Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, after nearly 75 years, a chapter in history is coming to a close. Like so many Canadians, I remember how my family and I would be glued to the screen on Saturday evenings, watching the Montreal Canadiens led by Lecavalier, Garneau and Pagé. When I was a coach, I watched Hockey Night in Canada. The brand remains a national legend, and its iconic theme song became our second national an…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Prime Minister claims that the cost of living has never been better. However, that is not what the CBC is reporting. More than 15,000 Canadians have set up GoFundMe campaigns to pay for their basic needs. Meanwhile, I am not convinced the Prime Minister is tightening his belt. He spent nearly $1 million on catering for just 14 trips, all at the expense of taxpayers who are…
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Mr. Speaker, under this Liberal Prime Minister, Canada is the only G20 country in a recession. The Parliamentary Budget Officer's report confirms that the deficit could be as high as $72 billion in 2026. Meanwhile, Canadians' purchasing power has stagnated since 2015. For Quebeckers, that means that groceries, mortgages and gas are more expensive. Are these technical bills, or will the Prime Minis…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are throwing out all sorts of statistics to make us believe things are going well. However, it is always the same story: higher costs, higher taxes, more debt and more credit card spending. For me, the real statistics are what I see when I am out in my community. People constantly tell me they have to make choices just to put food on the table and pay the rent, something …
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Mr. Speaker, it is an important question. If the Liberals truly want to help families and seniors, then they should start by closing the open bar in Ottawa. The Prime Minister is being irresponsible with Canadians' money. The interest on the Liberal debt will cost more than $53 billion this year. That is money that is not going to seniors, that is not helping families and that is not going to the …
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians have $1.475 trillion on the national credit card. Because of the Liberal debt, seniors have to choose between groceries and medication, and young families cannot afford a home. Despite this Liberal Prime Minister's illusions, it is always the same thing. He is just another costly Liberal. When will he stop governing for bankers and start governing for Canadians?
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Mr. Speaker, let us not be fooled. What we have with this Liberal Prime Minister is higher costs, higher taxes, more debt and more money on the credit card. It is always the same thing. He is just another costly Liberal. The Liberal debt has now reached $1.475 trillion. Meanwhile, according to Le Journal de Montréal, one in three Quebeckers is going into debt to eat. Will the Prime Minister take t…
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Mr. Speaker, it makes no difference who the Liberal Prime Minister is. It is always the same old, same old. While this government continues to rack up debt, raise costs and increase taxes, our pensioners are struggling to find decent housing. According to a poll in the weekend paper, more than half of Quebeckers aged 50 and over are afraid they will run out of money in retirement. When will the Pr…
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Mr. Speaker, on March 25, the Prime Minister told Canadians that the cost of living is better than it has been in a decade. I would like to remind him that, since 2015, the average price of homes has gone up by 51%, the price of food has gone up by 42% and the price of gas has gone up by 62%. What is more, the data confirms that food inflation in Canada remains the highest in the G7. When will the…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister spent the weekend repeating the same speech and the same promises. The problem is that Liberal taxes have raised the cost of gas to be 20% higher for Canadians than it is for Americans. Everyone knows that when gas is expensive, everything is expensive. Canada has the worst food inflation in the G7. Why do the Liberals not listen to us and give families some room to…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals would have us believe that they listen to people's concerns, but Canadians' reality suggests otherwise. In Saguenay, the price of a duplex has climbed 24% in the past year, and a Desjardins study suggests that things are going to get worse. Young people want to own their own home, but they see no light at the end of the tunnel. When will the Liberal government put more mo…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague and my Bloc Québécois colleague. I think they are doing great work. We also see that this is not a political issue. It is an issue that people really want to see resolved. I know that my colleague is close to his constituents. The Liberals seem oblivious to what is happening on the ground. I would like to ask my colleague whether any constit…
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Mr. Speaker, business representatives from Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean are here in Ottawa because they cannot wait any longer. The Prime Minister was supposed to reach an agreement on aluminum tariffs with the Trump administration. One year later, there is nothing, nada. Meanwhile, 57,000 jobs were lost in Quebec in February. Workers in the aluminum industry are paying the price. Contracts are disappe…
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Mr. Speaker, the rising cost of living is hitting my constituents, Quebeckers and Canadians hard.
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Mr. Speaker, the rising cost of living is hitting my constituents, Quebeckers and Canadians hard. We have the worst food inflation in the G7. Despite this, the Liberals are determined to make life even more difficult by increasing the fuel tax, which is going up from 7¢ per litre to 17¢ per litre. That leads to higher prices for our farmers and our carriers. When will the government put an end, on…
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Mr. Speaker, $5 billion is appalling. That is how much more Cúram is going to cost taxpayers. For the Liberals, that is perfectly normal. Worse still, it is impossible to get information on the private external consultants to whom most of this money is being paid. This lack of transparency has become the norm over the past 10 years. This is the federal version of the SAAQclic fiasco, except that i…
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Mr. Speaker, the new Cúram software for managing OAS benefits is a complete disaster. Not only has it exceeded its projected costs, but it works so poorly that employees themselves give it a rating of 5 out of 10 or less. According to one employee, if the department had listened to public servants, they could have developed a system that was a thousand times easier to use. Why should seniors suffe…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to La Baie native Valérie Maltais for bringing home Canada's first medal of the Milano Cortina Olympics by winning bronze in the 3,000-metre long track last Saturday. This Olympic medal puts Saguenay, Quebec and Canada on the map. Valérie was named Speed Skating Canada's female athlete of the year in both short track and long track, and sh…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised that Canada would see the strongest growth in the G7. One year later, nothing has been done to reduce red tape and no anti-development policies have been fixed. There are more and more barriers, and investment is slowing down. According to Bloomberg, Canada's economy is on life support. Workers are feeling the pinch. Will the Prime Minister finally unveil a…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals told us that they wanted to fast-track major projects. That is why we voted in favour of Bill C-5. Today, we see that absolutely nothing has changed. No barriers have been removed. Red tape continues to slow things down, and permits are still not being issued in a timely manner. That is why the Conservatives are proposing the Canadian sovereignty act so that we can export…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that we should judge him by the cost of groceries. Eight months later, grocery prices are skyrocketing and families are struggling to put food on the table. Canada's Food Price Report 2026 shows that the situation is only going to get worse. Back home in Saguenay, the Corporation de développement communautaire du Roc, which is made up of 70 community organizati…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals need to stop burying their heads in the sand and look at what is happening on the ground. The majority of requests now come from families where both parents work. It is not just single parents anymore. This is alarming. The annual food price report predicts every family will be paying an additional $1,000 per year for food. This is one of the largest increases ever seen. …
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Mr. Chair, we can talk about the assistance measures the government is offering. First of all, they are never for the regions and they are never for our small businesses. Who gets hit the hardest in all this? It is the supply chain. It is the people who cut the wood, bring it to the sawmill, and go into debt to pay for machinery. Today, they are getting hit very hard. The government's assistance m…
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Mr. Chair, we know that this agreement was not renewed in the past 10 years. I would like my colleague to tell me how important the forestry sector is to the prosperity of his community. How is the sector important to his riding?
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Mr. Chair, the issue I have with this government is that, during the election campaign, the current Prime Minister told everyone that he was the right man for the job of negotiating. I remember that very well. He was proud to say so. People believed him and now they are disappointed. They are still waiting. Absolutely nothing has been accomplished since he came to power. People's disappointment is…
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Mr. Chair, I would like to ask my colleague why he thinks the Liberals have not reached an agreement after governing the country for 10 years.
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Madam Chair, I rise today with a heavy heart for 25 families in Petit-Saguenay, a community of 600 people in my riding whose sawmill closed its doors. Twenty-five fathers and mothers are going home not knowing how they will pay for groceries and rent at the end of the month. I am also thinking of all the other sawmills, workers and communities that have gone through this same nightmare since the a…
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Mr. Chair, what I find difficult about all this is that, in the 10 years this government has been in power, no agreement has been negotiated and three American presidents have come and gone. On top of that, Mr. Trudeau was apparently on very good terms with Mr. Obama. There is absolutely no will to address this issue, and that is what the forestry industry is criticizing. Does the government reall…
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Mr. Speaker, since this Prime Minister took office, not only are aluminum tariffs still in place, but they have doubled. He seems to forget that Quebec produces 90% of all Canadian aluminum. In my region of Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, that means 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. Those workers need that income to pay for housing and food. How can the Prime Minister not care?
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Mr. Speaker, during the last election campaign, the Prime Minister boasted about being a great negotiator and said he would settle the tariffs by July 21. Today is November 24. Negotiations have stalled. Worse still, when asked if there had been any new discussions, he replied that he did not care and that there was no urgency. The aluminum workers, however, do care. Will the Prime Minister be abl…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is using his budget like a credit card with no spending limit. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the government has no fiscal anchors left. In my riding, the Petit‑Saguenay sawmill is closing and 25 workers are losing their jobs. Families have no clue how they are going to pay their bills. In the meantime, the Prime Minister is spending like there is n…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised to negotiate a softwood lumber agreement with the Americans. Today the forestry sector is threatened with tariffs of up to 55%. In my riding of Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean, 55% tariffs mean 8,000 jobs are at risk and families who will not be able to pay their bills at the end of the month. Our workers deserve better. Since this Prime Minister took office, tarif…
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Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister took office, U.S. tariffs on lumber were 14%. Then they rose to 35%. Now they are 45%, not to mention the possible additional 10% that is coming. Back home in Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean, that represents $910 million in wages for our workers. Not only did the Prime Minister fail to negotiate an agreement, but tariffs have tripled since he took office. Why is the Pr…
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Mr. Speaker, food banks in Canada reported a record 2.2 million visits in a single month. The CEO of Food Banks Canada has said that poverty and hunger have become normalized in Canada. People are stopping at food banks on their way home from work instead of going to the grocery store. Inflationary deficits are driving up the cost of food. Why does the Prime Minister continue to spend more and mor…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's economy is weakening at the fastest rate among G7 nations. The Prime Minister promised to negotiate a win with President Trump. Ultimately, after all the compromises that were made, workers in the softwood lumber industry are the biggest losers. The Prime Minister returned empty-handed from Washington. Even worse, softwood lumber was not even on his list of priorities. The Pr…
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Mr. Speaker, tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber have doubled since this Prime Minister took office. The Forest Products Association of Canada has sounded the alarm. It said, “With over 200,000 direct jobs at stake, sector calls on the Government of Canada to bring the same urgency to lumber as it has to steel, aluminum...”. Why is the Prime Minister abandoning the 200,000 forestry sector workers …
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Mr. Speaker, I am incredibly proud to announce that the scientific research on Atlantic halibut in the Saguenay Fjord is now complete and we are expecting a final report by the end of October. The spectacular images that have come out of this project have sparked global enthusiasm and have been viewed millions of times around the world. This exceptional visibility has fuelled the creativity of our…
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Mr. Speaker, people from the Saguenay aluminum sector are expecting results. As everyone back home knows, the Prime Minister was elected on a promise that he was the right man for the job of negotiating with the Americans. Since his election, tariffs have doubled. Despite mounting concessions, companies are still adrift in uncertainty and Canada's in a more vulnerable position than ever. What is t…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that the deficit has doubled, that $54 billion in investments has left this country and that 86,000 workers have lost their jobs. Canada is far from being the G7 country with the best economy. It is in last place. We need to create wealth, but we are not competitive with this government in power. The Prime Minister promised to remove all tariffs on everything…
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Mr. Speaker, the aluminum sector in Saguenay has been suffering even more ever since the new Liberal Prime Minister took office. We know that there will be a meeting with President Trump tomorrow. To get elected, the Prime Minister clearly told Canadians that he was the right man for negotiating with the Americans. Today we see that the tariffs have doubled. Does the Prime Minister finally plan to…
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In 1971, after playing only six games in the NHL, Ken Dryden won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded to the best players in the playoffs. That was the first of six Stanley Cups won in an eight-year career with the Montreal Canadiens. The following year, he was named rookie of the year, a feat that has never been matched. He is well known for his characteristic stance, lean…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Bloc and the Liberals voted against our motion to end the ban on gas-powered vehicles. They want to impose their way of life on everyone, but they do not understand people's reality. This ban would penalize regions like mine and many others. In Saguenay, it is cold, and public transit is less readily available than in big cities. We need our gas-powered vehicles. Why do…
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Mr. Speaker, the average price of a new car is already $66,000. The Liberals want to put a tax on gas-powered cars, which will increase the price by $20,000. The people of Saguenay should have the freedom to choose the vehicle that meets their needs at an affordable price and not be forced to drive an electric vehicle. Many people need gas-powered pickups to go into the woods and work. People want…
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Madam Speaker, we have the strictest environmental standards, and work is often duplicated. That is why we are having a hard time getting economic development projects off the ground, because they take forever. Here in Canada, we have not had a project for a long time, because it takes 10 or 15 years to get off the ground. Meanwhile, other countries manage it in three years, four years or even two…
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Madam Speaker, it is always an honour for me to rise in the House to represent the people of Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, who entrusted me with a fourth term on April 28. As is always the case in the Saguenay region, the election campaign was difficult, first because there was a bit of a Liberal wave and, second, because it is a fertile riding for the Bloc Québécois. It was a struggle every day. Once agai…
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As I was saying, our region is ready. It is not the region that is lagging behind, but instead, it is Ottawa that is holding it back. We are not asking for special treatment. We are simply asking to be allowed to get on with our work, to be given the resources to achieve our ambitions, to have projects assessed quickly, and to have clear, stable and predictable rules. Our vision is simple: We want…
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Madam Speaker, we have the weakest economy in the G7. There are not enough projects in Canada. We have been talking about this for a long time. It takes wealth. We need to create wealth to be able to make the transition. Going green is expensive. If we cannot create wealth at home, how are we going to improve our technologies and expand our recycling industries? Roadblocks are constantly being thr…
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Madam Speaker, that is a very good question. I think that money should go back to our constituents. There was a very big problem, which we identified. We are forcing the government to give that money back to our constituents. Again, I would like to thank my colleague for raising this issue.
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Mr. Speaker, we have learned that Canadian production of critical minerals could drop by nearly 60% in 2040. It is not really surprising. Mining projects in Canada under the Liberals take forever to develop. However, Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean has exceptional geological potential, including phosphate. Since 2018, we have been working to include it on the list of critical minerals. Why are the Liberal…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have no foresight, and they do not care about their exorbitant budgetary spending. After 10 years of unacceptable and avoidable delays, we are now facing the real possibility that Canada will not have operational fighter jets. We know that our CF‑18s will reach the end of their useful life in 2032 and that the delivery date for our F‑35s is uncertain. How is it that the L…
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