Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have had the opportunity to have some interventions in the House before this one, and I have lamented the idea that the text of the motion is focused quite narrowly on pipelines and natural gas. I think this House should be having a conversation more broadly about food production, energy and critical minerals, because those are what will be extremely important in Europe in a chang…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to acknowledge that I will be splitting my time today with my hon. colleague, the member for Toronto—Danforth. I would like to thank the member for Wellington—Halton Hills for bringing forward this conversation today. I have sat in this House and listened to the debate, and I do agree with some of the colleagues who have expressed their displeasure with how the actual t…
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Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague. When we look at the situation Germany was in, given its reliance on Russian natural gas and the complete foreign policy change Germany has taken, which is fundamentally a change, there are vulnerabilities to our allies in the world regarding food security and energy security. For colleagues like me, who agree on the need to transition to a low-carbon econo…
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Madam Speaker, I have looked at and watched the proceedings of the European Parliament. When we actually look at the chancellor in Germany, that country has just invested in two LNG facilities to be able to backstop the fact that they know there is going to be energy insecurity. Am I in support of making a transition? I absolutely am, but let us not mistake that Europe is asking not only for energ…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. I am going to ask my question in English to make sure I get the words right. I am sympathetic to the idea that we have to preserve, promote and continue to support particularly the French culture, the language and the dynamic in Quebec. As I listen today, there has been a notion in this House that Quebec is the first province ever to lose a se…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. This is a very important topic. I will ask my question in English to ensure I choose the right words. I am not against the principle of trying to protect francophone culture and language. The fact that I have tried to use the French language is indicative of that. However, what I take issue with regarding the Bloc Québécois, recognizing that they…
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Madam Speaker, the way I see it, there are a couple of different ways we could come at this issue. The member for Saanich—Gulf Islands has suggested that we actually cap the number of members of Parliament. The Quebec representation right now makes up about 23% of the seats in this House. Quebec does have a constitutional protection of 75 seats, so there will never be fewer than 75 seats for Quebe…
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Madam Speaker, I apologize, but I am going to ask my question in English to make sure I word it correctly. I am interested in why the Bloc will not take up the idea of actually capping the number of seats in the House of Commons. They are constitutionally protected in Quebec to have 75 seats in the House. If the Bloc were to suggest that 338 is where we should leave the number of representatives i…
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his question. I think it is totally reasonable for our government to consider measures and economic sanctions against Belarus. Belarus is just as guilty, since it helped Russia attack Ukraine. I think this discussion will continue in the House and I agree with the principle of the question.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is great to see the hon. member back in the House. Some things my hon. colleague touched upon are actually going to be in what I say later today. This gentleman, my colleague, has served in our Canadian Armed Forces. He has defended and protected our country, and I thank him for that. My question is actually around the military presence. The United States and Canada have ruled out …
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Mr. Chair, it is an absolute privilege to be here tonight, albeit I just have five minutes to talk about a subject that is much more nuanced than time allows. I will try to make my remarks proportionate to what we have seen. I would like to thank the member for Etobicoke Centre and other colleagues in the House who pushed for this debate. It is extremely important and timely that we are having it …
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Mr. Chair, first of all, one of the points the member raised in her intervention was the fact that there is a separation between the regime in Russia and the Russian people. We have seen that in the demonstrations in cities across Russia. I want to go on record as saying we have to separate the Russian regime from the Russian people. As to her question on immigration, I know our minister, as he me…
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Mr. Chair, the pension board is independent of government, but I think now is the time for government to be looking at all tools available to limit the ability for Russia, for Putin, for the oligarchs to finance the war that we are seeing in Ukraine. If that were something that was available and there were ties, that is something the government could look at, particularly given the circumstances t…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Victoria was not wrong when she was talking about the gravity of what we are debating today. Ultimately, on future legal tests, jurists will look back to our words here on Hansard to help them understand why the precedent was set. My rationale is not unlike hers, which is the national capital being occupied and the fact that individuals had talked about overthrowing …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I am curious to know what the Bloc Québécois's position is, after polling shows that 72% of Quebeckers support the government's measures. Furthermore, this is not only a problem in Ottawa. As the member for Windsor West just explained, the threat to our borders and key infrastructure is not over. The Ottawa police chief explained this weekend how important the emergency measures were …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I will present three facts, followed by one question. First, the charter rights are not affected by our measures. Second, this act is very different from the War Measures Act. We are not calling in the army. This is very different from the October crisis. Third, according to a recent poll, 72% of Quebeckers support our measures. On Monday, my opposition colleague asked the federal g…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, no charter rights are being infringed upon here. It is very clear in the public order that that is the case. This is not the War Measures Act. It is a much more specific application of federal laws that are being made available to provincial and municipal authorities to be able to address the issue. Indeed, 72% of Quebeckers actually support the government's measures on this. On Mon…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to the member opposite's speech, and what I find concerning, and what I have heard from the Conservative bench for the last couple of weeks, is this. They are equating the idea that, although there are some individuals who have been involved in this occupation who are being peaceful, it is somehow lawful. We can have people who are peaceful, but I would argue that …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, “in the absence of federal government leadership, ordinary people, brave as they may be, put themselves in harm's way because of this government. Protecting the people is the cornerstone of the contract between citizens and the government. Does the government understand the consequences of its lack of leadership?” That was from the critic from the Bloc Québécois four days ago. What …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the member talks about leadership. What type of leadership would he have liked to see? Would he have liked to see federal overreach in the first few days, and the imposing of federal powers? Would the member suggest that leadership looks like acquiescing to what the Conservatives have said? No. What we have done is wait until the situation warranted a federal response. Here we are. …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague and I have the privilege of working together on the agriculture committee. I always find him to be balanced, reasonable and quite eloquent in his remarks. I did not catch all of his speech, but I did catch the tail end. I have often heard members in this House, particularly Bloc Québécois members and Conservative members, say that they want to see more leadership f…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite likes to talk about leadership. However, his party is trying to both support and condemn the illegal blockades. The hon. member for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex suggested that the Prime Minister should show leadership and give the illegal protesters everything they want. What measures should the government have taken? Should the government simply give in to the demands o…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois compared a public emergency order to the War Measures Act, which is not the case. His public safety critic suggested that this measure takes away the rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which is not the case. This order merely gives police and provincial authorities additional powers to do their jobs, which includes tracki…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Outremont. Today I rise to deliver what may be the most important speech I have given since having the privilege to serve the people of Kings—Hants in the House. Today, we as parliamentarians are debating whether the government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act on Monday was justified. I submit, for my colleagues in the House…
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Madam Speaker, I was anticipating the question, because I have noticed that members on the opposite side of the House are trying to create that narrative. I find that they have been inconsistent in their own way, in that they were very quick to call for government action back in 2020, but were silent for nearly two weeks with what we have seen in Ottawa and elsewhere in the country. The difference…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I was quite gobsmacked while listening to the member's speech, particularly because the member started by saying that the Government of Canada should have acted sooner. The Bloc Québécois normally has a lot of respect for jurisdictions. We were there to support municipalities. We were there to support the provincial governments that asked for our assistance, with additional forces and…
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Mr. Speaker, I have two quick questions for my hon. colleague. The first is around powers. Just a few minutes ago I had the opportunity to speak to a constituent who was concerned that this was a broad overreach by the government. When I explained the different measures within the public order, he understood and said that it was reasonable because it was giving tools to the police to be able to ad…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, for his remarks today and his work on this bill. This bill was presented, or certainly the spirit of it was, in the 43rd Parliament. I had conversations with constituents who were confused because they thought the government was trying to regulate free speech. Of course, we just heard the member for Carleton with h…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his remarks and for speaking in French. It is wonderful to see parliamentarians work on improving their skills in both official languages. With respect to freedom of expression, the Minister of Canadian Heritage made it clear in his remarks that Bill C‑11, like the bill in the previous Parliament, is designed to make digital giants contribute to Canadian …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food in relation to the motion adopted on Monday, February 14, 2022, regarding the illegal blockades at Canada's border crossings. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food calls for the immediate end of the illegal blockades at Canad…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to pose a question to my hon. colleague. Obviously we are here talking about COVID protocols, but consider what we are seeing in Ottawa and, indeed, what we are seeing around the country. It is being reported that this is more than just a protest. This is a coordinated effort to occupy critical infrastructure across the country. It is having a major impact on our cross-…
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Madam Speaker, I will address the member directly. I think it is clear, as he mentioned, that jurisdictions are—
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You have my apologies, Madam Speaker. Through you to the member opposite, I think it is very clear that jurisdictions are taking a change in their approach and re-evaluating the protocols. Certainly, Dr. Tam has suggested this. I want to ask the member about the occupation that we are seeing in Ottawa, indeed about the blockades we are seeing at critical infrastructure across the country. We know …
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Madam Speaker, I would like to correct the record. I can certainly appreciate that Dr. Tam never suggested that we get rid of all vaccine mandates or protocols, but of course that there could be a revision and a look at the current measures. I think that is important to note. To the member opposite, today during question period, his colleague for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex essentially asked the Prime …
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Madam Speaker, the member mentioned the economy during his remarks. I would remind him that, prepandemic, this government had resided over an economy where unemployment was at a 40-year low and our debt-to-GDP ratio was declining. During this pandemic we have been there to support businesses. Our job numbers are strong, as is our GDP, notwithstanding the challenges there. What I want to ask the me…
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague touched upon the importance of agriculture. I know, sitting on this side of the House, having been in the class of 2019 with the member for Saskatoon West, I am proud of the work the government has done to increase business risk management programs. We were there during the drought this summer, providing the AgriRecovery framework. I had the opportunity to speak with…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I think important investments need to be made in our health care system. However, I do not know if I necessarily agree that they should be transfers without strings from the Government of Canada to ensure that outcomes are being delivered. I do not speak for the Government of Canada. I am a member of Parliament who happens to be in the governing caucus, so I will let our cabinet spe…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, members will forgive me if they thought I was sitting in Queen's Park, as the hon. colleague for York—Simcoe opposite highlighted school closures, the gym that was facing troubles and, of course, businesses. I presume he will not be voting for Doug Ford in the upcoming election in Ontario, because that is the government that is imposing those elements. However, I will agree with the m…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, it is an absolute privilege to rise virtually to give remarks in this emergency debate on a topic that I think is very important to our country and indeed to the people in Ottawa, particularly given what we have seen with the protests to date. I would be remiss if I did not mention that I will be splitting my time with my hon. colleague from Vaughan—Woodbridge. I had the opportunity…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I would like to address my colleague's first point about individuals who are choosing to protest. I have no issue with individuals who want to protest. I have an issue with people who are blockading highways in Alberta and people who are blockading the downtown of Ottawa. The member may be suggesting that governments should acquiesce to individuals who protest, and I understand gove…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. Of course, the federal government's role with regard to policing matters is to be in favour of increasing the number of officers on the ground. I think that the role of the Government of Canada is to work with the City of Ottawa and the Province of Ontario to find solutions and help people on the ground. Ultimately, it is up to the Ottawa Polic…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for Kingston and the Islands for his speech. One of the elements of this bill includes a commitment of about $100 million in budget 2021 to provide transfers back to farmers in backstop provinces, including his own here in Ontario, particularly for those farmers who are not able to move outside with the different technologies. I know that the …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
First of all, Madam Speaker, I want to tell my colleague not to worry. The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion is working actively on EI reform. My colleague mentioned that she does not necessarily support the COVID-19 measures taken by the Government of Canada to protect public health. Can she specify which ones she does not support?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, in December, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced a consultation process on our new climate commitments. The minister also confirmed that he would table Canada's 2030 emissions reduction plan by the end of March 2022. Can the minister tell the House how our government will build a strong foundation for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050?
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, the member mentioned agriculture and the fact that it was mentioned just a couple times in the speech. I would remind the member that these are intentionally broad documents that do not lay out all the different policy initiatives of a particular government. Given the fact that he is in an area where agriculture is extremely important to the economy, as it is in my riding, I want to…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time this afternoon with the member for Kitchener South—Hespeler. Happy new year to you, Madam Speaker, to my colleagues and indeed to all Canadians as we return to Parliament. Normally, I debate and provide my remarks in the House quite off the cuff. However, today I have sought to choose my words very carefully, because the circumstances warrant that I do. T…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for calling out the hate symbols that we saw this weekend. Again I would articulate that there are some well-intended people who are part of that crowd. The problem is the rhetoric and the noise coming from the group, by and large, has a much more sinister view. The member mentioned hospitals. I appreciate the question. This government, over…
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Madam Speaker, my French is so-so, but I will try to reply in French. First, I am happy to hear that my colleague's father is also a truck driver. It is a noble profession, and that is great. Let me just say that all federal parliamentarians, including the Prime Minister, as well as all our provincial colleagues, should try very hard to keep their arguments reasonable. In the days to come, that wi…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I will try to respond very quickly. This government introduced important measures for guaranteed income supplements in the 42nd Parliament. We strengthened old age security. We have a platform commitment to increase GIS by $500 per year. We did announce as part of the economic update before Christmas that we would be addressing this issue. Our government will stay true to its word, …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his remarks in the House today, certainly regarding his Scottish lineage and a lot of his family background. He mentioned agriculture. As a member who sits on the agriculture committee, I want to inform him of some of the investments the government has made. Perhaps he can take those back to his constituents and provide a clearer picture o…
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