Parliamentary Speeches
331 speeches by Maxime Blanchette-Joncas — Page 1 of 7
Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, what great news we are getting today from the Minister of Finance. Members of the Bloc Québécois support a measure that is designed to help the most vulnerable among us, finally. However, I would like to remind the minister what he said a few months ago. He said that the government did not have the money to fix an injustice of its own making. I am referring to the OAS increase for per…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, our debate today centres on a fundamental disagreement between Quebec and Canada, a pivotal disagreement, a deep fracture that reveals what Quebec is and, most importantly, what Quebec refuses to be. This debate is not about openness, diversity or immigration. It is about Quebec's vision of itself as a nation and its right to make its own collective choices. Bill C‑245 is simple. It s…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is supposedly a financial expert. Meanwhile, we just had to wait 20 months for a budget, which is not something that has happened very often in history. Another thing that has not happened very often in history is having the largest deficit in Canadian history with a financial expert as Prime Minister. Now, we have a finance minister who is patting himself on the ba…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Quebec has lost a great explorer. Robert Grenier, a figurehead in the world of underwater archaeology, has passed away. Robert Grenier was a world-renowned expert who had worked for Parks Canada since the 1960s. He was even featured on the cover of National Geographic. His greatest achievement was the discovery of the San Juan, a 16th-century whaling ship, off the coast of Labrador, p…
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Madam Speaker, I listened to my colleague's speech, and a fairly simple question came to mind. Bill C-16 seeks to put an end to automatic dismissals of cases under the Jordan decision, which was handed down 10 years ago. Who has been in power for the past 10 years? It has been the same Liberal Party all that time. My question is quite simple: Why did the government wait 10 years to fix a problem t…
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Mr. Speaker, I commend my Conservative Party colleague. From 2017 to 2023, some 150,000 people crossed the border irregularly at Roxham Road. It is fair to say that, at the time, the Bloc Québécois pretty much talked itself hoarse in the House asking the government questions to try to get the situation resolved. The Conservatives were pretty quiet on this issue. In fact, they stayed completely mum…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my esteemed colleague from Lac‑Saint‑Jean on his speech. The government likes to repeat itself to give the impression that it is doing a good job. In April, the Prime Minister announced at a press conference that the government was going to hire additional CBSA officers to secure our borders. However, that request came from the Americans. It was not his idea. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech, and I would like to hear what he has to say about the record deficit that the current Liberal government is forcing on us. The member says that this an intergenerational budget, but I would say it is more of an intergenerational disaster. We are talking about a $78-billion deficit. Justin Trudeau seems positively frugal compared to the cu…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the government is talking about its new program, or the new entity, Build Canada Homes. This morning, the Parliamentary Budget Officer reported that this program will add only 26,000 units over five years, barely 2% more than expected supply growth, but that federal spending on housing will decline 56% in the next three years. How can the government claim that it wants to double the p…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-241, which seeks to create a new federal structure to improve flood and drought forecasting. We all share the same goal, namely, to better anticipate climate events that are becoming more frequent, more severe and more costly. However, the proposed solution is not the right one. A careful reading of this bill reveals one thing that really stands out. …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the NDP says it opposes handouts for oil companies, the underfunding of health care, and inaction on the housing crisis and on employment insurance reform. In fact, they have been calling for this reform for many years. However, it was the NDP that was able to get this budget through, because two of its members, the member for Courtenay—Alberni and the member for Nunavut, abstained on…
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Mr. Speaker, I did not think I would be saying this today, but it is a topsy-turvy world, or rather, a topsy-turvy pipeline. We just found out that the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture has resigned. He is the former minister of environment and climate change, for those who still believe climate change exists. We know that one side is not so sure it exists and the other side, the side of t…
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Mr. Speaker, today, the member for Courtenay—Alberni is denouncing cuts to the public service, profits made by big grocery chains, oil subsidies, and inaction on the housing crisis and on homelessness. Where was he on November 17 during the deciding vote on the budget? He abstained. Today he is denouncing a budget that does nothing to resolve the problems he is talking about. I am trying to unders…
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Madam Speaker, the Conservatives would love to import the so-called three strikes law. In the United States, a third conviction means life in prison. It is causing the prison population to explode, and it is not reducing crime. Experts tell us that crime stems from the housing crisis, addictions and inadequate services. Why are the Conservatives so focused on a policy that does not work and does n…
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Madam Speaker, today being October 30, 2025, allow me to acknowledge a historic moment in Quebec's history. Thirty years ago today, the Lower St. Lawrence said yes: yes to the country of Quebec, yes to liberty, yes to pride. It very courageously said yes. That same conviction is still very much alive today among the people in my region. We want to be masters of our own destiny because Quebec's ind…
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Mr. Speaker, what is happening today in the House is quite bizarre. The government has decided to completely disregard all of the committee's work. However, they claim to be transparent and to be working democratically by respecting the opposition parties. This is not how that works. Members used House resources, which are paid for with public money, to carry out their work, but since it did not l…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind my colleague from Winnipeg North of something. Perhaps he does not spend enough time in the House to realize that it was his government that, with the support of the Conservative Party, imposed a gag order on the House last June regarding Bill C‑5, a bill on projects of national interest. After several months, we still do not know what the projects of national in…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I share many of my colleague's concerns. In Quebec, we have suffered and continue to suffer from a lack of border security due to the Liberal government's lax attitude and abdication of responsibility. Not to name names, but Roxham Road is where 150,000 people over five years have crossed irregularly through fields with the help of smuggling rings. When we pointed this out and raised …
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Madam Speaker, I would like my colleague to share his opinion on something a bit ridiculous that is happening in the House today and that goes well beyond Bill C‑12. The government added an extra day to the orders of the day to discuss Bill C-12, which was tabled by the Liberals themselves. However, there are no additional speakers on the Liberal side. That makes me wonder. Are they embarrassed to…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we are witnessing quite a spectacle today. The member for Kingston and the Islands and his Liberal colleagues have just woken up. There is no one to speak to Bill C-12. The member just arrived, though the House has been in session since 10 a.m. Where were his colleagues? I am asking them to take this more seriously, to be a little more diligent. The government put Bill C‑12 on the age…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will give my colleague a chance to put on his earpiece so that he can understand one of the two official languages of the House. My question is about the number of officers the government promised to hire. In April, during the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to hire 2,000 more officers: 1,000 CBSA officers and 1,000 RCMP officers. Last week, six months later, he rep…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I listened closely to my colleague's speech. This bill discusses security at the border, as well as security in our communities. Recent media reports indicate that young people are increasingly turning to guns to protect themselves against criminal groups. That is concerning. As usual, we come back to the issue of prevention and education. When criminal groups cross our borders and tr…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed my colleague's speech. We agree on many things. I would like her to talk about a subject that has not really been broached today, and that is the issue of foreign students trying to exploit loopholes to apply for asylum. In Quebec, there were 340 such cases in 2020. How many were there in 2024? There were 5,535, an increase of over 1,500%. When we questioned the Minis…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is pretty easy to understand. What we want is to restore public trust in the security of our borders. I will say it again: Trust is built with actions, not intentions. Right now, we are constantly being fed recycled statements. As I said in my speech, the Prime Minister repeated what he had said six months ago. Now we are being told that there will be money in the next budget on No…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we can see the consequences. I gave the example of Roxham Road. I would have liked the Conservative Party to get more involved in this issue. When 150,000 people use a loophole to enter irregularly, I think that is a problem, but the Conservatives only get involved when it suits them. To answer my colleague's question, the consequences are already apparent: Organized crime is becoming…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. He said that the borders are strong and secure. One does not introduce a bill to strengthen borders that are already strong and secure. What my colleague is saying is illogical. I would like to share with him some findings from independent observers. The Office of the Auditor General has pointed out that delays, a shortage of officers and…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, a border is not just a line on a map. It is a symbol of our security, our sovereignty and our ability to make our own decisions. For 10 years, the federal government has been turning a blind eye while stolen vehicles leave our ports, fentanyl crosses our borders and Quebec alone bears the brunt of unprecedented migratory pressure. Today Ottawa is taking action, but only because it no …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the residents of Rimouski—La Matapédia, whom I proudly represent. I would also like to acknowledge the residents of La Mitis, Les Basques and Neigette. The government seems to be recycling announcements all the time, not just some of the time. Last week, it recycled a major press conference where it announced that it would secure ou…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the minister's speech, including the part where she said that her bill would solve problems that her own department had created. For months now, the government has been asking universities to act like the police. It wants them to investigate the problem surrounding international students trying to use loopholes in the system to apply for student visas and then …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I need my colleague to explain something to us. In April, through the Prime Minister, the government promised to hire 1,000 new CBSA officers and 1,000 new RCMP members. Six months later, just last week, the government repeated its April announcement to us. Can my colleague tell us how many officers have been hired since April? If none have been hired, what is the plan? How many offic…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, 35 seconds is not enough time to explain this government's bungling over the past 10 years. Again, Roxham Road is a monumental disaster. To return to my colleague's question, last April the government promised us 2,000 officers: 1,000 for the RCMP and 1,000 for the CBSA. Last week, the Liberals held another press conference and repeated what they said in April. They told us that we ha…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague was obviously speaking of the reality on the ground. I would like him to tell us where the Conservative Party was when people were entering Canada through the irregular border crossing at Roxham Road. In five years, more than 150,000 people made that journey. That is the reality on the ground. The Conservative Party said not a word; it had no plan and no solutions. I woul…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Via Rail receives $1.3 billion from Ottawa to provide regional connectivity, yet nothing has been spent on improving services in eastern Quebec. In Rimouski, the train comes barely three times a week, at about 2 a.m. This is completely disconnected from the reality of a regional capital and especially the reality of residents who need to travel for medical treatment, school or to see …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives boast about being the best at reconciliation. This is what we have heard today. However, four months ago, they supported the Liberals' Bill C‑5, a bill dealing with nation-building projects that went against consultations with first nations. Today, they are telling us that, in the Harper era, they signed more treaties than the Liberals, so they are the best. Today, t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. She referred to a key word, namely “accountability”. There is something I would like her to clarify for me: Where is the accountability in this bill? The new commissioner will have the power to analyze but not the power to compel action. This means that the commissioner would be able to paint a picture of the government's shortcomings but…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague to clarify something for me in terms of words and actions. She speaks of reconciliation and transparency and yet, in June, this government tabled Bill C‑5 without first consulting indigenous communities, for which it was criticized. How can we trust a government that completely ignored indigenous communities only a few months ago but is now saying that it wan…
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Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the speech by my colleague from Winnipeg North. He mentioned that true reconciliation is not limited to apologies. I would like him to explain to us today why his government is not repealing the Indian Act, a discriminatory, colonial and paternalistic law imposed on first nations. That piece of legislation embodies everything that stands in the way of true reco…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech suggests that he has experience in this area. However, I would like him to clarify something for me. There is a contradiction between the Conservative Party's intentions and actions today and what we saw in June. The government introduced Bill C-5 in June. The Conservatives supported this bill concerning projects of national interest, but not just any old way. A …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague to explain how we can possibly trust the Liberal government and take it seriously right now. This is the same government that totally betrayed first nations four months ago when it failed to consult them on a project in the national interest. Members will recall Bill C‑5, which was passed on closure with the support of the official opposition, the Conservativ…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. He said the Conservative Party is a reconciliation champion because, during the Harper era, it was the first official party to apologize for residential schools. I find that interesting, but I would like him to explain the disconnect between that statement and what his party did a few months ago when Bill C‑5 was introduced. There was no …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, Conservatives often talk about accountability, but only when it suits them, it seems. For them, reconciliation seems to be nothing more than a slogan, used only when it suits their vision. They are telling us that Bill C-10 creates too much bureaucracy. Real bureaucracy is when the federal government announces, promises and repeats things without ever delivering results. That is real …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. I will wait until he puts his earpiece in so that he can understand one of the two official languages in the House. Here is my question for my colleague. We know full well that the Conservative Party is the champion of accountability. In this bill, the new commissioner only has the power to observe. They have no power to enforce and to ac…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals keep saying that they want to advance reconciliation. However, four months ago, not four years ago, they passed Bill C‑5, which deals with nation-building projects, without consulting first nations. This was criticized by the Assembly of First Nations and by Inuit and Métis communities. Today, the Liberals are proposing Bill C‑10. They would create the position of a commi…
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Mr. Speaker, that was certainly a sanctimonious speech by our colleague from Winnipeg North. It was definitely not his first time lecturing us, nor is it likely to be his last. His argument does not hold water. He says we need to ask the Supreme Court for an opinion because the role of the Attorney General, through the government, is to defend the Charter. The notwithstanding clause has been aroun…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé on his speech. Today, we hear the Liberals repeating over and over that they want to defend the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but the one who inherited the charter, the Canadian Constitution and its 1982 repatriation was Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Obviously, I would be happy to remind the House of Quebec's motto: Je me souvi…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is on the wrong track. In my speech, I mentioned that this also has to do with other provinces. Other provinces have used the notwithstanding clause throughout history. I invite him to read the Ford decision, which states that there is no danger in using the notwithstanding clause. I would also remind him that, historically, the notwithstanding clause has been used for mo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the speech by my colleague from Québec Centre, who understandably refuses to take a position on the deplorable statement made by the member for Bourassa. However, let us return to the subject at hand. My colleague spoke about balance, so let us talk about balance. The notwithstanding clause has been used more than 100 times in the last 43 years. Never in those …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa talks about national unity when it is convenient, but becomes divisive and paternalistic as soon as Quebec asserts its uniqueness and its choices. When faced with Washington's tariffs or the threat of American annexation, we are called upon to join forces. However, as soon as the external threat is averted, Ottawa turns against Quebec to challenge its democratic choices and und…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I gather that my colleague from Bourassa is openly against the laicity law. I will read him my prepared answer. Laicity is not a threat to religious minorities; it protects them all equally. The notwithstanding clause is not an aberration; it is a tool provided in the Constitution to enable elected officials, not judges appointed by Ottawa, to rule on matters of societal debate. The r…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and for that softball question. Here is another example. In Diefenbaker's charter, Canada had a notwithstanding clause. That was in the 1960s. He was the one who implemented the charter that included the notwithstanding clause. That was the deal. Today, the Liberals do not agree with the Quebec model's vision of its language, interculturalism and …
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