Parliamentary Speeches
432 speeches by Maxime Blanchette-Joncas — Page 6 of 9
Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague on his speech. We agree that a humanitarian corridor must be urgently set up to save civilians. To be a player, one must work with other players. Unfortunately, Canada is not at the table where decisions are being made by certain players. I am thinking about France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy, who met to speak out against the situat…
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Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague on his speech. It is always a bit disconcerting to hear the Conservatives talking about the cost of living. I would like to remind the House that, a few weeks ago, in September, the Conservatives held a convention in Quebec, and it cost $1,700 to attend. Let me take out my common sense calculator. If we exclude taxes—because if anyone is familiar with taxes it…
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Mr. Speaker, I commend the Deputy Prime Minister on her speech, which seemed to be full of good intentions. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC, released some alarming and very troubling statistics. By 2030, Quebec will need 1.1 million housing units. It will be the hardest-hit region of Canada. The Government of Quebec also released some statistics. Homelessness has gone up 44% i…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very excited and very proud to rise today, for the first time since Parliament resumed, to represent and defend the interests of the people of my riding, whom I always represent with pride and dignity. I am talking about the good people of Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, whom I salute. The subject we are talking about today is very important to us. Mental health affect…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his speech. Earlier, he talked about red tape, particularly the additional administrative burden. Along with several of my colleagues from the Bloc Québécois, I recently met with representatives from port authorities. They told us that they were consulted on Bill C-33 but nothing from the things they mentioned during consultations was included in this bi…
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Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. What I think is important about Bill C‑33 is that it seeks to improve rail safety in Canada. I would like to talk about a rail disaster. On July 6, 2013, 47 people were the victims of a rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic. Everyone remembers that. In 2018, the Prime Minister went to Lac-Mégantic to announce the construction of a rail bypass, …
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Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague on his speech. There are certainly things that we do not agree on, but I would like to focus on what we do agree on. Obviously, we both agree that there must be co-operation between the federal government and the provinces, especially Quebec. As members are aware, business ownership laws fall under the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces. There are things…
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Madam Speaker, according to Transparency International, between $43 billion and $113 billion a year is laundered or is lost to tax evasion. Obviously the Bloc Québécois is in favour of Bill C‑42, which calls for more transparency from businesses in order to determine who exactly is hiding behind these businesses. My question for my colleague is on the need for co-operation between the federal gove…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑346, An Act to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (certificate of competency). Mr. Speaker, I am introducing this bill today for workers and employers in the marine industry, a key industry in the Lower St. Lawrence and many other parts of Quebec and Canada that provides employment for many people and is a huge part of our daily lives. Today, the industry is fa…
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Madam Speaker, I would first like to say how disappointed I am with Bell Canada's decision to eliminate jobs back home, in my region, particularly in Rimouski. One of the people who lost his job was an experienced journalist, Martin Brassard. He has 35 years' experience and worked for the Énergie radio station, which he left recently, and then for Rouge FM in Rimouski. Local and regional informati…
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Mr. Speaker, there is cause for celebration, as ACFAS is celebrating its 100th anniversary. ACFAS was established in 1923 by a generation of Quebec pioneers, including botanists Marie-Victorin and Jacques Rousseau and radiologist Léo Pariseau. In a powerful gesture of national affirmation, these visionaries wanted to give the Quebec nation a strong and united francophone scientific organization. T…
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Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague for her speech on the important bill we are debating, Bill S-8. Of course, I agree with her that we must try to raise the level of debate and move away from partisanship, particularly when it comes to important bills. Where I tend to disagree with her is on the moralizing we hear from the New Democratic Party. Today they are telling us that we should stop play…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague, the member for Mirabel, on his excellent speech. He gave us a very clear picture of the situation. I agree with him completely on the fact that Charles III is not the only one embarrassed to support the Liberal budget, but also on the fact that contempt is being shown for democracy. Here is my question for my colleague. I would like to know what he thinks …
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Madam Speaker, what I am about to say is no secret, but it is important. The government purchased a pipeline. It is not for shipping grain; it is for shipping oil. The pipeline cost $30 billion. It started off at $7 billion, and then climbed to $15 billion, $22 billion, $24 billion, $28 billion and $30 billion. I hope that the government realizes that it could fix an awful lot of problems with tha…
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Madam Speaker, I listened attentively to my colleague's question and his comments. First of all, neither the NDP nor the federal government invented the dental care program. Of course Quebec's current dental care program is not perfect. However, I will say one thing. It is not a secret. We can see in the government's current budget that there is no allocation for the so-called dental care program.…
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Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise this evening to speak to Bill C-47, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 28, 2023, introduced by the government. The budget is a key exercise in our democracy. It is the time when the government decides how and where it will spend the hundreds of billions of dollars that it controls. The government does not pull…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech. My question will be fairly short and simple. The Bloc Québécois is known to be a staunch defender of Quebec independence, including its areas of jurisdiction. I get the impression that Bill C‑35 has been tabled in the wrong Parliament. Nothing related to family policies comes under the federal government's jurisdiction. Once again, …
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Mr. Speaker, we learned a lot from the speech given by my colleague from Milton. There were some very interesting things in there, including the fact that he ate some portobello mushrooms. I want him to know that I too like mushrooms, oyster mushrooms. I would like to be a little more serious, unlike this government. Speaking of serious, the environment does not seem to be a priority for the feder…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to research and science, Canada has been racing to the bottom for the past 20 years. It is the only G7 country that has lost researchers since 2016 and the only one that has reduced its investments in R and D over the past 20 years. It has not indexed its graduate scholarships since 2003. While the minimum wage has doubled, our students' wages have not gone up one red ce…
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Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois agrees with some points, especially with regard to territorial sovereignty. Quebec already has its own law, the Environment Quality Act. The smooth-talking Liberals are in government. I will remind members of their track record. Canada has the worst record of any G7 country for the average per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Since the arrival of the Liberals in 2…
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Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent. It is always a pleasure to hear him speak. We agree on some things but not others. I like to look to the past because it tells us what to expect in the future. In his speech, my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent talked about many things, including credibility and flip-flopping. I would like to remind my colleague of a few things. We ar…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague from Trois-Rivières for his excellent speech. He is inspiring. He has a lot to teach us, and he is an excellent teacher. I hope that the government will be inspired by his constructive comments. China's interference is in the spotlight. Last week, we found out that a member was threatened almost three years ago. It took three years for the gov…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable on his speech. I have a short preamble before I ask my question. The Bloc Québécois's objective is not to form the government. That would be like inviting a vegetarian friend to a pig roast; it makes no sense. That said, I want to address the subject at hand today, namely, Chinese interference. This is very important. Today, t…
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Madam Speaker, this evening's debate has been very animated. The first thing that jumps out at me and that I cannot ignore is the point of order raised by my colleague from Timmins—James Bay, who is asking us to return to the budget debate. Earlier, this same colleague and his party imposed a gag order to cut members' speaking time. So much for lessons in democracy and comments on the need to retu…
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Madam Speaker, we can hear him talking again. I would like you to intervene.
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Madam Speaker, the member is part of the New Democratic Party, but it is not very democratic to talk while other members are talking. Once again, the new gag order party—
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Madam Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for you and the office you hold. However, my colleague's behaviour is completely unacceptable. I hope that you are taking note of it. My colleagues in the House noticed it, as have I. Here is the question that I have for my colleague. We are currently experiencing a housing crisis. There are no new investments in the most recent federal budget to addre…
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Madam Speaker, I listened closely to the speech by my colleague from Victoria. Today, we are seeing the hypocrisy of the New Democratic Party, which I am now calling the NGP, where the G stands for gag, as in gag order. Today, that party, which is trying to lambaste the government, is not on its second, fourth, sixth or eighth, but on its 13th closure motion. The New Democratic Party is using anti…
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Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. It seemed like she was playing the violin for us, but it was all sounding a bit off-key. My colleague spoke about waiving the interest on student loans. Today, students are out in front of the Parliament buildings as part of “Support Our Science” day because the federal government has not indexed student grants for 20 years. Student gra…
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Madam Speaker, we hope to exercise our democratic right in the House. We do not want to be gagged and we do not want to have to repeatedly rise on points of order, as my colleague from Timmins—James Bay has been trying to do in the last few seconds. My colleague—
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to government expenditures in the electoral districts of Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane–Matapédia, Manicouagan, Montmagny—L’Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, and Papineau, for fiscal years 2020-21 and 2021-22, broken down by electoral district: (a) what is the total amount for each fiscal year; (b) what is the detai…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, the bill before us would amend two federal laws, the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act to provide that the perishable fruits and vegetables sold by a supplier to a purchaser, as well as the proceeds of sale of those fruits and vegetables, are to be held in trust by the purchaser for the supplier. What this bill would actually do is provide sp…
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Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on her enjoyable speech. We see that she is very passionate about the Canadian Armed Forces and their importance. I share her desire to support our veterans, especially the members of the armed forces who protect and serve us every day. There were some things missing from the last budget. The omissions were rather striking. We are currently experiencing a…
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Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech, and I commend him. We have a very serious situation right now, and that is the housing crisis. It is indisputable. The entire country is being impacted. Where I live, in the Lower St. Lawrence, in the riding of Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, the vacancy rate in the city of Rimouski is 0.4%. This is a serious situation. There…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-283. This legislation would allow a federal inmate to be sent to an addiction treatment facility. Under this legislation, the courts must assess these cases and ensure that certain eligibility requirements are met, including the following: Problematic substance use has contributed to the offender's involvement in the criminal justice system; the offen…
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Madam Speaker, I am very proud to represent the people of Rimouski‑Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, but I am most proud of their expertise. I am proud of those individuals and entrepreneurs who are successful and who contribute to my region's economic development. Specifically, I am talking about the people who make beer, so microbreweries and microdistilleries. The motion we are discussing today…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to funding applications submitted by researchers at Canada’s francophone and bilingual universities, broken down by granting agency (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada), by fiscal year from 1980–81 to 2021–22 and by university: (a) how many applications were submitted in…
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With regard to scientific research and publication in Canada: what strategic plans, measures, programs and mechanisms have been put in place within the three federal granting agencies (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) by the government in order to facilitate, ensure, promote or e…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, for the fourth time since 2011, my alma mater, the Université du Québec à Rimouski, or UQAR, has earned the distinction of ranking first among research universities in its class in Canada. This distinction is a testament to the quality and relevance of the scientific work of UQAR professors and students. It sends a clear signal to the best researchers that they can thrive and succee…
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Mr. Speaker, I listened closely to the speech by my colleague from Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier. The first thing he mentioned is that the Conservative Party of Canada was a great defender of cybersecurity. I want to remind him of the following. First, the member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier supported Jean Charest as a candidate in the Conservative leadership race. Jean Charest worked with the company …
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Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. The Bloc Québécois has often supported the need for the government to tighten cybersecurity controls. I am curious about the Conservative Party and I have a question for my colleague. There has been a lot of doubt and uncertainty concerning cyber-attacks and companies like Huawei. We know and people know that a former candidate for the …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. When we hear these stories, it is difficult to be indifferent to the situation. However, it is always ironic to hear the Conservatives say that they base their rational decisions on science, when we clearly know the relationship they have had with science in the past few years. My colleague stated that there is no proof and no science. However, t…
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Madam Speaker, I want to acknowledge my colleague, the member for Halifax, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. It is all well and good to use figures that suit the government. We are used to that with the Liberal government. My colleague mentioned that Canada is ranked second among G20 countries for foreign investment. That is excellent. We …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I touched on this subject briefly in my speech. People with foreign interests or economic interests coming to invest here do not always have our social investments at heart. She mentioned seniors' homes. I fully agree that we need to pay close attention in modernizing the bill, and we must consider that the interests of foreign investors will n…
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Madam Speaker, Bill C-34, an act to amend the Investment Canada Act, has good intentions. It seeks to improve controls and give the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry more authority over foreign investments in Canada. The Bloc Québécois fully supports this commitment to better protecting the economy of Quebec and Canada from foreign interests that may be harmful to us. The new review pro…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Winnipeg North for that good question. I like these concise questions that are on topic and are neither provocative nor arrogant. To answer my colleague's question, there are indeed several sectors. I am thinking about the biopharmaceutical sector in particular. In the early 2000s, there were a lot of pharmaceutical companies in Canada, primarily in Quebec.…
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Madam Speaker, this is a very interesting subject. We have to avoid the intellectual shortcuts that people sometimes take in the House. I sure appreciate the opportunity my colleague gave me. My colleague from Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères gave us a very good example. Rona was purchased by foreign interests, a company called Lowe's, not to name names. It was then resold for a pittance. Th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague for her speech. The Bloc Québécois fully supports complete transparency in federal public spending. As we know, the Senate of France conducted a study on the growing influence of consulting firms' relationships with various governments around the world and released a report containing recommendations. The report recommends more transparency, no secrecy, meanin…
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Lac‑Saint‑Jean on his excellent speech. It is hard to disagree with what he said. He started by pointing out that, whenever the Liberals are uncomfortable with a topic or are worried it might make them look bad or lose political points, they say now is not the time to debate it. Let us remember the last time there was an issue with contracts and the Li…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about a quality that the House occasionally lacks, genius. Astrophysicist René Doyon has just been named Radio-Canada's scientist of the year for his role in the design of the James Webb Space Telescope. Launched into space in 2021, this telescope, the most powerful ever launched, is revolutionizing our knowledge of the universe. It is amazing us all with its photos of …
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