Private Members' Business
moved that Bill C-253, An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (pension plans and group insurance plans), be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in the House to speak to my bill, Bill C-253. I want to start by thanking my colleague from Thérèse-De Blainville for her invaluable support, bo…
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Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to hear that my colleague wants to support the bill. Of course, I hope that it will be referred to committee so that changes can be made, because everything can be improved. That said, I am not familiar with the bill she was talking about. I just hope that it is not similar to Bill C-405, from the previous Parliament, which went against the intention of my bill.
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Madam Speaker, I just wanted to say that I think the member for Winnipeg North is off topic.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. That is the argument we always hear. I therefore invite my colleague from Winnipeg North to read my bill, which on balance is absolutely reasonable. My bill is a compromise between the desire to restructure corporations, because we want people to keep working, and a bailout, so that those who retire can also get what they are owed. As I said, p…
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Madam Speaker, I want pensioners to be compensated when they lose their insurance. Most of them have experienced great hardship. When they needed medication or were fighting cancer, many of them found themselves penniless. We need to find ways to let them keep their insurance or to be compensated for a certain amount of time. By creating two classes of seniors, the Liberal government clearly showe…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, and I share his views on defending the rights of pensioners and workers. In fact, I do believe it was cosmetic. We saw this in 2014 and 2019, and also in 2018. I would like to remind the House that in 2018, when a review was being conducted, a committee was studying the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. It had to be revised. The Bloc Québécois was not invol…
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Madam Speaker, once again, the federal government's management of the quarantine for temporary foreign workers is a fiasco. This year, the new testing has added to the burden on businesses. The federal government has contracted the testing out to a unilingual anglophone company in Ontario that cannot serve Quebec. As a result, workers are being forced to isolate for 25 days while awaiting their re…
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Madam Speaker, temporary foreign workers are being forced to isolate for a month because of the federal government's mismanagement. For a fish processing plant, it makes no sense to go without workers for a month when the fishing season is only a few weeks long. For an asparagus farmer who is just days away from harvest, it makes no sense to have to pick the whole crop on their own while their wor…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, today I am proud to take a moment to say a few words about a woman who is the pride of the North Shore. Originally from Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam, Anouk St-Onge recently became a certified ship's captain, making her the first female Innu fishing boat captain. It was with her family and children in mind—and in her heart—that she decided to pursue her studies on the other side of the riv…
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Mr. Speaker, for the last two questions, there has been a lot of background noise in the House, and I am having a hard time hearing, even with my earpiece. I would like you to remind my colleagues to respect other colleagues who have the floor.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, from the outset I would like to say that it is an honour to speak in the House to Bill C-15. This is a historic bill and I hope we will be able to adopt it swiftly. My colleagues know that I represent a northern riding and the majority of its population are members of the Innu or Naskapi nations. I rise in the House with my brothers and sisters from the North Shore and the Nitassinan …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his comments and his question. This bill certainly is timely, and much of it makes sense. As I said several times in my speech, we are behind the times. I would not want to shut down this debate or these discussions, but I would like things to move ahead quickly so the bill can be passed and brought into force. I often talk about my personal life. We are membe…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. I know that the first nations are important to her because we have had the opportunity to talk about it. Of course I wish the government would do more than pay lip service and express its good intentions to legislators. We want real action, and we can simultaneously work on an implementation plan. I imagine that in 15 years, some thought has been…
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Mr. Speaker, the myth is that all indigenous peoples oppose development. In my riding of Manicouagan, we have mines, fisheries, hydroelectricity and a number of related projects. I come from a resource-rich region, and these projects are already happening. What we want is free and informed consent. First nations are interested in their economic development. If there is a myth, it is that first nat…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her comments. I am pleased that she spoke about what is going on in her home province. We are here to work together, debate and improve the bill. She made some compelling comments. I completely agree that the first nations must be at the forefront of our discussions. I am a member of the Bloc Québécois, so I want to speak for Quebec. I do not want others to de…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to federal spending in the riding of Manicouagan for each fiscal year since 2019-20, inclusively: what are the details of all grants and contributions, and all loans to every organization, group, business or municipality, broken down by the (i) name of the recipient, (ii) municipality of the recipient, (iii) date on which the funding was received, (iv) amount received, (v) department o…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, for once I agree with the member for Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Even a Liberal government minister is admitting that it is her own government's fault if the fishing season in the Magdalen Islands is jeopardized. Ottawa is endangering the region's entire economy by eliminating 37% of the port's capacity. The federal government is responsible for the port's condition, and theref…
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Madam Speaker, on March 25, the Government of Quebec is going to table its budget. That means that the federal government has less than two weeks to announce that it will do its part during the pandemic by increasing health transfers. We are entering the second year of COVID-19, so we cannot stress enough that this is a public health crisis. It is a battle being waged by health care workers, so it…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for saying the words “employment insurance” and “unemployment insurance” so many times in the House. I will never get tired of hearing them because, as she said, this is an essential program. She raised the issue of seasonal workers. Mine is a huge riding that depends on the fishing, forestry and tourism industries, among others. That will never ch…
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Madam Speaker, we are talking about health transfers, so I will try again. Quebec is going to table its budget on March 25, and Ontario is tabling its budget one day earlier. I repeat: Quebec and all the provinces are calling on the federal government to do its part by increasing health transfers. If the government does not at least announce an intention to increase transfers within the next two w…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the House today to discuss my colleague's motion about Irish heritage and celebrating the contributions of the Irish immigrant community to Quebec and Canada. Doing so is our duty and our pride. A few years ago, the papers said that everyone in Quebec is Irish. As many as 40% of Quebeckers say that Irish blood flows in their veins. That speaks to the sig…
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Mr. Speaker, March is epilepsy awareness month, and March 26 is Purple Day, which is celebrated to encourage worldwide support for people with this disorder. In Canada, one in 100 people have epilepsy and nearly one-third of them are children, including my three-year-old son Ulysse. On March 26, I invite my colleagues, along with all Quebeckers and Canadians, to proudly wear purple in support of t…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not understand, because soon we are going to hear that tourists are skipping quarantine by crossing the border at Roxham Road. The whole saga around hotel quarantines is pathetic. What we wanted the government to do was to manage the return of travellers at Christmas in order to prevent the COVID-19 variants from entering Canada. That was at Christmas. It took until February for …
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Madam Speaker, the cost of shutting out Quebec and the Davie shipyard from these shipbuilding contracts currently amounts to $51 billion in cost overruns. Let us think about that: $51 billion. To put it into perspective, that is more than the total amount the federal government transfers to Quebec and all the provinces to fund health care. To shut out Quebec, this government is going to waste more…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, last week, I met with elected officials from the lower north shore, a huge portion of my riding that is not connected by road, in order to present the disastrous results of a survey that my office conducted on people's satisfaction with Canada Post. We learned that 80% of the population have complaints about this Crown corporation. I was heartbroken to tell them the story of a woman…
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Madam Speaker, the government needs the Bloc Québécois because it is weaving a big web of lies here. The shipbuilding contracts are now $51 billion over budget because the federal government refused to give the Davie shipyard its fair share. One per cent of that amount is $510 million, which is more than the government's total increase in health transfers during the pandemic. How does the governme…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the interpreters are saying that the sound is not good enough for them to be able to do their job, so we no longer have interpretation.
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Mr. Speaker, I would be embarrassed to say what the Liberal member said about Davie, and I would be even more embarrassed about what the government has been promising indigenous communities since 2015. It promised to fix all the long-term water quality issues by March 31, 2021. Today, the Auditor General confirmed that the government is going to fail. She said, “Indigenous Services Canada did not …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her comment. That is an excellent question. We have a social contract. I see it this way. We live in a society. As a left-leaning social democrat woman, I want us to help that society as a whole. I want an equitable distribution of wealth and opportunity. I certainly think our society lacks empathy, respect and even dignity when we decide not to help a huge se…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois obviously likes that suggestion, but we are talking about two different things. We always think it is a good idea to help our seniors. There have been a lot of delays though, including the fact that no budget has been tabled since the election. My colleague's idea about a one-time COVID-19 payment, which was done last summer, in no way detracts from the other measur…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not have the calculations that led to this specific amount with me, but I can certainly forward them to my hon. colleague. Let us consider the underlying principle of the motion. We obviously consulted different groups. The $110 a month is a good baseline, but it could be increased. Numbers can be moved around a lot. We used an index to come up with the number of seniors living b…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and her kind words. The member will understand that the aim of our motion is to benefit every senior. Any number of adjustments can be made, since this is a motion and not a bill. Our goal is to make sure that no one is penalized, regardless of the method chosen to increase the benefit. The Bloc Québécois's position is that seniors' options should…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé for his speech. We could feel his emotion, but also his indignation, which I share. I have always said that I got into politics because I have a capacity for indignation, which I want to be constructive, of course. That is why I really understand the situation when we talk about how seniors are doing. I would like to thank my colle…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Lévis—Lotbinière for his speech, but I suggest that he read Noam Chomsky to learn the role of opposition parties in parliaments. Fortunately, the opposition parties were there to oppose the move to increase the age from 65 to 67 when the Conservatives were in power. Today, before he comes to power, will he support the Bloc Québécois's motion to increase …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Battlefords—Lloydminster for her speech, which was very interesting, especially the part on direct assistance. That is really what she focused on. Earlier, I also listened to the speech by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors, who seemed to be giving us a long list or ad about certain support measures provided by the government…
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Madam Speaker, I have been listening to the minister, and it seems to me that he is not talking about the matter before us. Most of his remarks pertain to the situation in Hong Kong, but today we are talking about the Uighurs. I just wanted to bring that to the Chair's attention.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles for his speech. Obviously, we learned quite a bit from the subcommittee. I am absolutely stunned by the Liberal government's indifference and its failure to act on this issue. Of course we know that what is happening to the Uighurs meets the definition of genocide. We even have proof of that. In my colleague's opinion, what …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, yesterday will go down in history as the day when the whole world saw that Canada failed to quickly procure vaccines. That means that the pandemic will last longer here than it will in other countries. The government has to shift into problem-solving mode. The first step is to admit that there is a problem. The government needs to admit that it dropped the ball. It has to start by b…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, just recently, Action-Chômage Côte-Nord launched its campaign to raise awareness about the plight of seasonal workers on the North Shore. I am proud to support this organization, which is calling for the fair and equitable reform of employment insurance for all those who need to use this program at some point. Too many workers have to go into debt to get through the seasonal gap. Th…
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Madam Speaker, this member is actually not well aware, because she does not have a detailed schedule. The government needs to acknowledge its failure. Denials like the one we just heard are useless. It needs to tighten border controls to stop the spread. It needs to increase health transfers because of the extended state of emergency in our health care centres. It must increase pensions for senior…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today as a member of the Bloc Québécois and from Manicouagan, but also as my party's critic for families, children and social development. Let me begin by thanking my colleague, the hon. member for Edmonton Riverbend, for his work on Bill C-220 and for introducing it. It is a simple bill, but it is a good example of how we are unable to dissociate our persona…
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Mr. Speaker, I broke the momentum. I will stop there.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Thérèse-De Blainville for her question about the importance of seasonal work in Manicouagan. I did say seasonal work, not seasonal workers. Seasonal work is essential because many people work in tourism, the fisheries or the forestry sector, which are the economic pillars of my riding. These people live in small communities of 200, 300 or 400 people. The…
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Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed my colleague's speech. He went off the beaten path and talked about his riding's unique characteristics. I am going to do the same in my speech today. People talk about economic measures in such general terms and try to fit everyone into the same box to the point that we forget how different ridings across Quebec and Canada are from one another. Many aspects of Bill C…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Drummond. I would say that Drummond and Manicouagan are tied in terms of the beauty of our ridings. High-speed Internet access is very problematic in my region. As has been mentioned, the riding is very large. These days, high-speed Internet is the driving force of economic development and vital to keeping our people from leaving. A lot of businesses kno…
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Madam Speaker, like my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé, I am honoured to be given the floor by this new chair occupant. First, I would like to thank someone who worked very hard on this file on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, and that is my colleague from Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. I would like to thank him for the work he did in committee to defend the views of the Bloc Québécois and all the work he…
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Mr. Speaker, as though the lifetime pension were not enough, the former Governor General will also be entitled to a generous expense account, which should enable her to maintain her royal lifestyle, keep the champagne flowing and keep the caviar on ice. Consider former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson as an example. She has claimed up to $100,000 per year since leaving office. Being appointed Go…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for Shefford for her question. The lack of transparency is an affront to democracy, and this is what we see from the Liberals day after day, session after session here in Parliament. We have seen it in many different ways. I expect more from a government, and as an elected official, I want to defend our democracy. In a democracy, people need to be able to make i…
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Mr. Speaker, it is not surprising that the report on the Governor General was in English only, because only English Canada cares about the monarchy. What Quebeckers care about is how the tax dollars we send to Ottawa are spent. Millions of dollars for the monarchy is not a good way to spend our money, nor is a lifetime pension for a tyrannical Governor General. Until Canada permanently severs all …
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Madam Speaker, there are so many things I want to say in my response to my colleague. First, it is the United Kingdom's choice. In my opinion, withdrawing from a trade agreement does not mean that the U.K. will not respect or want to respect human rights. Withdrawing from the agreement also does not mean that the U.K. will no longer be interested in environmental issues, contrary to what my collea…
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