Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, one thing is certain. Honestly, I feel like the world is upside down when I hear these questions from the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, because what he promised the people of Quebec City was nothing. Tramway projects are good for Edmonton and good for Calgary, but Quebec City should get nothing. That was the Conservatives' pledge, and it is completely unacceptable. In c…
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moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in.
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government's power of disallowance has not been used since 1943, and it will not be used by this government.
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Mr. Speaker, March 26, 2026, is a historic day. It is the day when the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles finally threw his support behind the tramway project, a landmark initiative for Quebec City with economic spinoffs of $10.5 billion. It is a historic day because, just a year ago, he was campaigning, hand on heart, saying that he would take away federal funding from Quebec City reside…
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Mr. Speaker, I find the Bloc's questions absolutely baffling. One thing I know about Quebeckers is that we are proud to live in a society governed by the rule of law. The fact that some Quebeckers are challenging a law before the Supreme Court is entirely legitimate. They are well within their rights to do that. On this side of the House, we respect the work of the Supreme Court, and we will let i…
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moved that the bill be read the third time and passed.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to understand that there are many factors affecting food prices, including international developments such as rising fertilizer prices. What we can control are the measures that we are putting in place to address affordability, namely a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. The Canada groceries and essentials benefit is helping more than 12 million Canadians and it represe…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to see that the benefit payments system is being modernized. That needed to be done. In fact, according to the Auditor General's 2014 report, the 50-year-old system was leading us straight into a wall. It was unsustainable. It cost a fortune to maintain. It is good that we are moving toward a modern system that ensures that our seniors receive their benefits on time an…
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Mr. Speaker, what is unacceptable is that at every turn, whenever the member opposite had the opportunity to truly support his constituents through measures like the Canada child benefit, the Canadian dental care plan, a tax cut or the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, he voted against them. That is what is regrettable. What are we doing on this side of the House? We are building the strong…
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to modernizing the payment of benefits, it is important to understand that the system we are replacing is 50 years old and was jeopardizing our seniors' old age security pensions. Changing the system was not an option. From what I am seeing, the transition is going well for 7.7 million seniors whose benefits are being delivered accurately and on time. Service Canada empl…
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Mr. Speaker, I missed something there, but I want to thank the member for her important question. Public servants deserve to have their exact pay and on time. As far as the backlog is concerned, I am happy to report that we have reduced the backlog by 50% over the course of the last two years. We have learned from the mistakes over Phoenix that we need to move step by step in a cautious and a prud…
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Mr. Speaker, I think that Quebeckers are extremely proud to live in a country governed by the rule of law, where laws can be challenged. That is what some Quebeckers are doing before the Supreme Court right now, and we are going to let the Supreme Court do its job.
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Mr. Speaker, quite to the contrary, what the Auditor General has mentioned is that Canadians will get value for their money and that we are moving cautiously. By the way, I want to thank the Auditor General for her report. We are accepting the three recommendation she has made to make sure that we get this right, because public servants deserve to have their exact pay, on time. That is exactly wha…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not really understand my colleague's question. First, we need to keep one thing in mind. We live in a country governed by the rule of law, where groups and citizens can challenge laws in court. Ultimately, a case can go all the way to the Supreme Court. That is what is happening with Bill 21. If the member is suggesting that the federal government would use the power of disallowa…
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Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank the Auditor General for her report. We accept her recommendations. We are working on the three she has put forward, one of which is, of course, to make sure we reduce the backlog in a timely way, which is exactly what we are doing. We have reduced it by 50% over the course of the last two years. As we are transitioning to a new pay system, we are making sure we a…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question about the Auditor General's report on the transition to a modern pay system, namely Dayforce. I want to thank the Auditor General for her report in which she notes that the transition is going well and that progress is being made. She has recommendations and we accept those recommendations. She also says that Canadians will get value for what is b…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question. As she knows, our position is clear and always has been. We are the party of the charter; we will defend the charter, and we will do so before the Supreme Court. Now, as the Minister of Justice said, the case is before the Supreme Court and, ultimately, the fate of Bill 21 will be decided by the Supreme Court justices. It would be i…
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Mr. Speaker, he spoke about action. Taking action means setting up the Major Projects Office and moving construction projects forward, in places like Contrecoeur or Montreal, for example. Last week, I was in Montreal to announce $459 million in loans to Nouveau Monde Graphite to support 1,300 jobs in Saint-Michel-des-Saints. That is what action looks like. Action means uniting the Canadian economy…
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Mr. Speaker, the ones living on another planet are the Conservative members, like my esteemed colleague, who voted against a budget that provides such direct assistance to their constituents. Take, for example, the Canadian dental care plan, which is helping at least 20,000 people in the member's riding. Another example is the Canada child benefit, which has reduced child poverty in Canada by 38%.…
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Mr. Speaker, the theatrics are remarkable, but votes speak louder than theatrics. The member voted against an increase in the guaranteed income supplement, which helps the most vulnerable seniors. She voted against the Canada child benefit, against the Canadian dental care plan and against a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. She voted against affordable housing. Next year, I encourage the Conserva…
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Mr. Speaker, on the first point, I would like to make a modest suggestion. There will be a provincial election in 2026, and if the member for Berthier—Maskinongé and the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles want to run—
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague; this is an important issue. The homelessness situation in Canada and Quebec is of particular concern to us. That is why we have had a strategy to combat homelessness for several years now, backed by significant investments. I invite my colleague to review the 2025 budget, which, I would remind her, she voted against. This budget provides $1 billion …
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Mr. Speaker, if my esteemed colleague wants to review our track record, we can talk about the 180,000 jobs created in Canada in the past three months or the unemployment rate that has fallen for three months in a row and is now 5.1% in Quebec. We can also talk about major investments in Canada, like the $19-billion investment Microsoft announced this week. How about the fact that inflation is with…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the House, for the sixth time today, that the policy the member is referring to is not a Government of Canada policy, and it never will be. If she wants to talk about culture, I can tell her that I am very proud of our Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and this government, which has invested $4.1 billion in official languages, among other things, and $77…
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Mr. Speaker, I notice that the Conservatives make up imaginary taxes faster than they come up with questions for question period, because they always ask the same questions. However, if the member wants to talk about the reality on the ground, there is nothing imaginary about it. The Canada child benefit has reduced child poverty by 40% in our country. The Canadian dental care plan provides access…
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Mr. Speaker, after expending so much energy to get elected to the House of Commons, it is sad to see members come here day after day and simply repeat the same talking points written by the Leader of the Opposition. To answer his question, it is even sadder to see my colleague vote against measures like the Canada child benefit or the national school food program, which is saving the most vulnerab…
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Mr. Speaker, in my previous answer, I listed everything the Conservatives have voted against. These are measures that directly support the people in my colleague's riding and Quebeckers and Canadians across the country. We were elected to provide opportunities to young Quebeckers and to Canadians from coast to coast to coast. That is exactly what we are doing. In November, 54,000 jobs were created…
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Mr. Speaker, what sets us apart from the Conservative Party is that on this side of the House, we believe that we need to build a strong economy to protect the most vulnerable. When it comes to the first part, a strong economy, 54,000 jobs were created in November, 67,000 in October, and 60,000 in September. The unemployment rate is falling and inflation is within the Bank of Canada's target range…
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Bloc Québécois members want to create a diversion. I would nevertheless like to remind them that we have invested historic sums in culture, not for the sake of artists' loyalty, but rather so that artists can be loyal to themselves and their artistic expression. For the leader of the Bloc Québécois to claim that Canada's investments in culture could neutralize ou…
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Mr. Speaker, throughout the last election campaign, Bloc Québécois members proposed nothing. All they ever said was, if it is good for Quebec, we vote for it, and if it is not good for Quebec, we vote against it. When they had the opportunity to vote for a budget that is good for Quebec, a budget that includes $4 billion for Hydro-Québec, a project in Contrecœur, a project with Nouveau Monde Graph…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep talking about inflationary spending. We ask them what inflationary spending they would cut. During the election campaign, the Leader of the Opposition was asked if he would cut the Canadian dental care plan, which is helping more than one million Quebeckers and six million Canadians. He said that the program did not even exist, but I can assure the House that in…
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Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago, every housing organization heaved a sigh of relief to see that Stephen Harper's 10-year reign was finally over, since the Conservatives completely neglected this issue and got out of the affordable housing game altogether. By way of evidence, their own leader oversaw the construction of only six affordable housing units. It is really unbelievable to see that these Quebec…
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Mr. Speaker, the total failure is the Conservatives who voted against a budget that makes historic investments in housing and that lowers taxes for 22 million Canadians and for first-time buyers of a new home. That is the total failure, and it is clearly on that side of the House.
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Mr. Speaker, this side of the House feels it is important to support the sectors that have been affected by the tariff war with the United States. I would note, however, that my colleague voted against a tax cut that represents approximately $800 per family in Canada and Quebec. She voted against Canada's national school food program, which helps the most vulnerable families save approximately $80…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a big leap for a Conservative member to talk about affordable housing. In my 10 years in politics, I have never met a housing organization that has praised the Conservative Party. At every turn, that party has always voted against investments in affordable and social housing. That is, when they do not outright disparage the concept. On this side of the House, we are investing $1…
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Mr. Speaker, whose interests did my colleague have in mind when he voted against the budget, which provides for a tax cut for 22 million Canadians, the Canadian dental care plan, the Canada child benefit, jobs at the port of Quebec City, jobs at the port of Saguenay, economic development, and jobs in his region at the Davie shipyard? He certainly was not thinking about his constituents' interests.
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Mr. Speaker, while I do recognize my colleague's flair for the dramatic every time he rises in the House, his remarks remain rather weak. When the Leader of the Opposition was in charge of the housing file, he built six housing units across the country. On this side of the House, we are making unprecedented investments to build affordable housing, increase the housing supply and reduce pressure on…
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Mr. Speaker, we have the best fiscal position of all the G7 countries, the best debt-to-GDP and deficit-to-GDP ratios in the G7 and a AAA credit rating. There is a reason why the International Monetary Fund is praising Canada's approach. There is a reason why the economists in the House are on this side of the chamber. There is also a reason why I am sure that, deep down inside, my colleague from …
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Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are doing. We recognize that Canadians deserve fast, accurate and reliable service from the CRA. The Minister of Finance's plan is working. Seventy per cent of Canadians now get an answer in less than 15 minutes. People no longer need to call the CRA to access its online services. We have also doubled the capacity of CRA call centres.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform my colleague, as was announced by the Minister of Finance and National Revenue in the fall, that we have a 100-day plan to ensure that Canadians receive fast, accurate and reliable services from the Canada Revenue Agency, or CRA. Since the plan was implemented, the CRA's call centre capacity has doubled, and 70% of callers now receive a response in less than 15 …
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that the situation at the Canada Revenue Agency was unacceptable. Our government is acting quickly to provide Canadians with fast, efficient and reliable service. The plan is working. They can yell all they want, but the plan is working. We have doubled the capacity of call centres. Now, 70% of Canadians get an answer within 15 minutes, and all Canadians can access online s…
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Mr. Speaker, it is mind-boggling to hear the opposition member talk about endless spending when what he is referring to are things like the Canada child benefit, which has reduced child poverty by 40% in Canada and which helps tens of thousands of Canadians in his own riding. He also talked about the Canadian dental care plan, which, again, helps hundreds of thousands of Canadians, including tens …
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Mr. Speaker, it is always fascinating to hear the Conservatives repeat their leader's talking points day after day and go on about imaginary taxes. They had the opportunity to vote for tax cuts for 22 million Canadians and a school food program for the most vulnerable youth. They had the opportunity to support investments in defence, in productivity and in infrastructure such as the Port of Québec…
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague, given the choice between a Prime Minister who visits our allies and trade partners to diversify our markets and an opposition leader who spends his time disparaging our institutions on obscure podcasts, the choice is clear and simple. Canadians made the right choice. We are focusing on diversifying markets to reduce our dependence on the United St…
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Mr. Speaker, it is fascinating to listen to the Conservatives during question period. It is not surprising that Quebeckers and Canadians rejected a leader who spends his time writing slogans for question period that his members happily regurgitate. The Conservatives are incapable of supporting a budget that presents a real vision for building Quebec and Canada. This budget includes investments, pa…
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that Canada has the best fiscal position in the G7, with the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio among G7 countries. The situation we are currently facing, given the changing world economic order, requires us to be ambitious and serious for the country's future. That is exactly what budget 2025 does, with investments in infrastructure and defence. It is aiming for greater…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, my colleague had the opportunity to vote to lower taxes for 22 million Canadians. Yesterday, he had the opportunity to vote for a school food program for the most vulnerable children in Quebec. Yesterday, he had the opportunity to vote for investments in housing, infrastructure and the Espace Hubert‑Reeves. Yesterday, he had the opportunity to invest in defence to increase …
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Mr. Speaker, the serious and ambitious alternative to what the Conservatives are proposing is budget 2025, with the best fiscal position of any G7 country, a AAA credit rating, and the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of any G7 country. This is also about making infrastructure investments to modernize our infrastructure. These are major projects to build the country, notably with Nouveau Monde Graphite, w…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Brome—Missisquoi for his question. I want to be clear: Modernizing port infrastructure is essential to increasing our productivity, stimulating our regional economies and strengthening the national economy. On Monday, I was very pleased to stand with Carl Laberge and Stéphanie Desforges from the Port of Saguenay; Louis Ouellet, the reeve of of t…
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Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. Canada has an enviable fiscal situation. We have a AAA credit rating and the lowest debt-to-GDP and deficit-to-GDP ratios in the G7. What my colleague is about to vote against is a 20% salary increase for 6,000 soldiers at Valcartier, in Quebec City. We are reinvesting in our Canadian Armed Forces. I know this is important to my colleague. How can he vote against that…
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