Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am not exactly young anymore, but with all due respect, I am closer to being young than my colleague. What young people are telling me is that they want good jobs and opportunities for the future. That is what we are doing with an economy that is the second strongest in the G7 and with job creation through major projects, such as the Port of Montreal's Contrecoeur expansion, the hig…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. First, it is important to know that we are investing in workforce training for skilled trades because there will be a need for it, especially in Quebec. The Commission de la construction du Québec is saying that there will be a need for 80,000 workers in the next five years. Obviously, we will respect Quebec's jurisdictions. We have been doing so…
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Mr. Speaker, April 29 is a historic day. This is the first time I have heard a Bloc member say that the last thing his party wants is a squabble between Quebec and Ottawa. For 10 years, I have seen them constantly trying to start fights between Quebec and Ottawa. On this side, we want to deliver results for Quebeckers in terms of workforce training, and that is exactly what we are going to do.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Bourassa for the question. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance presented a plan for a strong Canada, a more prosperous Canada where the prosperity is shared by all. Our plan includes the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will help 12 million Canadians, who will receive their first payment on June 5. It includes historic investments in sport and in wo…
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), and consistent with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Korea on the Protection of Military and Defence Classified Information”, done in Ottawa on February 25.
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, as of April 1, we have been offering a solution that is unique to Quebec. Once a worker receives an application for permanent selection, their work permit is extended by 12 months. That is precisely why Quebec businesses asked us for this bridge. As for the issue of labour market impact assessments, we look forward to working with our colleagues on that matter.
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Beauce wants to talk about a decade of decisions that were bad for seniors, so let us talk about that. A decade of bad decisions included raising the retirement age to 67, as the Conservatives had proposed, which would have left tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of seniors in financial hardship. A decade of bad decisions by the Conservatives included voti…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. We are very aware of how important temporary foreign workers are in the regions of Quebec. That is why, on April 1, we gave Quebec the authority to extend work permits. As soon as an application for permanent selection is sent to a worker, Quebec can extend their permit by one year. That is a solution that is unique to Quebec and that meets Quebe…
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Mr. Speaker, now we have seen it all. The Conservatives stand up in the House and claim to defend seniors, yet they lowered the retirement age to 65, which would have left hundreds of thousands of elderly people across the country financially vulnerable. They also opposed the 10% increase in the GIS for those aged 75 and over. It is absolutely mind-boggling to see them stand up and earnestly claim…
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Mr. Speaker, I see the member is all smiles. I must remind him that, according to the International Monetary Fund, Canada has the best fiscal position and the second-fastest growth in the G7. Now, it is always strange to see the Conservatives claim to be standing up for seniors when they have systematically voted against measures that directly help seniors. I will remind my colleague of one. There…
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we believe it is possible to pursue economic development while also respecting our environmental obligations. I would like to commend the work of the Secretary of State for Nature and the entire team here who have created a nature strategy that will protect 30% of our territory. As for my colleague's question, obviously, any project will be carried out in co…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is right. We are facing strong headwinds because of the Americans' illegal and illegitimate tariffs. That is why, since day one of this government, we have been there to support forestry, steel, aluminum and auto workers, but we are not stopping there. We are diversifying our markets at an unprecedented rate: 20 agreements on four continents over the past year, on trade a…
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Mr. Speaker, I hold my colleague from Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata in high regard, but the International Monetary Fund is clear: Canada has the strongest fiscal position of any G7 country. Nevertheless, I find my colleague's questions interesting. What do the Conservatives consider to be inflationary spending? Would it be, as their leader suggests, depriving 39,142 citizens i…
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Mr. Speaker, what is true is that this member opposes the Canadian dental care plan, which is helping 20,545 Canadians in his riding of Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk. What is true is that this member opposes the Canada child benefit, which is sending $73 million to more than 10,000 families in his riding. What is true is that he opposes the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which helps t…
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Mr. Speaker, repeating a falsehood day after day during question period does not make it true. This Prime Minister and this government have always recognized the affordability challenges Canadians are facing. That is why the first thing we did was lower taxes for 22 million Canadians. That is why one of the first things we did was eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers. That is why we have im…
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Mr. Speaker, I just want to point out how mind-boggling it is to hear the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles talk about band-aids when we consider that the Canada child benefit sends $82 million a year to 13,000 families in his riding and that the Canadian dental care plan helps 25,142 people in his riding to go to a dentist. They may be band-aids for the Conservative Party, which is comp…
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Mr. Speaker, we are acutely aware of the circumstances, so much so that the government adopted a range of measures to help Canadian households that are facing a cost-of-living crisis. I could mention the Canada groceries and essentials benefit of up to $1,800 per family. Another example is the reduction of the excise tax on gas, which has reduced the price of gas by 10¢ a litre, and let us not for…
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Mr. Speaker, the fundamental difference between that side of the House and this side is that there is absolutely no vision for the Canadian economy on that side. Our side has implemented immediate support measures such as suspending the excise tax, cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians and providing the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, the Canadian dental care plan and the Canada child be…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very proud that, as of Monday, Quebeckers are paying 10¢ less a litre for gas in Quebec and across the country. That is immediate support, but we are not stopping there. There is also the Canada child benefit. To give my hon. colleague some idea of what he is voting against, he is voting against 11,500 families and $80 million in his riding of Beauce by voting against the Canada …
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Mr. Speaker, yes, we are pleased to have lowered gas prices by 10 cents today by eliminating the federal excise tax. Yes, we are pleased to have lowered taxes for 22 million Canadians. Yes, we are pleased to have introduced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which helps 12 million of the most vulnerable Canadians. Will my colleague ever be pleased to see $72 million flowing into his ridi…
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Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague, the Minister of Justice, was very clear. The leader of the Bloc Québécois was trying to twist the facts, but they can only be twisted so far. My colleague, the Minister of Justice, was talking about a bill in the Senate that concerns the federal government's use of the notwithstanding clause. It was never about the authority of the provinces to use a power that i…
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Mr. Speaker, while it is true that some things are beyond our control, including the illegitimate and unlawful tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration, some things we do control. That includes the major projects we are building here and the help that we are providing to the middle class. If we look at the figures for the past year, we see that inflation is in the bottom range of the Bank of Can…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the House that one of the first things this government did when it took office was to eliminate the GST on new homes for first-time homebuyers. We did not stop there. With Build Canada Homes, we have a plan to build at an unprecedented scale across the country. I am very proud to remind my colleague that Quebec was the first province to reach an agreement under …
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that we do not control oil prices, which have risen due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the war in Iran, as my colleague mentioned. However, what we do control is what we do to help Canadians. I am pleased to reiterate that, as of Monday, Quebeckers will see a reduction of 10¢ per litre, which will help families cope with the cost of living. Another thing we…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the fact that we eliminated the carbon tax, which lowered the price of gas in this country by 28¢ a litre. I also find it ironic that the member opposite was part of the Quebec government that put a price on pollution with its cap-and-trade system. That is peak irony.
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Mr. Speaker, it would be so simple and it would help people, like the 26,537 residents in her riding who have access to the Canadian dental care plan. It would be so simple for the member to support that program. It would be so simple for her to support the Canada child benefit, which allocates $67 million a year to 10,000 families in her riding. When the member says “peanuts”, she is talking abou…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the announcement made by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. It will put $2.4 billion back into the pockets of Canadians to help with the cost of living. However, we are not stopping there. We have cut taxes for 22 million Canadians, and then there is the Canada child benefit, the Canada dental plan and the grocery benefit. There are so many measures tha…
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Mr. Speaker, he is right to say that a number of factors influence oil prices. He mentioned the conflict in Iran, and yes, that is part of the equation. He is also right to say that there are things that we can control. What he can control is how he votes in the House. He voted against the Canada child benefit, which has reduced child poverty in this country by 40% and has provided thousands of do…
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Mr. Speaker, he is right, and we did not stop there. We lowered taxes for 22 million Canadians. We brought in the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which can provide up to $1,800 for a family and which helps 12 million Canadians, the most vulnerable families in particular. I am very proud of our record when it comes to helping Canadians across the country, including Quebeckers, deal with th…
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Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite wants to talk about what affects the cost of living, we could talk about the Canada child benefit, which likely helps tens of thousands of children and families in his riding. We could talk about the Canadian dental care plan, which, again, helps nearly two million Quebeckers. We could talk about the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will provide up…
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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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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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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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moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in.
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moved that the bill be read the third time and passed.
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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, 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, 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, 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 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, 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 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, 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 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, 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, 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, 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, I would like to begin by congratulating the Bloc Québécois members, who finally agreed to attend a technical briefing that I believe will help them understand this issue. With regard to the Cúram system, the direct costs of the project are lower than expected. It is important to remember one thing: 7.7 million Canadians are receiving their OAS payments through Cúram. What the Bloc Qué…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so glad my opposition colleague asked us that question, because it gives me an opportunity to point out that Quebec was the first province to sign on to Build Canada Homes with my seatmate, the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure. Already, hundreds and thousands of housing units are being built across the country, including in Quebec. I am very happy about that, and I encourag…
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