Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are having a very hard time dealing with inflation. Some have had to make changes to their diets to save money on food, while others are skipping meals to make ends meet, and yet we clearly warned the government that racking up $500 billion in deficits in two years would have repercussions. The Prime Minister did not listen and, once again, did as he pleased. What is…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the government taxation policies and the statement by the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance during Oral Questions on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, “That is real money in the pockets of real Canadians”: what is the minister's definition of a real Canadian?
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Madam Speaker, the Liberals' economic update does not deal with the cost of living crisis. We certainly warned the government that a $500‑billion deficit, $205 billion of which is unjustifiable, would have a direct impact on Canadians. This is cause and effect. The Prime Minister did not listen to us, and as a result, we are seeing the worst inflation in 40 years. Will he listen to us this time an…
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Madam Speaker, no matter what my colleague says, this does not address inflation, which is the highest it has been in 40 years. It is no wonder that 1.5 million Canadians turned to food banks in one month alone. The Prime Minister tried to make up for it yesterday with the economic update. The problem, however, is that it does not address the cost of living crisis. Can the Liberals fix their econo…
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Mr. Speaker, 20% of Canadians are skipping at least one meal a week to save money, and 1.5 million Canadians used food banks in just one month. How did things get so bad? It is because of this government's mismanagement, which created inflationary deficits year after year. After all, it is not surprising, given that monetary policy is not part of the Prime Minister's vocabulary. Can the Prime Mini…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals need to stop making excuses and start taking responsibility. They attacked the Canadian energy sector, and now the price of gas is nearly $2 a litre, and winter is not even here yet. On top of that, Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada, told a Senate committee recently that inflation in Canada is domestically generated by the Canadian government. Inflation i…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are downgrading their lifestyles because of Liberal inflation. They can no longer live comfortably on their income. What is worse, some of them are no longer able to put enough food on the table. In a single month, Canadians visited food banks 1.5 million times. That is an increase of 35% compared to 2019. That is unacceptable in a country as industrialized as ours. When wil…
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Mr. Speaker, the former emergency preparedness minister politicized the criminal inquiry into the largest mass killing in Canada's history. There is no use denying it, the evidence is there. It is serious. He put pressure on the RCMP commissioner to disclose sensitive information so he could advance the Liberal agenda, although he was advised that it could hurt the investigation. Today, I have the…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have mismanaged our national debt. They counted on low interest rates to continue spending. Now they will have to tax people and tax them again to make it all work. After undermining our energy sector, the government was unable to adequately prepare for the global economic shock. Inflation is devastating families, and people have no money and no breathing room. Will the L…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, coaching a sports team requires a great deal of hard work, perseverance, commitment and sacrifice, without even knowing whether all these efforts will ever pay off. Those efforts did pay off last weekend for Glen Constantin, the head coach of Laval University's Rouge et Or football team. He set the record as the all-time “winningest” coach on the Canadian university circuit after secu…
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Mr. Speaker, there were more homicides in the greater Montreal area in 2021 than in the past 10 years, and this year is shaping up to be even worse. Last week, the authorities found a body in a recycling bin. In August, there was a triple homicide. Last week, a man was stabbed in the Beaudry metro station. Why does the government want to get rid of minimum sentences and make things better for crim…
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Mr. Speaker, the streets of Montreal are like a violent video game where the mission is to shoot anyone and anything. Last week, a mother was taking a stroll with her partner in Longueuil when they were gunned down by a drive-by shooter. In response to this violence, what is the Prime Minister doing? He is proposing legislation that eliminates mandatory minimum sentences and reduces sentences for …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, today we are talking about inflation, which is taking a toll on Canadians. This inflation was entirely foreseeable. The government could not keep printing stack after stack of money and not expect any consequences. The ratio between the money supply and our GDP has increased drastically lately. It is unfortunate that nothing was done earlier on to regain control of the money supply.…
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Madam Speaker, my riding had a great liquefied natural gas project planned. Through that project, we would have been able to export natural gas and reduce the number of coal-fired power plants. It would also have reduced Europe's dependence on Russia. I do not understand why we are not developing our natural resources as much as we should. The government is holding us back. I welcome the use of al…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, our fossil fuels have come a long way thanks to new technologies. We must never forget that. As I have already said, I am not opposed to other energy sources. We are simply not there yet. Let us stop burying our heads in the sand. The demand for energy continues to rise. As I said, back home we had a great energy transition project planned involving liquefied natural gas, which woul…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, if the government had properly managed the budget from the beginning, we likely never would have gotten to this point. I recall that in 2015, stimulus measures meant that there was no need to inject money into infrastructure or the economy, because the stimulus drove economic growth. This government is unable to predict anything. Everyone knows that what goes up must come down. The …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the House this evening to speak to the bill introduced by my colleague from Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel. As we know, we are here in the Parliament of Canada, a parliament where members' work usually revolves around national challenges and co-operation between the federal and provincial governments. Every day or nearly every day, our work reflects the fact t…
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Mr. Speaker, we have been warning the Liberals about the dangers of inflation for two years now. They kept saying there was nothing to worry about, but now we are in a Liberal inflationary spiral. Over half of Canadians have said they could not afford a sudden expense over $1,000. Nearly 40% of Canadians are worried about their debt load. Families are having a hard time putting gas in the car and …
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, last week there was a landslide in La Baie, which is in my riding. A house was destroyed, but fortunately there were no casualties. Since then, nearly 80 families have been evacuated and are homeless. It is a terrible situation. The City of Saguenay is predicting another major landslide in the coming weeks, and that really worries me. Earlier this week, I spoke with the Minister of Em…
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Mr. Speaker, there was a landslide last week in La Baie, a community in my riding. One home was destroyed. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. We remain on alert and could face additional landslides at any time. Eighty families have been evacuated so far. The situation is critical, and residents need to feel supported. Will the minister be there for those residents and is he prepared to co-oper…
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Mr. Speaker, Hockey Canada got $14 million in federal funding during the pandemic. In 2018, the Minister of Sport at the time said that organizations were required to disclose allegations of abuse and harassment or they would lose their federal funding. Such behaviours should never be kept quiet. Will the minister be taking Hockey Canada's funding back?
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Mr. Speaker, labour shortages are an undeniable problem in our economy. Not only is there a shortage of workers, but more and more people no longer want to work because this government has created a culture of dependency that does not encourage them to work. Since the Liberals are struggling to fast-track foreign worker applications, will this government introduce incentives that benefit the labou…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada now has the third highest inflation rate in the G7 at 6.7%. What this means for Canadians, in concrete terms, is that if they did not get a 6.7% wage increase in the past year, they became poorer. On top of that, the cost of groceries has gone up 8.7% over the past year, and that is the second highest rate in the G7. It seems as though the minister is wearing rose-coloured glas…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, Quebeckers and Canadians across the country mourned the loss of Guy Lafleur. His performance on the ice was simply spectacular: more than 50 goals in six consecutive seasons, five Stanley Cups, including four consecutive championships, and every record the “blond demon” racked up over the years. He fired up the crowds and created excitement. He pleased his fans like no one …
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Mr. Speaker, there was a performance on the well-known show, Canada's Got Talent, two days ago that is worth mentioning here in the House. Jeanick Fournier, from Chicoutimi, was the recipient of the famed golden buzzer for her outstanding performance of Céline Dion's I Surrender. Jeanick's background is quite remarkable. She started singing in her church choir and now she is on the big stage. Her …
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Mr. Speaker, we learned this week that the federal budget will likely provide $2 billion to accelerate the production of certain minerals needed for electric vehicles. Canada is not targeting phosphate, even though we can potentially mine it. Tesla has chosen to use a lithium iron phosphate battery. Phosphate must be part of the strategy. That is one of the recommendations of the Standing Committe…
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Mr. Speaker, moving season is coming soon. My constituents are very worried and even discouraged because there is no housing available and housing is unaffordable. What is more, the cost of two-by-fours is skyrocketing, which contributes to the housing crisis. Prices are soaring everywhere, and I am not talking about groceries or gas. The government, however, claims that everything is fine. Let us…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, we witnessed a historic moment last night. The Canadian men's soccer team qualified for the 2022 World Cup with a crucial 4-0 win over Jamaica. Congratulations to the entire team, which was led by the talented Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Cyle Larin. The perseverance, determination and mutual support shown by the team, especially following Alphonso Davies' myocarditis diagnosis…
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Mr. Speaker, the Quebec government announced yesterday that it is lifting vaccine passport requirements and that it has a detailed reopening plan with clear objectives. Why can the federal government not do the same? Even the member for Louis-Hébert voted in favour of our motion to lift measures. The Prime Minister is really using the pandemic for partisan, electioneering purposes to save his job.…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, last night, an Olympic record was broken at the Beijing Olympics when the Canadian long track speed skating team won the gold medal. I would like to congratulate Valérie Maltais, Isabelle Weidemann and Ivanie Blondin for this spectacular performance. This trio has great chemistry, and they are fun to watch. In particular, I would like to congratulate Valérie Maltais, the pride of La B…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals can say whatever they want, but the fact is, Canada's inflation rate is among the worst in the G7. The government is putting off dealing with the problem, apparently hoping that inflation will sort itself out. Unfortunately, we are going to need a course correction to stop inflation. The Bank of Canada has to rethink its interest rates, contract monetary policy and regain…
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Mr. Speaker, the price of gas is at an all-time high since the Liberal government first came to power. In most parts of the country, it is over $1.50 per litre, and it shows no sign of stopping. The Liberal government's war on Canadian energy combined with out-of-control spending has created an inflationary spiral. The government is printing money to finance unnecessary deficits, which is just mak…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, meteorologists are forecasting a cold and unpredictable winter. Will this be the winter that snowmobilers have been waiting for? We will see. One thing is certain: We need to plan our trips according to the weather. Jimmy Desbiens, better known as Météo Chicoutimi, knows a thing or two about this. Since 2008, his hobby has become a business, so he has stepped up efforts to provide cit…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government may well wash its hands of the situation. That is not exactly surprising, since it has never assumed its responsibilities. The Liberals have been accumulating deficits since 2015 and are increasing our debt. The government is keeping the prime rate artificially low and printing more and more money, and we have the second-biggest housing bubble in the world. This…
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Mr. Speaker, according to the latest Canada Food Price Report, families will pay nearly $1,000 more to feed themselves in 2022. The cost of groceries is going up, the cost of gas is going up, the cost of energy is going up and rents are going up. In the meantime, Canadians' purchasing power is going down. Inflation is squeezing the majority of Quebec households. The Liberal government is responsib…
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Mr. Speaker, the relationship between the United States and Canada is one-sided. The further increase in softwood lumber tariffs will have a serious impact on Canadian jobs. Businesses are already struggling due to inflation and the pandemic. We get results or we get excuses. When will the Prime Minister stop coming back empty-handed every time he meets with the U.S. President?
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Mr. Speaker, relations with the United States are getting worse every year, even with a new president. It is time to realize that the problem is not on the other side of the border. It is here. These new tariffs are another brick on the back of Quebec and Canadian business owners. On top of that, Canadians are seeing prices rise everywhere. The additional tariffs are making the situation worse. Wh…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's softwood lumber crisis has not yet been resolved. The Liberal government has gotten into the habit of offloading responsibility. Its excuse was that it was hard to negotiate with the former president, which is funny because we on this side of the House knew it was going to be very hard with the new president. Now that the Americans are doubling duties on Canadian softwood lum…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is neglecting the heart and soul of our economy. Small businesses have been suffering for months. They have racked up hundreds of billions of dollars in dept, and thousands of them have been forced to close up shop. Canadians can no longer wait on Liberal promises of an economic recovery that is not coming. They need help now. Why is the government refusing to a…
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Mr. Speaker, the inflation rate is 3.6%, the highest level in the past decade. The Liberals also promised to create one million jobs, but the only thing going up is the size of the debt. The Liberals' 2019 slogan was “choose forward”. Today, it might be more apt to say “choose backward”, because we are currently heading back to the inflation rates and recession of the 1970s. When will the Liberals…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is supposed to be a prosperous country. However, according to the Macdonald-Laurier Institute's recently updated COVID misery index, Canada is suffering far more than comparable countries from self-inflicted and disproportionate economic damage due to the pandemic. Retail sales plunged by 5.7% from March to April, which is the sharpest month-over-month drop. When will the gover…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is a country with honour. The brave men and women who serve in our armed forces deserve all the support we can give them. Every day that the Minister of National Defence stays in office is a show of disrespect for the service of our armed forces. The Minister of National Defence has to stop trying to fix things. It is too late. He needs to step down. When will the minister real…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's situation has morphed into a cycle of scandals followed by its empty excuses and a false promise to do better. There is never any accountability. The situation in the armed forces is a perfect example. It has become toxic and is falling apart before our eyes. The Minister of Defence must resign or the Prime Minister must boot him out. Which one of them will do…
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Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. It is time to send a message. The Minister of National Defence completely abandoned the Canadian Forces during years of incompetence. The Prime Minister himself said that the problem of sexual misconduct in the military had been ignored for far too long, but he acts like that is not the case. If he really wants to start changing things, the Prime Minister needs to fi…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have repeatedly assured workers in our softwood lumber industry that a new agreement with the United States will be negotiated. It has been nearly seven years since they came to power, five year since the softwood lumber tariffs were imposed and three years since CUSMA was renegotiated, but nothing has been done to protect our forestry workers. Does the Liberal government…
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Mr. Speaker, according to an article on the CBC, softwood lumber experts expect that prices will continue to go up. They are also saying that it could take several years before things get back to normal. In the meantime, the United States is taking advantage of the vulnerability of our forestry sector and threatening our industries with tariffs. Canadian workers had to deal with a pandemic last ye…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we do need to protect our culture, but right now, freedom of expression is what is at stake, and our party will not compromise on that.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the important thing is that the Conservative Party recognizes provincial jurisdiction. That is of the utmost importance to us. Quebec has the right to make its own decisions.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, protecting culture is, of course, very important to us. However, we will not compromise on freedom of expression, because that is extremely important to us.
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