Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to give my regard to my colleagues on this Monday morning. I am pleased to rise on behalf of the Bloc Québécois to speak to Bill C-242 regarding interim release. I read the bill and examined it very closely. In short, this bill seeks to do 12 different things. Let us start with the first one. First, it is important to remember that the bill seeks to replace the principle …
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Mr. Speaker, in an article in La Presse this weekend, Éric Ouellet, a member of the Barreau du Québec, wrote:The fact that hate speech may be perceived as enjoying greater protection because of its religious nature undermines the credibility of the legal system. He goes on to say:The real systemic risk is not an overuse of prosecution, but rather the normalization of rhetoric that targets protecte…
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Mr. Speaker, the people of Terrebonne are worried about expropriation for the high-speed rail project, and they are right to worry, because in Bill C-15, the Liberals weakened the Expropriation Act specifically to limit the rights of property owners along the rail alignment. The mayor of Terrebonne is calling for real consultations. The Lanaudière chapter of the Union des producteurs agricoles is …
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Mr. Speaker, while the minister is working on being inspiring, Alto is doing nothing to reassure the people of Terrebonne. On the contrary, its CEO has confirmed to the media that there will be expropriations. That is not very inspiring to hear. Alto's CEO said he hopes that expropriation will not be the primary tool. In other words, people along the route in Terrebonne will get offers, and if the…
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Mr. Speaker, today, I myself took a telephone call at my office here on the Hill from a person who was calling to say that I should vote against Bill C‑9. At the end of the conversation, the person said that they hoped that I would find it in my heart to change my mind. I replied that I hoped that they would use their intellect to read the bill, because they had been infected with Conservative mis…
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Madam Speaker, I will read a quote: When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for …
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Madam Speaker, there is a fairly simple mathematical reality to crime statistics. The statistics we read always skew low because they reflect crimes that are reported. That is what happened with sexual crimes at one point. When people started talking about sex crimes and awareness grew, the number of crimes reported went up because victims knew they would be listened to. How many people have been …
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Madam Speaker, today, we are discussing Bill C-9, not so much in terms of its substance but more in terms of time allocation. It is important to remember that, in committee, as long as the Conservatives decide to keep speaking to any amendment or clause, we are no longer able to work. They can read the telephone book, a novel or the Old Testament. It can be long and and it can be painful. I would …
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Mr. Speaker, expropriations will not make the high-speed rail project a success. What is needed is social licence. However, let us look at how the CEO of Alto responded to concerned farmers. He confirmed that there will be expropriations but said that he hopes that they will not be the primary tool. He hopes that expropriation will not be the primary tool. He confirmed that Alto has the means to e…
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Madam Speaker, in Quebec, there is a strong consensus in favour of this amendment. In Quebec, there is a strong consensus against using this exemption to incite hatred. However, the people I am seeing today on the Conservative benches are from western Canada: Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. They represent the Conservatives' extremely radical religious wing. Why does my colleague think that the…
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Madam Speaker, let us come back down to Earth. The list of cases I gave are obvious cases where so-called religious freedom was used to commit a crime by calling for murder, hate and execration. The fact that the director of criminal and penal prosecutions, after consulting in-house lawyers, decided to use another technique to lay charges does not change anything. What are the Conservatives waitin…
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Mr. Speaker, let us put ourselves in the shoes of the people of Terrebonne, Mascouche and Mirabel. Alto's CEO is confirming that there will be expropriations, but he is hopeful that it will not be the primary tool that is used. So he is confirming that it could happen. Our people want respect. The towns of Terrebonne, Mascouche and Mirabel want real consultation on the route. They want real local …
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Madam Speaker, I am not a lawyer, but from what I understand, the Crown always has a strategy. When charges are laid or a decision is made to not lay charges, authorities always try to use the strategy that is most likely to lead to a conviction. However, there is one thing we are seeing. We are legislators, and what we are seeing is that this is a hate crime. It is hate speech based on a religiou…
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Madam Speaker, our friend from Winnipeg North is very likeable, but he makes it sound as though we all have to belong to the Prime Minister's fan club, and the moment we disagree with the budget measures, we are being obstructionist. The budget timeline was moved up. It is not uncommon to see budgets that, given that they were tabled in the fall, would have passed in March or April. That is why th…
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Madam Speaker, this gives me the opportunity to say the following. Once again, the government has completely changed the budget time frame. It announced a $78-billion deficit in the fall. Since then, the Liberals have realized that people who could not afford groceries needed a cheque. Another $4 billion was added between when the budget should have been tabled and when it was actually tabled. We …
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The facts are very simple, Madam Speaker. We were in committee before Christmas, preparing to study the budget. We then wondered which minister we were going to invite to come and testify. Well, the entire cabinet could have been invited given how many subjects they put in it and just how much they packed into it. There were between 15 to 20 ministers. It would have taken 10 or 12 committees, beca…
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Mr. Speaker, Ottawa promised to apologize to the expropriated residents of Mirabel, but it also promised to never again carry out abusive expropriations. In Bill C-15, the Liberals, with help from the Conservatives, are giving Alto exceptional expropriation powers for the high-speed train. They are doing away with the right to be heard by a hearing officer. They are doing away with community impac…
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Mr. Speaker, whether the minister likes it or not, the Liberals are not going to get their high-speed train built by giving Alto abusive expropriation powers. It will require social licence. For now, it almost seems as though the Liberals are deliberately trying not to get it. The towns of Mirabel, Mascouche and Terrebonne want to have their say on the route. The region wants economic benefits. Fa…
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Madam Speaker, there are two parts to my colleague's question. The honesty of the first part is debatable. The budget timeline is perfectly normal. There was the budget speech, which the House adopted. There was a notice of ways and means motion to ensure that the tax measures already apply. We voted on the estimates. We now come to the budget implementation bill, which was tabled after the budget…
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Madam Speaker, just before I got up to speak, I was looking at the website of Environment Canada, a science-based department that we love. The government is cutting positions in that department. According to Environment Canada, the temperature in Ottawa today felt like -18°C. On days like these, it warms our hearts to see you in the chair, Madam Speaker, so thank you very much for being here. We a…
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Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague, with whom we work very well on the Standing Committee on Finance. In the budget, the government allocates $11.5 billion to Build Canada Homes. This money will not be subject to parliamentary oversight. We have no idea how the programs will work and, more importantly, we have no guarantees that the money will be allocated fairly among the provinces. I would li…
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Mr. Speaker, I salute my colleague, with whom I have the pleasure of serving at the Standing Committee on Finance. My Conservative colleague is no doubt aware that Bill C-15 will create two classes of citizens and abjectly take away the rights of people whose property will be expropriated as part of the high-speed rail project. However, when Bill C-15 was being studied at committee, my Conservativ…
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Madam Speaker, the government is bringing back the clean electricity tax credit in Bill C‑15, which, in many ways, is a better written bill than some of its predecessors. Officials confirmed to the Standing Committee on Finance that this credit would apply to small modular nuclear reactors that would be specifically used to clean up the oil sands in order to produce more oil. Can my colleague expl…
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Madam Speaker, we could have worked on the fact that the government, as I said, decided to pick the winners of the accelerated capital cost allowance. The government says that we need to be able to override any legislation to create regulatory sandboxes, because we want innovation but we never know where it might happen. When it comes to issuing growth-related accelerated capital cost allowances, …
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Mr. Speaker, they want an open banking system. My understanding is that this was done unilaterally and that the amendments we tabled were intended to ensure that Quebec's constitutional prerogatives are respected. A broker selling banking products is not a bank. As proof that we are being constructive, that we have a good attitude and that our language is very positive, albeit flowery, the Liberal…
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Mr. Speaker, I hold my colleague in high regard. He knows that. However, despite the fact that I like him very much, he is still a colleague who voted in favour of Bill C-5 and concentrated power in the hands of the government. He is still a colleague who—unless he changes his mind, and I invite him to do so—voted in favour of expropriation to further strengthen the government's powers. In this ca…
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moved: Motion No. 44 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 191. Motion No. 45 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 192. Motion No. 46 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 193. Motion No. 47 That Bill C-15 be amended by deleting Clause 194.
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Mr. Speaker, it is hard not to respond politely to someone who is so pleasant and constructive and who contributes so positively to parliamentary debate. I commend my colleague for her constructive tone. She is being very pleasant today. I want to commend her. This is good. The Prime Minister decided to suck up to the U.S. President. What else can I say? That is what he did. He kowtowed. What—
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues who are here today. Today, we are debating Bill C-15, the budget implementation bill, which we are now considering at report stage. Believe it or not, some people are tuning in at home. I know a few of them. These people need to understand what the report stage is. The 603-page budget contains a great many things that will be toxic for Quebec, toxic…
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Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to speak to Bill S-227, an act respecting Arab heritage month. I know there is suspense in the air again, and I know you are on the edge of your seat, because I can see you. I do not want you to fall, Madam Speaker. I want to tell you right away that the Bloc Québécois will vote in favour of this bill. I see my friend from Bourassa reacting. First of a…
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Madam Speaker, it is always good to see you on Mondays, although, as you know, the same is also true for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I will not keep anyone in suspense today. We support this bill, which promotes transparency in the administration of the public finances. As members know, the government is a huge machine with many departments, agencies and Crown corporations. Take, for examp…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague says that, ultimately, a commissioner would just table reports that nobody reads. What about the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, among others? Can my colleague tell us which other commissioners who report directly to Parliament are useless and why their work is useless?
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Madam Speaker, it has become second nature for me to remain focused in the House when no one is listening and when others are talking, but I know you are listening to me so that is my first win for the day. As I was saying, we are talking about $166 million under the Old Age Security Act. That is a lot a money. Again, we do not want this to become a way to invade people's privacy either, people wh…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Calgary Nose Hill for sharing her perspective with us, although it is not one that I share. The Bloc Québécois supports Bill C‑10. We think it is a good idea to have a commissioner. However, if the bill is passed and a commissioner is appointed, I am concerned about the appointment process. Earlier, I gave the example of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who i…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the minister, who I am sure will be pleased to know that I grew up in her riding. I would like to know how the government will ensure that the role of commissioner is not politicized. I will give the example of another independent officer of Parliament, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who is appointed for seven years through a process similar to the one in Bill C-10. When …
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Madam Speaker, my colleague is quite right when he says that the government often fails first nations. I represent the Mohawk community of Kanesatake in the House. I know that there have been problems with water pollution caused by criminal groups, among others. I have been hounding the government about this for years, but I cannot even get a call back. The government has shown real indifference t…
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Madam Speaker, in the spirit of reconciliation, the Bloc Québécois supported Bill C‑77 in the last Parliament and we will support Bill C‑10 as well. From what I understand, my colleague is telling us that having more transparency in the implementation of treaties would create more awful bureaucracy. A few days ago, we voted on Bill C‑228, introduced by the Bloc Québécois, which called for free tra…
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Madam Speaker, let us suppose that what my colleague is saying is true, that the government lacks leadership, that it has not implemented or signed enough treaties and that it has not made enough progress. That may be true. That said, I am having a hard time following the logic of the member's argument because the government is saying that it wants to have oversight. It wants to have a commissione…
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Mr. Speaker, some land was indeed returned. Some was returned in the 1980s under the Mulroney government. Others were returned under the Harper government. The final expropriated plots of land were even returned under the Trudeau government. It was a long process, but throughout it all, the federal government never acknowledged that it was anything more than an administrative error. What the peopl…
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Mr. Speaker, I am looking forward to today's debate. I see the Minister of Transport here. I see other members here. During my speech, I saw members from Quebec who were nearly in tears listening to me. I refuse to believe that the government's position can be summed up by the crude, callous remarks of the member for Thérèse-De Blainville. Things can get a little heated in committee with the Minis…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Thérèse-De Blainville for the question. At the beginning of her question, I saw a sensitivity in her that we are not used to seeing. We know how she treated the people at Paccar. We know how she treats those people. I guess she is making progress. It should be noted that 20 minutes after the member posted an article on Facebook about her meeting with the mayor o…
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moved: That the House call on the government to apologize to those whose land was expropriated in Mirabel, to acknowledge the collective trauma these expropriations caused for thousands of Quebeckers who were forced to abandon their homes, their communities and their livelihoods, and to urge the government not to undertake such expropriations again without public consultation, social licence and a…
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Mr. Speaker, I am the Bloc Québécois finance critic. I talk to the Minister of Finance. It is certainly not my first instinct to talk to the member for Thérèse‑De Blainville, who is not a minister of anything. When I went to see the people at Paccar, guess what? I talked to them. I shook their hands. We were out there on the ground. Changing the subject is what someone does when they are uncomfort…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is clearly demonstrating that this is not a partisan issue. Last year, I myself moved a motion without notice alongside the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk and the NDP member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie. This is not partisan. Of course, the Conservative Party—both progressive conservative and conservative—has been particularly sensitive to our concerns in th…
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Mr. Speaker, that is quite the question. My colleague is referring to the bill introduced by the member for Terrebonne, which did not amend any section of any act. The purpose of the bill was to have Ottawa do what it is already doing. In my riding, the people of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac have experienced flooding. The Liberals wanted the people of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac to have a nice app to let…
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Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to the debate and I can see that people here are getting worked up. The Liberals and the Conservatives are shouting at each other. I am surprised by that, because this motion was adopted unanimously. We adopted it at first and second readings of the bill, which was sent to committee. We are now at third reading. I think that we can offer legitimate criticisms of …
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Mr. Speaker, we know that no one can be asked to do the impossible. We cannot ask the minister to move mountains, although the minister has an unfortunate tendency to create expectations that are impossible to fulfill. It is true that the Conservatives questioned him about this in committee yesterday. I say this in a non-partisan way. It is a fact that tensions sometimes rise in committees. It is …
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Mr. Speaker, very quickly, at the height of the inflation crisis in 2022, when inflation was at 6%, 7%, 8%, the Bloc Québécois had called for that. We also called for the frequency of the cheques to be increased. At the time, the minister said that was inappropriate. All of a sudden, for the same reasons, it became appropriate. As the saying goes, it helps to sleep on it. The minister needed sever…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for unanimous consent to split my time with my colleague from Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague's answers are interesting because, when we asked him whether he was in favour of increasing OAS benefits for seniors aged 65 to 74, who are facing discrimination, he told us that the government is focusing on what would have an impact. He thinks that helping seniors has no impact. Those are his words. I would like him to explain why, in his opinion, helping seniors aged…
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