibility. Canadians expect real progress to accelerate housing construction and lower costs so that young people, families, vulnerable people and those at all stages of life can access housing that meets their needs. Can the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure update the House on the government's recently anno…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from the Conservative Party spoke about the importance of border security and even mentioned the Harper government's record in that area. I would like to remind her that during their last term in power, the Conservatives made significant cuts to the Canada Border Services Agency, which led to the elimination of more than 1,000 jobs. Their words today do not reflect their …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on his excellent speech on Bill C‑2. I am very happy to be working with him as part of a team that is committed to making our borders safer and cracking down on fentanyl trafficking and auto theft. Why is Bill C‑2 important to the beautiful riding he represents, La Prairie—Atateken?
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Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to be back here in Ottawa this fall to represent the beautiful riding of Madawaska—Restigouche in Parliament. After spending the summer in the community with my constituents, I am thrilled to get back to our legislative work as part of a team that is determined to quickly deliver concrete results for Canadians and to build a strong Canada. Today, we are addressing …
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Madam Speaker, I am proud to represent Madawaska—Restigouche, a riding outside Quebec where over 80% of the population is francophone. Today, we are debating Bill C-3, which seeks to correct a historic injustice that has been deemed unconstitutional: the first-generation measure. We have a duty to adopt a balanced system to ensure that people who have genuine ties to our country can become Canadia…
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Madam Speaker, for now, Bill C‑3 is a welcome step in the right direction because many Canadians have lost their citizenship. I have also heard stories about people in very problematic situations, which is why I said in my speech that we always have to keep in mind that the decisions we make in the House have a real impact on people's everyday lives. Conversations about access to citizenship are c…
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Madam Speaker, I believe that Bill C‑3 was one of the first bills introduced by our new government in the early days of this new Parliament last spring. I would suggest that this shows how important this issue is to our new government and how seriously we take this matter. Of course, time is of the essence when we consider Bill C‑3, since the Ontario Superior Court of Justice declared that the fir…
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Madam Speaker, as I said earlier in my speech, debate on a subject as serious as access to citizenship merits accuracy and discipline on our part. When I said that, I was referring to this type of speech. I think we should avoid exaggeration, oversimplification and provocative slogans designed to rile up social media. We should take our responsibilities as legislators seriously and focus on studyi…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent question. I consulted the chambers of commerce in my riding, Madawaska—Restigouche, and I talked with people. We clearly want less red tape. We want to facilitate internal trade, especially given the uncertainty surrounding trade with the United States. My riding has a long border with our southern neighbour and five ports of entry. Our economy i…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑5 is a concrete example. It has been four weeks, and we are removing internal trade barriers and strengthening Canada's economy through projects of national interest. We have passed a tax cut for the middle class and made historic investments in defence. Clearly, our new government, led by our new Prime Minister, is action-oriented and practical. We want to meet Canadians' expe…
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Mr. Speaker, we were always extremely clear and transparent throughout the election. We made two strong commitments: unify the Canadian economy, including by eliminating barriers to internal trade, and build major projects of national interest. Over 8.5 million Canadians voted for our plan, which enabled us to win 44 seats in Quebec. As a result, we now have exceptional new colleagues in the House…
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Mr. Speaker, I am here to talk about the one Canadian economy act, which seeks to build a stronger, more competitive and more resilient Canadian economy. I am also here to talk about our intention to identify, defend and complete projects of national interest for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. I will also talk about the measures to eliminate trade barriers in order to unlock our full econ…
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Mr. Speaker, we were elected with a clear mandate in the last election. It is a mandate to achieve great things, to be bold and ambitious in responding to the challenges of our time. Bill C-5 is in keeping with this spirit. With Bill C-5, we will be able to move forward more quickly on projects of national interest. This is consistent with the “one project, one review” approach. We understand that…
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Mr. Speaker, the government will have a legal obligation to act in accordance with the purpose of the act and to expedite projects of national interest, while maintaining rigorous environmental standards and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples. Projects that will be subject to an impact assessment will be reviewed by existing regulatory agencies to identify the conditions necessary to prot…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑3 is intended to right a past wrong. In 2009, Stephen Harper's Conservative government passed legislation limiting citizenship by descent to the first generation. This has had significant repercussions. Individuals with genuine ties to our country have been excluded. It has also negatively affected Canadians whose children were born abroad. In 2023, the Ontario Superior Court o…
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad my colleague spoke about the importance of putting strong measures in place to support families and workers. On our side of the House, we understand that the best way to make life more affordable is to build a strong economy that allows us to maintain programs that save families thousands of dollars a year, such as dental care, affordable child care and the Canada child bene…
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Mr. Speaker, last month, during my very first official activity as the MP for Madawaska—Restigouche, I had the pleasure of attending the Community Grandioses awards ceremony organized by the Grand Falls Regional Municipality. Three individuals will receive a Grandiose award in recognition of their volunteer work. They generously give their time to organize activities and provide essential services…
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Madam Speaker, in his speech, my colleague mentioned that he was concerned about our government's lack of clear direction. However, as a new member, I can say that the direction has been very clear since the election campaign. Our platform is crystal clear. The first subsection of the platform, entitled “One Canadian Economy”, talks about a plan to build the strongest economy in the G7, to create …
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke about the positive impact of expanding dental care coverage in his community. I have heard the same thing in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. When I was door knocking during the campaign, a lot of people spoke about the positive impact this new program has had on their life and about the importance of having access to affordable dental care. I would like to hear …
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Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague used words like “radical” and all sorts of adjectives to describe us. Unfortunately for him, that is not what Canadians believe. We were just re-elected with the most votes ever won by a political party in a federal election. Our team was deemed to be the most competent and best prepared to govern and to build a strong economy. Rather than using divisive la…
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Mr. Speaker, as a new member, I am very happy to be able to work and learn from my colleague within our new government. Fortunately, my colleague won his seat and was able to keep his seat in Winnipeg North. What will be the benefits of our ambitious plan to unify the Canadian economy?
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Mr. Speaker, in the last election, Canadians made it clear that they want us to take concrete action to help them with the cost of living. With Bill C‑4, we are delivering by lowering taxes, eliminating the GST on the purchase price of a first home and eliminating the consumer carbon price. Will my colleague work with us to do what Canadians have asked us to do and meet their expectations quickly?…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, we both represent rural ridings, and the areas we cover are large. When we go door to door, sometimes the distance between two homes is greater than it is in a city centre. The cost of living is also a challenge in rural areas. People have asked for meaningful action, and they welcome the news about the tax cut. There have also been repeated calls to expand the Canadian dental ca…
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Mr. Speaker, during the election, people told us that they wanted concrete and swift action to help them deal with the cost of living and to strengthen the Canadian economy. That is why we returned to the House of Commons so quickly. Ours was the second-fastest post-election return to the House of Commons in Canadian history. We want to take the time to do things right. As my colleagues have alrea…
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Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward with the affordable child care spaces program in collaboration with the provinces and territories. The challenges and issues may vary from place to place, but what is important is maintaining a good working relationship with all jurisdictions across the country to strengthen this program that is extremely important and changes the lives of Canadian families. It e…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with the member for Vancouver Kingsway. On April 28, Canadians came together to give our new Liberal government a strong, historic mandate. We were elected on a commitment to build a strong economy that works for everyone. Over the past few weeks, our government has taken concrete steps to deliver on our plan to make life more …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Les Pays-d'en-Haut for his excellent speech, which has provided some necessary clarification on the issues being discussed today. He ended his speech by saying that rather than trying to discuss a motion that is somewhat divisive, we should focus on the issues of the day, such as the need to strengthen and unify our economy. How will our government's plan to …
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