Parliamentary Speeches
415 speeches by Marie-France Lalonde — Page 8 of 9
Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of speaking virtually to express my appreciation to the members of the Association pour l'intégration sociale d'Ottawa, or AISO, on the occasion of their annual general meeting, on June 14. The association is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and I wanted to thank its members for the essential services they offer in our community. The theme of their AGA w…
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Mr. Speaker, next week marks the beginning of graduation ceremonies, and I want to take a moment to congratulate the 1,722 graduates from the 10 high schools in my riding, Orléans. This year's graduation ceremonies have to be adapted once again because of the pandemic, but I know that, regardless of how they celebrate, our graduates will find innovative ways to mark this important milestone. It is…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the motion moved by the member for Beloeil—Chambly. I am pleased to pick up where the minister left off in talking about the reform of the Official Languages Act. I want to start by highlighting how important it is to build upon Canada's official languages in this process. We know that our two official languages, French and English, are inextricably linked to …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. Our government has been working hard all along to implement programs to help minority communities. I am from Ontario, I am the member for Parliament for Orléans, and I think it is very important that the Liberal government has invested more than $500 million so far in an action plan to support the French fact and to support and promote French. We…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I thank my colleague. Our actions speak for themselves. From the start, we created an action plan with an additional $500 million. We tabled a budget with an additional amount of almost $400 million to support the francophone minority and also second language training. My colleague knows very well that our government wants to protect the French fact everywhere in Canada, i…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. It gives me the opportunity to suggest that he carefully study Bill C‑32, which recognizes that we must consider the fact that French is in a minority situation in Canada and in North America due to the predominant use of English. We hope that the Bloc Québécois will support this bill. As the throne speech and the budget showed, we are firmly com…
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Mr. Speaker, on June 4, I had the pleasure of attending the virtual AGM of the Miracle League of Ottawa. Its leadership brought to Orléans a fully accessible baseball field and playground, which gives those with special needs the opportunity to play in a safe and enjoyable environment. I am so proud to have this organization in our community, and I would like to acknowledge the engagement of the v…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to make some remarks about Bill C‑254, introduced by my colleague from Beauport—Limoilou. I am very pleased to see that the promotion of French is a priority for her, and I sincerely wish to continue working with her on this file. This is a priority for our government. That is why, since 2018, it has been working hard to modernize and strengthen the Official Languag…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Edmonton Strathcona for raising this very important issue. She spoke in French during her speech and when she asked a question on May 28. I wish to applaud her efforts. My colleague has been defending Campus Saint-Jean against the Conservative threat for a long time now. We share her concerns about the way the government of Jason Kenney is making…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. We have been quite clear that we are prepared to provide financial assistance to the Alberta government through our official languages support programs. Through our action plan for official languages, various initiatives are available to the provinces to address the financial challenges facing their post-secondary institutions. As we indicated …
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Madam Speaker, yesterday, June 3, was World Bicycle Day, a day to highlight road safety awareness and the importance of active transportation for our communities. I am taking this opportunity to commend the government for its active transportation policies, and also for its support to our municipalities, which allows us to revitalize and improve our neighbourhoods. On Monday, I joined my colleague…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec lieutenant made a similar comment, but the Bloc Québécois is looking to pick a fight. We agree that more protections are needed for the French language. The current Liberal government is the first federal government in history to acknowledge that French is a minority language in this country. In our reform, we plan to offer protection for French as the language of work and …
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Madam Speaker, on May 26, I had the pleasure of taking part in an engaging discussion with around 20 students from a civics class at Collège catholique Mer Bleue, in Orléans. The teacher, Zachary Boisvert, and the students all asked great questions. I was delighted to explain the legislative process to the class, since they enjoyed a simulation and debate at the House of Commons earlier in the sem…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question. We recognize that French is in decline and that we need to protect and promote the French language not only outside Quebec, but also within Quebec. We will step up and ensure that businesses under our jurisdiction contribute to the effort to protect French that has been initiated by the Government of Quebec and francophone communities. We …
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Madam Speaker, as I said, we recognize that there has been a decline in the use of French. We will promote and protect the French language both outside and within Quebec. As we stated in our February reform document, protecting and promoting French is a priority for our government. For the first time, the federal government recognized that the use of French is at a turning point in this country an…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and also for her exceptional work in making sure Campus Saint-Jean receives the funding it needs. Our government believes without a doubt that any post-secondary institution in Canada with a strong francophone majority should be supported. The Minister of Official Languages has been in contact with her provincial counterpart in Alberta. We are t…
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Mr. Speaker, last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of joining small business owners from the Heart of Orléans BIA to host a town hall and discuss the crucial measures our federal government was bringing in to spur growth. During an engaging evening discussion, these local leaders shared their thoughts and enthusiasm for the future of Canada's small businesses as we look ahead to the end of the pandem…
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Mr. Speaker, this is National Nursing Week, and today being International Nurses Day, I would like to thank nurses in Orleans and across Canada for their hard work and sacrifices not only this week, but every day of the year. Thank you for continuing to play an essential role in the fight against COVID-19. Thank you for always stepping up when our communities need you to protect our health and wel…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, thank you for recognizing me. I am very pleased to speak in the House this evening. First, I want to say my thoughts are with the people of Alberta. I think this is an important debate and I certainly would like to share a few thoughts. Particularly, I would like to focus my time on our vaccine and our vaccine rollout that began at the end of December and is currently picking up spe…
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Mr. Speaker, I recently had the honour of congratulating an exceptional woman from Orléans, Roda Muse, on her appointment as Secretary General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. Her career as a school board trustee, vice-chair of the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario and lifelong public servant has earned her many accolades, including the “professional award” at the 2020 Soiré…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I salute my dear colleague. We are both members of this all-party caucus, and it is always a pleasure. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our actions have prioritized the health and safety of Canadians. Our border measures are among the safest for people, and we have added or enhanced a number of measures in recent months in response to these variants from overseas. The government…
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Mr. Speaker, on Friday, I was thrilled to take part in a panel discussion as part of the Inspiration conference series presented by the University of Ottawa, along with my colleague from Ottawa—Vanier. The theme was “Getting Things Done on the Hill...au féminin!”. I want to thank the entire organization for the invitation and for this great initiative. It is important for women to encourage one an…
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Madam Speaker, I have mixed feelings about my colleague's question and his proposed solution. I am proud that our country, Canada, has contributed over $220 million to the COVAX program to honour its commitment to help other countries. I know that Minister Gould and our government—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am proud to be able to answer my colleague because this is yet another demonstration of the partisan ploys we are dealing with. From the outset, we have done whatever it took for Canadians. Let us remember what we were hearing in our ridings. Canadians were faced with an unprecedented pandemic. We offered financial support, and as soon as the vaccines became available, we made the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to inform the House that I will be sharing my time with the member for Central Nova. I would like to begin by thanking all the residents of Orléans for the support, strength and community spirit they have shown in the past year. I know that the pandemic has been difficult. Our lives have been affected at many levels. We have been unable to get together, it is difficult …
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Madam Speaker, I too respect my colleague on the veterans committee. I know this is something that she has brought up time and time again. I certainly appreciate her perspective. I would somewhat echo what she is saying. The government needs to come together. We need to find the right balance and the right solution, and I am happy to work with her.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, our government has been working hard to find the right balance and solution on this. I have to remind my hon. colleague of all the actions this government has taken since early on in this pandemic. Without those measures, many businesses would not have been able to stay afloat. I want to remind the hon. member of all the leadership we took, almost as a team Canada approach, early on…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to discuss a bit of my history before I entered politics. I worked with seniors for 20 years. I would like to remind my colleague about the Liberal government's efforts and its commitment to helping seniors in recent years. The budget increases old age security for seniors aged 75 and over by 10%. They will receive a $…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am happy to be speaking today, and I would like to inform members that I will be sharing my time with the member for Lac-Saint-Louis. At the beginning of this crisis, the government took swift action to protect people from a devastating illness. The government members knew their efforts would need to protect not only their physical health, but their economic health. They said it b…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 11 petitions. These responses will be tabled in an electronic format.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on April 16, the federal government announced a $1.5 million investment to Veterans' House as part of its efforts to tackle houselessness and provide crucial supports for our veterans in need. Operated by the Multifaith Housing Initiative, Veterans' House opened this past February and offers veterans affordable housing as well as access to mental health and addiction services. This ne…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we have always stood up for official language minority communities, and we always will. We know that post-secondary institutions are gathering places that are essential to the survival of communities across the country. We are willing to work together to ensure that francophones in northern Ontario have a strong post-secondary institution. As our document on…
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Mr. Speaker, as I was telling my colleague, we are ready and looking for solutions. The minister is in contact with her counterpart and the Ontario ministers. Post-secondary institutions fall under provincial jurisdiction. From the beginning, we have been there for Franco-Ontarians, and we have been there to protect the linguistic minority here in Ontario. I am proud that we have reached out. Now,…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to see that my colleague shares our concerns about the fate of Laurentian University. For our government, there is really no doubt that we need strong post-secondary institutions for francophones in northern Ontario. We are ready to find solutions to achieve this, and we will always be allies of the Franco-Ontarian community.
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Mr. Speaker, my heart goes out to the students and faculty at Laurentian University who are in a very difficult situation. I think everyone in the House feels the same way. The minister has been in touch with the provinces about this, and we are looking for solutions. We are prepared to work with our provincial counterparts to find solutions, but I remind members that education is a provincial jur…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. In 2018, our government presented a concrete action plan for official languages, in which we made a historic $2.7-billion investment. I think this has been mentioned. Our Liberal government has invested just over $500 million more in support of official languages. It decided to help linguistic minority communities, including those that speak Fren…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that I will be splitting my time with my colleague, the member for Nickel Belt. I rise today as a proud Franco-Ontarian and the member of Parliament for Orléans. I am concerned and upset by the black Monday that befell our community in northern Ontario. The devastating cuts, mostly to French-language programs, remind us once again that our minority language communi…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my colleague, who mentioned provincial jurisdictions in his speech. The minister has reached out. We want to work with the provinces and territories, as we have been doing from day one. The Government of Ontario just has to give us a call. The minister has already called them. She is ready and willing to keep having those conversations. Everyone will hav…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for this very relevant question. In November 2018, after the Ford government's cuts to an important project at the Université de l'Ontario français, the federal government reached out once again to support the project. I would like to take this opportunity to say that this subject is not only important in the context of tonight's debate in the House of Commons. I wo…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be able to ask my hon. colleague from Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier a question. I listened to his speech very carefully tonight. He said that, within the first 100 days of forming a Conservative government, his leader would move forward to find solutions for francophones. I recall that in November 2018, a Progressive Conservative leader made the same promises to franco…
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Mr. Speaker, last week, I had the pleasure to speak to two virtual classes that are part of the virtual school learning program or P.A.V.É., a civics and citizenship class and an exploring career options class. I would like to thank Ms. Fraser, a teacher from the public school board of eastern Ontario, for inviting me to talk to over 50 15-year-old students. We talked about things like the work th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I must say, the first priority of this government has always been to protect the health and safety of Canadians. I know the pilot project he is referring to in Alberta. However, we have also seen, unfortunately, as we were studying this and evaluating the risk of these variants, numerous times in other jurisdictions international government being really afraid of this new variant. I w…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague's questions are very relevant. This is a conversation that is very live right now among G7 and G20 countries. As vaccinations are made available throughout the world, we know we will have to address this issue. I know the Government of Canada is certainly reflecting on this, based on the evidence and the science that will be brought forward, not only here within our borde…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent question. That is exactly what the Government of Canada has done from the start. At the very beginning of the pandemic, we knew that this was a worldwide problem, and we took extraordinary measures with respect to border restrictions. They were unprecedented. For the first time in history since the Second World War, the border between Canada an…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to inform you that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Yukon. I rise in the House today to speak to the opposition motion and, more specifically, on Canada's current border measures. To combat the continued introduction and spread of COVID-19, the Government of Canada has taken extraordinary action and implemented a comprehensive border strategy with many layers of…
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Mr. Speaker, on March16, I had the pleasure of hosting a virtual meeting with the Orléans Youth Council, alongside my provincial counterpart, MPP Stephen Blais, to discuss our youth environmental priorities with our special guest, Minister Jonathan Wilkinson. As climate change has long been among the most important issues raised by our youth council, their questions on pollution, emissions and car…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this past Friday, I had the privilege to present the 2021 Orleans leading women and girls recognition awards to honour the exceptional contributions of 35 women leaders and community volunteers in Orleans. Their hard work, passion and dedication have had a tremendous impact on our community, and they have been outstanding role models for women and girls in Orleans and beyond. As part …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the opposition often cites incorrect figures on vaccines. For the residents of my riding, Orléans, and for all Canadians, it is important that we provide the most up-to-date figures and talk about the measures we have already taken and what we can expect. Could the parliamentary secretary set the record straight with respect to the vaccines that have been and will be delivered to Ca…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her comments. I worked in the health sector for 20 years, more specifically in long-term care homes for seniors. Before I became a member of Parliament, I was an MPP, so I understand how important collaboration is. However, one thing is for sure now: When people call my riding office, they tell me that I need to do something. We need to address long-term care …
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