Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, this is an interesting debate. Yesterday, I heard my leader ask the Prime Minister several questions about the throne speech. I also heard my colleague from Drummond ask, as my leader did yesterday, whether the Liberals or the Conservatives can offer any assurances that the measures resulting from the throne speech will be implemented with proper respect for the jurisdictions of Quebe…
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Mr. Speaker, the report on Islamophobia tabled by the Standing Committee on Justice yesterday recommends that the federal government implement all of the recommendations made by the Senate in 2023 regarding Islamophobia. However, the Senate's recommendations are an all-out attack on Quebec's secularism, which the Senate considers to be racist and Islamophobic. If this report is intended to combat …
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia. What our Conservative colleagues are essentially proposing is to turn back the clock and basically cancel Bill C-5, which already passed. They are doing so for all sorts of reasons that could be called fallacious, false or unfounded. First, Bill C-5 sought to do two things: repeal mandatory minimum p…
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Madam Speaker, I cannot add anything to what I have already said. The Supreme Court ruled on it. We found an alternative that was acceptable to the Supreme Court. The Conservatives, the Liberals and the New Democrats all voted against it. I do not understand what we are doing here today. I will take this opportunity to add that, instead of mandatory minimums, the Bloc Québécois is proposing in Bil…
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Madam Speaker, I would say that it is not a good idea to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of the public about the effectiveness of our justice system. That is not and never will be a good idea. Instead, we should seek to improve our institutions and improve the public's perception of them.
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Madam Speaker, I still believe that Bill C‑5 is a good bill with a good foundation. Unfortunately, the amendments we proposed were rejected, leaving us with provisions that are far from perfect. The point that my colleague raised is worrisome. However, I think we need to be careful when we look at justice statistics. We need to consider each case individually. When a court is seized with issue X i…
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Mr. Speaker, the situation is critical for Lion Electric, and the Prime Minister must keep his promise. In 2021, the Prime Minister personally visited Lion's plant to announce billions for the zero emission transit fund. The Prime Minister told Lion to prepare for a flood of bus orders from Canada. That never materialized, primarily because of the federal government's refusal to provide the full s…
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Mr. Speaker, “will” is in the future; by then, it will be too late. The Prime Minister made that promise not only to Lion Electric, but to all the company's workers, including the 400 workers who were just laid off, right before the holidays. Lion Electric took the Prime Minister at his word at the time. The company opened a second battery plant in Mirabel, hired people and made arrangements with …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by saying that the Bloc Québécois stands in solidarity with the workers who are losing their jobs at Lion Electric. It is the eleventh hour for the Quebec flagship of electric transportation, and Ottawa needs to intervene. Lion Electric believed the Prime Minister and his government when they came to its plant in 2021 and announced billions of dollars for the electrifi…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I am not a member of the NDP caucus, but, if I were, I would have a great deal of respect for our colleague, the member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke. I had the pleasure and privilege of serving with him on the Standing Committee on Justice over the past few years. I do not know him very well, but I can say for sure that he is a man of integrity, a dedicated man who always passionately …
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Mr. Speaker, last week, I introduced a bill on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, and, if it passes, it will really help fight organized crime. Not only does our bill establish a list of criminal organizations, but it also hits them where it hurts by making their members prove that their assets are not proceeds of crime. It reverses the burden of proof. It sends a clear message to criminals. Will the g…
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Mr. Speaker, the gang wars are in our streets. Gangs are taking hits out on journalists, killing innocent people by burning down businesses and shooting at each other in broad daylight. They are even killing each other in the federal prisons. What is the government doing? Where is the government? It is doing nothing. It is nowhere to be seen. The Liberals could send a strong message to the crimina…
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Madam Speaker, I heard some surprising things in our colleague's speech, but I admit that I am getting used to hearing surprising things in the House. However, I would like him to explain his thoughts on two things a bit better. First, he said that this bill has to do with essential goods and then listed a few. I saw that the goods covered under the bill include alcoholic drinks and video game con…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-420, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (criminal organizations and proceeds of crime). Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a bill today that aims to create a registry of criminal organizations. This idea has been raised in the House a number of times in recent years. This is the third time I personally have proposed it. The bill also includes provisions for…
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Mr. Speaker, it is easy, we just have to reverse the burden of proof. Let me reiterate today that the federal government has every interest in demonstrating that it takes the problem of organized crime seriously. The Americans are watching us. Our Bill C-420 makes it easier to lay charges against criminal gang members. It provides new tools to police officers for seizing the proceeds of crime befo…
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Mr. Speaker, today is a good time to tackle organized crime in our cities and at our borders. We need to hit criminals where it hurts: their wallets. This morning, the Bloc Québécois introduced Bill C-420 to create a registry of criminal organizations. Most importantly, we propose reversing the burden of proof when it comes to the proceeds of crime. We propose letting law enforcement freeze or sei…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, d'Adil Charkaoui is exhorting crowds to pray for Israel to be wiped off the map at protests where people are setting cars on fire and breaking shop windows. Protests in Montreal are becoming more and more violent, and the target of this violence is increasingly clear: Quebec's Jewish community. It is beyond intolerable that a human rights defender like Irwin Cotler has been threatened…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I always enjoy listening to my esteemed colleague. I have a great deal of respect for his judgment and his ability to have respectful and productive debates. However, I have some serious questions about the debate we are currently having. I tend to agree with the Conservatives that the government should hand over the documents that are required, for all sorts of reasons that have be…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, we mourn the passing of the Hon. Murray Sinclair on Monday, November 4. This former lawyer, judge and senator was best known for his role as the chair of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. After graduating from law school in 1979, the Hon. Murray Sinclair was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1980 and went on to become Manitoba's first indigenous judge, appointed in 1988. He wa…
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Mr. Speaker, the biggest problem with cellphones in prisons is that they allow gang leaders to continue their criminal activities from behind bars. Gangsters can order hits on their enemies, order businesses to be burned down and broker drug deals. In short, they can continue to pose a real threat to public safety from inside a federal prison. It has been documented. Everyone knows it. The ministe…
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Mr. Speaker, according to crime boss Gregory Woolley, who himself was murdered in a health centre parking lot in front of his wife and child, the Arab Power group is out of control and the next gang war is going to be a bloodbath. The bosses are incarcerated with nothing to lose. They run their criminal operations from federal prisons on illegal cellphones. We know it, the government knows it and …
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Mr. Speaker, one of the most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations is a group called Arab Power, and both of its leaders are rotting in federal penitentiaries. However, the leader, Youness Aithaqi, and his right-hand man, Sylvain Kabbouchi, are still running the operation from behind bars. Arson, protection rackets, murder—nothing is stopping these new criminal organizations, especially no…
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec is facing another gang war. It is a war between organized crime, which has been around for far too long, and new, less organized groups. These groups are recruiting young people, teenagers, to commit serious crimes. They are luring children into crime with the promise of a chance to change their lives and a fistful of dollars to boot. Once they are in that world, these children…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent speech. He started off by saying, and rightly so, that the Liberal government clearly did not want a foreign agent registry, just as it did not want an inquiry. The special rapporteur was appointed instead, and in November 2020, the House of Commons adopted a motion. We have been going in circles for the past three or four years. Now, on the othe…
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Mr. Speaker, that is not good enough. This gang war is affecting all of Quebec. In Montreal, two people died in a fire allegedly linked to extortion. In Frampton, a 14‑year‑old died, apparently trying to take on the Hells Angels, no less. In Quebec City and eastern Quebec, it has been open war for months. As early as September 20, the Quebec City police were warning other police forces that this w…
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Mr. Speaker, as we speak, three vehicles have been set on fire in three days in Ahuntsic. The federal government needs to realize that Quebec has been plunged into another gang war. This war is being waged by younger and younger gang members, who are practically child soldiers. It is a war that is taking innocent lives, like those of Léonor Geraudie and her seven-year-old daughter Vérane, who were…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean asked Liberal members a question twice, and we did not get an answer. That is a bit awkward for me because I think he is raising an important point. In 2020, the House adopted a motion to raise this issue and to call for a foreign agent registry because of foreign interference. The House called for that registry in November 2020. It is now 2024 and not…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. Protesting for peace in the Middle East and mourning the civilian death toll is legitimate, but shouting, “We are Hamas, we are Hezbollah” or “Death to Canada” in protest on October 7, as we saw in Vancouver, is despicable. This echoes the problems we are also hearing about in Quebec. The Bloc Québécois unreservedly condemns such statements. There is a difference, a g…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, an interim report of the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I also deplore the fact that important documents and information are being hidden. The Bloc Québécois deplores it as well. It is typical of our Liberal colleagues across the way, although I cannot explain why. We saw it with the WE Charity scandal. We saw it with SNC-Lavalin. We have seen it on I do not know how many occasions over the last two or three Parliaments. Right now, the pol…
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Madam Speaker, I see that this bill proposes transferring matters involving military tribunals to common law court judges. I agree in principle. I think it is an excellent idea, and it will solve a lot of problems. However, it will also add to the workload of the common law courts. Take the Superior Court, for example, which is already overwhelmed. Then there are the vacancies that I have repeated…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, not surprisingly, the Bloc Québécois is skeptical about this bill, to say the least. I already mentioned this during consideration at second reading. I want to say that I proposed an amendment, which was rejected, that would have allowed for reasonable force to be exerted in order to ensure the safety of a child or third party, or the education of a child. Today, I have no choice bu…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague a question. He just answered a question about the Supreme Court decision and indicated that it was constitutional. However, I would like to read an excerpt from that Supreme Court decision: The decision not to criminalize such conduct is not grounded in devaluation of the child, but in a concern that to do so risks ruining lives and breaking up famil…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, the subject of our debate today is important. The Bloc Québécois is concerned about it too. I read a lot about the events that have brought us here tonight and that occurred just about everywhere in Canada except Quebec. That being said, Quebec is not free from this type of violence and injustice. There have been cases like that of Sindy Ruperthouse. Unless I am mistaken, my colleague…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, we should give careful consideration to this bill and study it in committee. That said, neither the Bloc Québécois nor I are prepared to vote for it in its current form. Make no mistake: We need to tackle the problem of auto theft. In 2022, according to the reams of figures I have looked over, 10,595 car thefts were reported in Quebec. Over the same period, 70,000 were reported in Can…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, we have lost a great patriot. My friend Marcel Tessier, who shaped the imagination of Quebeckers for several decades, passed away on August 26. Some heard him sing opera with gusto. Others watched him charm audiences on television or read some of his books. The really lucky ones had him as a teacher. Without exception, anyone who spent time with him would be left spellbound, hanging o…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I would like to let my colleague continue answering the question. He is off to a great start. I would just say, after listening to the speeches over the past little while, I think almost all of us would agree that the situation that brings us here this evening is unacceptable and that more needs to be done. I also note that the report by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdere…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the April 7, 2021 decision of the former Minister of Justice, Hon. David Lametti, ordering a new trial for Jacques Delisle: (a) what are the details of all legal advice received by the former minister regarding the holding of a new trial, including, for each instance, (i) the identity of the person who provided the advice, (ii) the mandate conferred by the minister, (iii) the eviden…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, when the Bloc Québécois leader's office informed me that I would be delivering a speech in the House about Bill S‑224, I thought it was a joke, but it is not. Apparently I really have to do this. Bill S‑224 is quite simple. It contains a single clause. The committee worked hard on this. We heard from witnesses, and we ended up deciding to delete the clause in question as well as the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I welcome the remarks of my colleague opposite. I would like to know what his position is. There are some good things in this bill, but there is also the date change. Earlier my colleague from Montcalm asked a question about changing the date for a religious reason. I see two things here. First, the religious reason raises a number of questions. How many religions are there in Canad…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and, if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion—
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Mr. Speaker, Allah, take care of these Zionist aggressors. Allah, take care of the enemies of the people of Gaza. Allah, identify them all, then exterminate them. And don't spare any of them. That is what Adil Charkaoui said in Montreal on October 28, 2023. He did not suffer any consequences because, in Canada, the law allows a person to ask for the extermination of an entire people under the cove…
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Mr. Speaker, the government tells us that Canada is secular, but that is not true. The religious exemption is the opposite of secularism. It allows for the commission of a crime that would otherwise be punishable under the law. Hate speech incites violence. Is it normal to be able to hide behind a god? Should the Criminal Code include religious exemptions, as in the current case, that justify call…
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Mr. Speaker, there are two things I would like to point out about Bill C-69. First, there is the much-touted open banking system provided for in division 16 of the bill, which my colleague from Joliette mentioned earlier in his speech. That is a real problem for Quebec. Should the Leader of the Opposition become prime minister, I would like to know whether he will repeal that division in order to …
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois obviously supports Bill C‑20, but we have to wonder. Neither of the two former bills, Bill C‑3 or Bill C‑98 was prioritized by the government, so they died on the Order Paper. The next election campaign is fast approaching. Next winter will be the last before the next election. Can my colleague assure us that, this time, her government will make this bill a priority…
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Mr. Speaker, it seems as though the member intends to support this bill. Although I am not a member of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, it is my understanding that the Conservatives filibustered during the study of Bill C-20. That being said, I would like to ask my colleague whether his party really intends to make this issue a priority. If his party does take office …
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec's justice minister informed us in March that there had been 109 stays of proceedings for unreasonable delays in Quebec alone last year. How can we expect the public to have confidence in our justice system when the course of justice is being impeded? We have been sounding the alarm for years now about this government's careless attitude when it comes to appointing judges. There…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is obviously in favour of holding trials within a reasonable time, but when people charged with murder or other crimes against the person escape justice due to the backlog in our courts, we are not on board. The minister's statistics aside, releasing violent, dangerous people because there happens to be a shortage of judges has serious consequences on public safety …
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think that the leader of the Bloc Québécois has any designs on leading Quebec, but we shall see. I will leave it to him to respond to that. We do not want to further tax people in order to provide them services. We want efficiency. We want every penny paid by Quebeckers in taxes, whether to Quebec City or Ottawa, to be used 100% efficiently. There is a captain of health and t…
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Mr. Speaker, today's motion reads as follows: That the House: (a) condemn the federal government's repeated intrusion into the exclusive jurisdictions of Quebec, the provinces and the territories; (b) remind the Prime Minister that, despite his claims, it is not true that “people do not care which level of government is responsible for what”; and (c) demand that the government systematically offer…
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