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Parliamentary Speeches

339 speeches by Richard Martel — Page 2 of 7

2025-06-11
Steel and Aluminum Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, industry, businesses and workers in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean are hurting because of American tariffs on steel and aluminum, which have now reached 50%. Hundreds of jobs in Saguenay are at risk. I would remind the House that the Prime Minister was elected on a promise to stand up to Trump. On top of that, he was supposed to raise $20 billion through countertariffs. Now we have learned t…

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2025-06-10
National Defence
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Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, it is hard for me to find the words to describe how badly mismanaged the F-35 procurement process has been. Costs are skyrocketing. The cost is now nearly $30 billion. There is a shortage of pilots and technicians. This has been discussed since 2018. The construction of the facilities is behind schedule and the completion date is now 2031. This government is always behind schedule. Is…

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2025-06-10
National Defence
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Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, we know how things work on the other side: incompetence gets rewarded. Today's Auditor General's report reveals that the budget for our F‑35s has increased by 50% more than anticipated. The initial project costs submitted by National Defence in 2022 were based on 2019 data. Additionally, the construction of infrastructure for the F‑35s in Bagotville and Cold Lake is three years behind…

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2025-06-09
National Defence
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of Liberal rule, our fighter jets are at the end of their service life, our ships are outdated and our troops are exhausted. We are short 13,000 troops. Recruitment and morale among our military personnel have never been lower. Over the past decade, the Liberals have slashed $12 billion from defence and cut the military budget. The Liberals have turned their backs on ou…

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2025-06-05
Steel and Aluminum Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the aluminum tariffs imposed by President Trump are unjustified. It is an attack on our economy and on workers in that industry. The Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean region has four aluminum smelters that account for 32% of Canadian aluminum production. The Prime Minister told us that he was the man for this situation and that he had a plan, but the reality is that the tariffs have gotten wors…

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2025-06-04
Steel and Aluminum Industry
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Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was elected on a promise to Canadians that he would stand up to President Trump. He also said that he was the right man for the job in a trade war situation. Aluminum is a major sector in Saguenay, and it has been hit with an unjustified 50% tariff. We know the Liberals. They say things, but they cannot keep their promises. Was the Prime Minister's entire election c…

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2025-06-02
Canada-U.S. Relations
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Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, aluminum workers in our Saguenay region are very concerned. The Prime Minister promised Canadians that he would stand up to the Americans and their tariffs, yet President Trump is once again threatening to impose a 50% increase. Meanwhile, the Liberal government has reduced tariffs on American products to almost zero, but the Prime Minister assured us that the government would take in…

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2025-06-02
Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
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Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, many Canadians voted for the Prime Minister because they thought he would stand up to President Trump, but he did away with countertariffs on American products in short order. He also said he would be more fiscally responsible, but his spending estimates are even bigger than those of his predecessor. He talks like a Conservative, but governs like Justin Trudeau. He says one thing, the…

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2025-05-28
Natural Resources
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Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, throughout the campaign, the Prime Minister tried to convince everyone that he was open to new energy projects, but he never clearly said that he plans to repeal the law stemming from Bill C-69, a Liberal anti-development law that would scrap the GNL Québec project. The majority of Quebeckers want pipelines. The people of Saguenay want GNL Québec. We need it to reduce our dependence o…

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2024-12-17
Finance
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Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his ministers, his MPs and Canadians. As if the $40‑billion anchor were not enough, he hits us with a $62‑billion debt in his economic statement. Canadians are paying more in interest on the debt than for health transfers. He is desperately hanging onto power. Enough is enough. When will there be an election?

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2024-12-17
Finance
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of his ministers, his MPs and Canadians, yet he still clings to power. After nine years of economic vandalism and inflationary spending, he has built up more debt than all his predecessors combined. As a result, Canadians are now paying $53.7 billion in interest charges on the debt. That is more money than the health transfers. Will the Prime…

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2024-12-12
Finance
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister has completely lost control over spending and his ministers. He is imposing drastic increases and sacrificing his own Minister of Finance to replace her with a man by the name of Mark Carney, who is not even elected. Canadians, who are already victims of the disastrous management of this government, are suffering the consequences of the deficit. Can the Prime Minis…

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2024-12-12
Finance
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister has lost control of his finances and of his cabinet. We all know that he and the Minister of Finance are quarrelling. She promised Canadians that the deficit would not exceed $40 billion. That was her fiscal guardrail. When someone goes over a guardrail, they do not just stop—they fall right off the cliff. Can the Prime Minister assure us that the deficit will not …

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2024-12-05
Business of Supply
0

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, my colleague expresses himself very well. He is a university professor. He is well-spoken, but it is clear that his party is having a hard time with the fact that it has never been in power. That much is obvious. We all know the next government will be a Conservative government. When people attack a party, it is because that party will be the next to govern. We know the Bloc Québécois…

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2024-12-05
Business of Supply
0

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois says it supports the motion calling on the government to provide the documents related to the $400-million scandal. The other opposition parties also support it. All the opposition parties want the government to hand over the documents to the law clerk of the House so that he can pass them on to the RCMP. The Bloc Québécois can also put an end to the filibuster, whi…

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2024-12-02
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned of yet another sawmill that is about to close. It is Rapides-des-Joachims' turn, in Pontiac, to pay the price for the Liberal government's weakness. Ten per cent of the population of the village has just found out that they are about to lose their jobs. The economic impact will be devastating. The community could easily become a ghost town, like Sacré-Coeur aft…

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2024-12-02
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, 23 workers are being laid off, but how many more indirect jobs are also on the chopping block in a village of 188 residents? The prospect of the village becoming a ghost town is real, all because of the Liberal government's failure to secure a softwood lumber agreement. This is the fourth Quebec sawmill in just a few months to announce its closure. Our workers need a strong leader. Wh…

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2024-11-28
Public Safety
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Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, Canada's violent crime rate is 14% higher than that of the United States. Again this week, the media reported that a woman was kidnapped, beaten and strangled in Val‑d'Or, in Abitibi. This government has abandoned victims with the full support of the Bloc Québécois, which voted in favour of Bill C‑5, a bill that allows violent criminals to serve their sentence while they sit at home w…

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2024-11-26
U.S. Tariffs on Canadian Products
0

Emergency Debate

Madam Speaker, I wish to inform you that I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Dufferin—Caledon. I rise in the House today with great concern for the future of our economy, particularly in the key sectors of aluminum and softwood lumber, which are essential to the prosperity of Quebec and our regions. These industries support thousands of families and workers in Quebec. However, today, …

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2024-11-26
U.S. Tariffs on Canadian Products
0

Emergency Debate

Madam Speaker, what worries me about this government is our Prime Minister's credibility in relation to President-elect Trump. We are very concerned, and I think the credibility is not there. The way our Prime Minister negotiates is another concern. It seems to me that he is always a step behind, always reacting to events. We saw that in many files. In fact, when CUSMA was negotiated, the American…

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2024-11-26
U.S. Tariffs on Canadian Products
0

Emergency Debate

Madam Speaker, I do not think my colleague's question is a bad one, but it is one thing that bugs me a little when it comes to the forestry sector. My colleague seems to have a lot of fun doing round tables and sending out press releases, but when it comes to defending the forestry sector here in Ottawa, we never see him. He has meetings in the region, but we do not see him here in Ottawa. He has …

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2024-11-26
U.S. Tariffs on Canadian Products
0

Emergency Debate

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague. He is someone I respect a lot. There is one thing I do not understand about his side, however, and that is why it supported this government's inflationary spending. The food banks are full and people are struggling to pay their mortgages at the end of the month. I remember one thing very clearly. After nine years of this government, there has been no agreement …

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2024-11-25
Rouge et Or Football Team
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Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Université Laval's Rouge et Or football team on winning the 59th Vanier Cup. Once again, after taking home the prestigious Vanier Cup for the 12th time, this team has proven to be a powerhouse of Canadian university football. The Rouge et Or has shown that success is a matter of strategy, teamwork, and unfailing resilience. Its performance was nothing short …

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2024-11-20
Forestry Industry
0

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, I really fear for our forestry workers, who are dedicated to their profession. Many have already lost their jobs, and now another 1,400 forestry workers in Lac‑Saint‑Jean and on the north shore are directly threatened because of a federal decree that the Minister of Environment wants to impose. What is the member for Jonquière doing about this? Nothing. He has not asked a single quest…

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2024-11-19
Committees of the House
0

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, again, we have to be very vigilant about forced labour in our Canadian supply chains. It is extremely important and I share my colleague's opinion. The fact remains that we are talking about China, which is sending us goods produced with forced labour. That is unfair to Canadian companies. We still wonder how our neighbours, the Americans, can already have intercepted thousands of shi…

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2024-11-19
Committees of the House
0

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address an issue that is increasingly pressing, not only in terms of human rights, but also for Canada's economic future: forced labour in our supply chains. This scourge directly affects the goods that enter our market, specifically products from China, a country where forced labour practices are well documented but where efforts to end those practices remain inadequa…

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2024-11-19
Committees of the House
0

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I think we have to be very vigilant about forced labour. We have to ensure that our actions are ethical. I would like to remind my colleague of something. I doubt he wants to talk about his government's inaction, but I want to mention the unfair practices that are being used abroad, internationally. Absolutely nothing has been done since 2023, and we are not protecting our market. I t…

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2024-11-19
Committees of the House
0

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I think it is very important to be vigilant when it comes to forced labour in our Canadian supply chain. Again, we need to protect our market from products from China. This government has not done anything about that, even though there have been calls to take action since 2023. Unfair practices are being used, and they are undermining our Canadian market.

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2024-11-07
The Environment
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Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the carbon tax is going up, and greenhouse gas emissions are going up too. The Liberals have a tax plan, not an environmental plan. Since they introduced the carbon tax, Canada has fallen to 62nd place out of 67 countries in the climate performance index. Meanwhile, the Minister of Environment is burning fuel to go and talk about climate change at COP. The Liberals care more about the…

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2024-11-05
International Trade
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, after nine years under this government and three U.S. presidents, we still do not have a softwood lumber agreement with the United States. The previous Conservative prime minister resolved this issue within 80 days of being elected. This shows incompetence and a lack of leadership on the Prime Minister's part. Three sawmills in Quebec have closed in the past few months, including the …

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2024-11-04
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, after nine years and three U.S. presidents, the Prime Minister has failed to negotiate a softwood lumber agreement. He has failed where the previous Conservative prime minister succeeded 80 days after he was elected. After the closure of the Maniwaki sawmill and the one in Mauricie, now we find out that the Petit Paris sawmill in Saint‑Ludger‑de‑Milot had to close its doors a day earl…

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2024-11-04
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I will reiterate that there have been three U.S. presidents, one after the other. Nine years later, the Liberal Prime Minister still has not managed to negotiate a softwood lumber agreement. It is pure incompetence and an obvious lack of leadership. Three sawmills have had to close their doors in a matter of months. The latest one is in Saint‑Ludger‑de‑Milot, a village of 600 people. …

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2024-10-31
The Economy
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the food bank back home, Moisson Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean, reports that there is twice as much demand as there was three years ago. In total, there are 76 requests for help every month. More and more locals are fighting to keep their head above water. What is the Bloc Québécois doing? It is doing absolutely nothing. It has not made any gains for Quebec. Why do the leader of the Bloc Qu…

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2024-10-31
The Economy
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, today is Halloween. After nine years of the Liberals, food banks are swamped. In just three years, demand has shot up by 107% in my region. That is 76 requests a month. People who used to donate food are now lining up to receive some, all because of this government's obsession with taxing everything from gas to food and beyond. The Bloc Québécois is going along with it. By voting twic…

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2024-10-22
Privilege
0

Orders of the Day

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his comments. What I would like to know is whether he still has confidence in his Prime Minister.

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2024-10-22
Privilege
0

Orders of the Day

Madam Speaker, that is a good question. That is why we are wondering why the Bloc Québécois is keeping this government in power. That is what we are having a hard time with. It would be really easy to bring down this government and trigger an election if we had the Bloc Québécois's support once in a while.

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2024-10-22
Privilege
0

Orders of the Day

Madam Speaker, there is also the matter of public confidence. Canadians are growing increasingly frustrated with this government's lack of accountability. Every day, they tell me that they no longer have confidence in this government. I think that an election should be called as soon as possible for the good of the House.

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2024-10-22
The Economy
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, back home, the number of people asking for help at Moisson Saguenay—Lac‑St‑Jean is soaring. However, the Bloc continues to support this incompetent government and ignores the real problems facing Quebeckers. As we know, the Bloc Québécois is no longer a party of the regions. Families in the Saguenay are desperate. Their situation is becoming more and more precarious because of the ris…

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2024-10-22
Privilege
0

Orders of the Day

Madam Speaker, I think it is actually my colleague who does not care about her constituents, since she is the one who reached an agreement with the current government to keep propping it up and accepting its inflationary spending. Then, by just rubber-stamping everything the government was doing, despite how difficult things are in Canada, her party was not honest with Canadians, in my opinion.

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2024-10-22
Privilege
0

Orders of the Day

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague. Forestry workers are very worried right now. I think that the government has not done much for the forestry sector. If not for all the waste and all these scandals, I think there would have been enough money to set aside for forest management and to take care of the forestry sector a bit. I think that Canadians need to know the truth. We want to have th…

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2024-10-22
Privilege
0

Orders of the Day

Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the Speaker's decision concerning the production of documents related to the scandal surrounding Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or SDTC, as ordered by the House. The House ordered the production of documents concerning this scandal so that they could be turned over to the law clerk and, potentially, to authorities for investigation. The process is…

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2024-10-22
Privilege
0

Orders of the Day

Madam Speaker, it is rather surprising to hear my colleague say all those things when Canada has not been doing well at all since this government took office. I remember that, in the beginning, when the economy was doing really well, this government continued to invest in infrastructure, even though the business owners were saying that they did not need that money. They said that they did not even…

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2024-10-22
Privilege
0

Orders of the Day

Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question, but that is not what this debate is about. Today's discussion is about the fact that the government has redacted documents, in typical Liberal fashion. It has blocked investigations and protected wrongdoers. We want to see these documents. That is what today's debate is about.

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2024-10-21
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the Petit Paris sawmill in Saint‑Ludger‑de‑Milot shut down a day earlier than planned, putting 100 workers out of a job. After the Liberal government's incompetence in negotiating the softwood lumber agreement, now the Minister of Environment is adding insult to injury with his order, which will kill 1,400 jobs. As everyone knows, the Bloc Québécois is no longer a party that defends t…

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2024-10-09
Forestry Industry
0

Statements by Members

Mr. Speaker, I am very concerned for our regional forestry worker. The Liberals, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, are threatening the regions with an order that will kill 1,400 jobs, at the very least. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change's decision will seriously jeopardize the survival of our regions, and yet the minister could not even be bothered to go and meet with them. What…

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2024-10-01
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment's emergency order is an attack on forestry workers in some 30 communities. It will be a disaster. It will kill at least 1,400 jobs, destroy lives and devastate the economy of Quebec's regions. The Bloc Québécois voted once again to keep this government in power. This illustrates how out of touch they are with the realities of our regions. Is the “Liberal Bl…

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2024-10-01
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, Quebec's environment minister is in Ottawa today. Like all Canadians, he is completely at a loss to explain the reason for imposing an order in council that will throw our workers out on the street. Like the Conservatives, he is calling on the government to immediately withdraw this threat and leave Quebec's jurisdictions to Quebec. On this issue, the Bloc Québécois, which claims to b…

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2024-09-26
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, Quebec forestry workers work hard, but they always get the short end of the stick from this Liberal government, which is backed by the Bloc Québécois. The threat of an order that will kill at least 1,400 jobs is still looms large, since the Bloc Québécois voted yet again to keep this government in power. The forestry sector is vital to our regions, and the Bloc Québécois is no longer …

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2024-09-26
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, this morning, we found out that the sawmill in Mauricie and the one in Maniwaki are closing. Some 280 workers are out of work once again because of the failure by an incompetent government on the softwood lumber agreement. It is not over. More sawmills will close their doors after the Minister of Environment and Climate Change imposes his order that will kill at least 1,400 jobs. Enti…

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2024-09-24
Forestry Industry
0

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the Minister of Environment that no amount of money can compensate for lost jobs, shattered lives and a social crisis. That is what the order is going to cause in my region. What the Bloc Québécois calls a gain is actually a temporary measure until Christmas. We know that the Bloc Québécois is no longer a party of the regions. It is important to understand that …

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