Government Orders
Madam Chair, we brought in the one-time top-up to the Canada housing benefit. I would like the parliamentary secretary to talk to us about this top-up. Who is eligible and how does this top-up help the recipients who are affected by inflation?
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Madam Chair, in my riding, Sherbrooke, a new 12-room house for women, Maison Margot, will soon open its doors and offer a home to women who are in crisis or in a period of transition. This wonderful project was developed by Habitations l'Équerre. It is a great example of collaboration between different organizations so that people in local neighbourhoods feel involved. I would like the minister to…
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Madam Chair, I am thankful to have the opportunity to be part of the discussion about housing. To solve Canada's housing challenges, we need all hands on deck. It is great to see the interest from all sides of the House on this matter. I talk to people in my riding and one of their main concerns is the cost of housing. Too many Canadians are having a hard time paying their rent or making their mor…
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Madam Chair, how will prohibiting people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents from flipping homes help keep prices low for Canadians?
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Madam Chair, we talked earlier about housing co-operatives. I would like to know how the government intends to use housing co-operatives to help increase the housing supply. How much money has been allocated to support housing co-ops?
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Mr. Speaker, our government obviously takes the diversion of controlled substances very seriously. This is a deeply concerning issue with regard to all prescription medications, not only those prescribed through safer supply programs. Health professionals, including those who manage safer supply services, have to follow federal rules on the secure handling of controlled substances, including measu…
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Mr. Speaker, I join my voice to that of my many colleagues who are concerned about the Conservatives' Bill C‑311, which is an attempt to reopen the abortion debate. Our government will always protect access to abortion and affirm that it is an essential right for women's health. In budget 2023, we committed to pay Health Canada $36 million to renew funding for sexual and reproductive health and to…
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Mr. Speaker, today marks the start of National Nursing Week. What a great opportunity to thank the nurses of Sherbrooke, Quebec and the entire country for their work on the front lines delivering care to Canadians. The COVID‑19 pandemic was a painful reminder of the harsh working conditions facing our guardian angels. Their efforts on behalf of patients in need during that difficult time came at a…
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Mr. Speaker, as part of Mental Health Week, I am paying tribute to the Sashbear Foundation. It was created in 2012, shortly after the suicide of Sasha Menu Courey, the daughter of its founders, who lost her fight against borderline personality disorder, or BPD. Since 2012, the Sashbear Foundation has offered free mental health and suicide prevention programs in English and French to more than 14,0…
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Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about Mental Health Week. This year's theme, “My Story”, is about sharing stories and experiences with others to improve our mental health, fight stigma and help others feel less alone. Talking about mental health is important every day, but this week is an excellent opportunity to highlight how important it is to be aware of our own mental health and that of thos…
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Madam Speaker, in her speech, my colleague stated that she would be voting for what is good for Quebeckers. Does she consider providing a grocery rebate for 11 million Canadians, increasing the Canada workers benefit, doubling the tradespeople's tool deduction, and capping the inflation adjustment for excise duties on alcohol at 2% to be good for Quebeckers?
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. She spoke a lot about workers. However, she did not mention official languages at all. Budget 2023 provides for more than $1 billion for official languages, on top of the roughly $2 billion already allocated under the action plan. I have no doubt that, like me, my colleague thinks it is important to protect French in Quebec and Canada and to prot…
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Madam Speaker, someone was stabbed yesterday in my riding. Although it is too early to confirm whether mental illness was a factor, I wonder if my colleague could talk about how our integrated approach to improving mental health care, particularly with an investment totalling nearly $200 billion, will help people who need mental health support.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on behalf of some of my constituents, including Ms. Brouillette and Ms. Nguyen, two active citizens who are involved in Development and Peace. They came to deliver this petition to me in person. The petitioners are calling on the House of Commons to adopt legislation on due diligence for human and environmental rights that would require companies to …
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to take part in today's debate on Bill C‑323, an act to amend the Excise Tax Act with regard to mental health services. I want to thank the member for Cumberland—Colchester for bringing forward this important subject. The MP for London—Fanshawe also introduced a bill on this subject. The bill would exempt psychotherapy and mental health counselling services fro…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for introducing Bill C-323. The basic objective of the bill is to expand access to mental health services, and we agree with that. However, given that the majority of provinces do not yet have a definition for psychotherapy and mental health counselling services, how can we ensure that the bill will be applied in the same way in every province?
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Mr. Speaker, it is playoff time in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. After sweeping the Blainville Armada, the Sherbrooke Phoenix will now face the Drummondville Voltigeurs. The famous “route 55” rivalry is back. Having finished in third place after a record year, the Phoenix team is ready to give the Voltigeurs a lesson in how to play hockey. It is off to a good start. I am so confident that…
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Mr. Speaker, provincial and territorial governments, along with the Government of Canada, are part of the proposed class action commenced by British Columbia against 50 opioid manufacturers and distributors that allegedly acted inappropriately in the marketing and distribution of opioids. The defendant companies are listed in the attached addendum. One of those defendants was the Canadian entity o…
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Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has not joined or participated in any legal action against any tobacco company in relation to the harm caused by tobacco usage since November 4, 2015.
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Mr. Speaker, there has been a drastic shift in Canada's broadcasting sector that has directly impacted the level of support for Canadian programming and talent. Does my colleague believe that continuing to treat online and traditional broadcasters differently is fair?
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Mr. Speaker, I wish everyone a happy International Day of Happiness, a happy spring and, most of all, a happy 36th International Day of La Francophonie. The French language is part of our history. The language of Molière unites us and makes us unique. It allows us to connect with francophone communities in Canada and around the world. It is a language with a thousand accents that offers an invalua…
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Madam Speaker, certainly, a number of associations and groups, including the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expression or CDCE, La Guilde and the Union des artistes, are all in favour of Bill C‑11, on the assumption that a vast majority of the Senate amendments would be accepted.
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Madam Speaker, this is what the bill does: it brings online streaming services under the jurisdiction of the Broadcasting Act; it requires having Canadian content; it prioritizes and supports creators from francophone, first nations, LGBTQ2+ and racialized communities and those who advance equity; it modernizes outdated legislation to bring our system into the 21st century.
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Madam Speaker, earlier, following the speech by the opposition leader, we noted that he was clearly pandering to a certain demographic, certain people, just as he did during his election campaign by spreading a lot of disinformation and using algorithms to redirect certain text messages and so on.
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Madam Speaker, I will share my time with my colleague, the member for Hamilton Mountain. Bill C‑11 is part of this government's efforts to advance Canadian interests through a forward-thinking digital policy agenda. It improves fairness in our broadcasting system. It creates stable funding for our cultural industries. It continues to support platforms where Canadian artists and creators can make t…
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Madam Speaker, it is true. Disinformation is all we have been hearing from the Conservatives since we began debating this bill. As I said in my speech, it is time to make room for Canadian content, to make sure that Canadian content has a place, to stand in solidarity with our artists and creators and provide them with the support they need so much after two tough years. This bill shows our willin…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, we are putting money back into Canadians' pockets with the price on pollution. We are getting women back into the workforce with $10 child care. This helps them make ends meet. We are also putting money back into Canadians' pockets with increases to the various benefits that I mentioned. As we gear up for the 2023 budget, Canadians can rest assured that our government will continue …
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Madam Speaker, allow me to show my colleague that our actions are working and helping Canadians. First, since it is International Women's Day, I want to recognize the achievements of Canadian women and reaffirm our government's commitment to eliminating systemic barriers so as to advance gender equality in Canada and around the world. Our government is taking meaningful action to support women, an…
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Madam Speaker, I, too, want to thank and congratulate frontline workers. I agree with my colleague that this situation is complex and critical. Our government is delivering on its commitment to transfer billions of dollars to the provinces and territories for health and mental health care over the next few years. It will do so by increasing the health transfer and providing an additional $25 billi…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Courtenay—Alberni for his advocacy for Canadians' mental health and for giving me the opportunity to talk about this important issue. Canadians must be able to access timely, evidence-based, culturally appropriate and trauma-informed mental health and substance use services to support their well-being. Our government believes mental health is health, and we ha…
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Mr. Speaker, this month people are going to take up the fashion detox challenge, which consists in abstaining from buying new clothes for one month. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. That is why we need to change our consumer habits and turn more toward thrift shops and buying local. Buying local stimulates the economy and supports entrepreneurs in Sherbroo…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech, which reflects his legal background. Surely my colleague would agree that more and more Canadians, especially young people, are suffering from mental health issues. That is why it is important to invest in mental health and in integrated services for youth. By negotiating their bilateral agreements, the provinces will have the flexibility to…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday was Canada's Agriculture Day. It is a good opportunity to celebrate our food and, above all, those who produce it. In Coaticook, in the Eastern Townships, Agropur announced that the Morin farm won the prize for the best milk in Quebec for the third consecutive year. Thanks to farmers like Réjean Morin et Véronique Lévesque, who pamper their animals from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for this important question. There have been discussions on this issue. Should expanding MAID to people with mental disorders be delayed by six months, nine months or twelve months? With guidance from the Minister of Justice and his team, and keeping in mind what we have heard, we do believe that one year will be sufficient, especially since the expert panel is al…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-39, an act to amend an act to amend the Criminal Code with regard to medical assistance in dying, which was introduced by the Minister of Justice on February 2. Through this bill, our government is seeking to extend the timeline that will expand eligibility for MAID where the sole underlying medical condition identified in support of the request is a me…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and comments. As he said, the report was tabled this afternoon. During discussions at the Special Joint Committee on MAID, we heard from a wide range of partners, associations and people who had concerns. The discussions led us to make the decision to extend the delay for those whose sole medical condition is a mental illness. That way, we will ha…
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Mr. Speaker, I sincerely thank my colleague for his question. I condemn this practice of spreading disinformation. It leads Canadians to believe things that are simply not true. I talked in my speech about all the safeguards that are in place to provide MAID to people whose only medical condition is a mental health disorder. This must be done under controlled conditions, after these individuals ha…
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak today to this opposition motion on the economy. Since we are still relatively early in the year, I think it is worth noting the strong rebound of the Canadian economy from the pandemic recession. Early data shows that the Canadian economy grew by 3% so far in 2022, the strongest performance in the G7. The unemployment rate is at 5%, close to historical lows. La…
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Madam Speaker, with all due respect for my colleague, what I said was that we are there for people having a hard time making ends meet, and we are doing so in a fiscally responsible way. We know that inflation is improving; the inflation rate is decreasing and, hopefully, will continue to decrease in the coming months. Nevertheless, these are difficult times for many Canadians. That is why we put …
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Madam Speaker, we actually contract professional services to complement the work of the public service, which must respond to the various demands and unexpected fluctuations. This is all being studied in committee right now, and I am confident that the committee will come up with the best solution.
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Madam Speaker, as I said in my speech, our priority is to really be there and work for Canadians and families who need it most. That is why we have introduced concrete measures that put more money in the pockets of those who are struggling to make ends meet. We know that these are difficult times. I see the price increases myself when I go grocery shopping. That is the point of our measures. They …
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Madam Speaker, earlier this year, the Université de Sherbrooke ranked first in the international STARS program, a system that rates higher education institutions' sustainable development performance. This is an unprecedented achievement. This prestigious recognition attests to not only the institution's leadership position when it comes to sustainable development, but also its ability to drive cha…
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague said, there is no health without mental health. That is why access to mental health and substance use supports, including at the community level, is a fundamental piece of work that we want to undertake with the provinces and territories. I think we all know our health system is facing major challenges, made worse by the pandemic. As we work with the provinces to fix i…
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Mr. Speaker, the significant increases to the Canada health transfer will give the provinces and territories essential resources to support health care, including mental health care. The additional $25 billion for tailor-made agreements with provinces and territories will also help expand the delivery of timely, high quality, integrated and accessible mental health and substance use services in Ca…
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Mr. Speaker, our government is taking meaningful actions to fight pollution and make Canada's future greener. Our government understands that climate action is now an economic necessity and Canadians can count on us to continue the work. For example, Canada is taking significant steps toward reducing our emissions by 40% to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030, and reaching net zero by 2050. Last fall at…
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Mr. Speaker, we know two things. We know that energy profits are at record levels, and we know that emissions have to come down. We are investing $9.1 billion in an emissions reduction plan. We have put our money on the table. Oil and gas companies have to come to the plate. They have to put their shoulder to the wheel. They have to work with us to get those emissions down and to realize the ambit…
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Mr. Speaker, this week I join my fellow Quebeckers in marking Quebec's 33rd Suicide Prevention Week. This year's theme is “Prevention is Better Than Death”. Each and every one of us is invited to break the stigma around mental health, start a conversation and support one another. That is why we are working on a national suicide prevention action plan, which will set out concrete actions and perfor…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech, which I enjoyed. He helped clarify what is going on with the flimsy arguments we have been hearing from the Conservatives all day. He talked about misinformation, especially when it comes to judges' obligations. Does my colleague think judges are performing their duties justly and proportionately?
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Mr. Speaker, today's motion calls on our government to ensure that those who are prohibited from possessing firearms and who are then accused of serious firearms offences cannot easily get bail. That is already the case. It is also the case for organized crime offences, arms smuggling and trafficking, sexual assault, robbery, extortion with a firearm and drug trafficking. I would like my oppositio…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. Like her, I have been able to benefit from child care for my three boys. In fact, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the excellent educators at the Carrosse-Citrouille early childhood centre for taking such good care of my children. As my colleague pointed out, Quebec has had a universal low-fee child care program since 1997. Economet…
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