Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, much like with the borders, the Liberal government failed to take action to increase health transfers for the provinces with no strings attached, in the midst of a pandemic. It failed to take action to secure the vaccine supply for Canadians. There is no question that it is the Prime Minister's fault that we are in the midst of a third wave. Will the Prime Minister do the right thing …
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Mr. Speaker, stable, predictable and unconditional increases to health transfers was Quebec's biggest ask in this federal budget. We are in the midst of a global pandemic. The health care system is being tested. Quebec is not the only province calling for this; all provinces and territories are. The commitment to increase health transfers must be honoured now. How could the Prime Minister fail to …
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday's budget was an open bar. It would have been nice if the Liberals had shown as much enthusiasm for other major issues, such as health care, as they did for camping. The provinces are asking for stable, predictable and unconditional increases to health transfers. The Conservatives support the provinces' demand. We are in the middle of a pandemic, so it just makes sense. Why d…
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec's response was quite clear about the $3 billion over five years specifically for long-term health care. First, it is not an unconditional transfer. As usual, the Liberals are interfering in provincial jurisdictions. Second, as Quebec's finance minister pointed out, the federal government missed a unique opportunity to partner with Quebec on long-term health care. How do the Lib…
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Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister wants to talk about the facts, we will do just that. Instead of working with the United States on a coordinated response to the pandemic, the Liberal government chose to co-operate with China. Canada has just surpassed the United States in case counts per million people. The provinces are shutting down for another extended period. The government has been in react…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if we live in the same reality, but the facts speak for themselves. In all, 20% of Americans have received both doses of the vaccine, compared with 2% of Canadians. Media reports suggest large stocks of vaccines and a significant dependence on other countries. We were not prepared. Instead of taking action 13 months ago, the government was asleep at the switch while othe…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is making headlines around the globe, but for all the wrong reasons. Canada's handling of the pandemic has been a failure. Even the popular American news network CNN has reported on it. The only one who does not seem to realize this is the Prime Minister himself, who went as far as to say that CNN should have stuck to the facts. Does the Prime Minister still think CNN is spread…
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Mr. Speaker, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, the Liberals adopted a motion yesterday at the Standing Committee on National Defence to end the investigation into Justin Trudeau's cover-up of sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces. The committee still needs to hear from some key witnesses. What is most surprising is that the Bloc Québécois members decided to support the Liberals …
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Mr. Speaker, the way the Prime Minister, a self-proclaimed feminist, is dealing with this issue speaks volumes about Liberal priorities when it comes to women. We saw the cavalier way the Prime Minister acted with two of his former female MPs. I doubt that the majority of the House supports hindering the work of parliamentarians on an issue that affects the safety of our brave soldiers. What messa…
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Mr. Speaker, on March 31, Saguenay lost a great member of its community, a great advocate for regionalism. A friend to all and director of memories, Robert Hakim was more than a cousin to me. He was a friend. He put Saguenay on the cultural map. People from Saguenay and Quebec were able to participate in major events organized by Productions Hakim. One need think only of the Festival international…
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Mr. Speaker, this government is not being transparent. We never get any real answers. Enough with the cover-ups. The question is very clear. When was the Prime Minister made aware of the allegations against General Vance?
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Mr. Speaker, when I began my career in politics, I was a member of the Standing Committee on National Defence and we talked a lot about Operation Honour. The purpose of this operation was to enable women to proudly serve in the Canadian Armed Forces in an inclusive and respectful work environment. Obviously, the operation was a failure. Here is what I want to know. When was the Prime Minister made…
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Mr. Speaker, for almost three years now, our party has been actively fighting for a single tax return for Quebec. Our position goes back a long time. For a political party like ours, which respects provincial jurisdiction, listening to the provinces and collaborating with them is crucial. After all, we are the party that gave Quebec its UNESCO seat, that recognized the Quebec nation and that fixed…
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Madam Speaker, last week the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced that from now on, indigenous fishers would have to keep to the same fishing seasons as traditional fishers in the Maritimes and Quebec. There was a public outcry to this announcement in all of the coastal communities affected, both indigenous and non-indigenous, which were upset that they had never been consulted. Now that the…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government excels at the art of doing things in half measures. It was late in closing the borders. It was late in ordering vaccines and now it is late in tabling a budget. The fact that the Liberals are late tabling a budget creates even more uncertainty for the provinces. In fact, the provinces have once again reiterated their need for health transfers. When will the Libe…
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Mr. Speaker, our leader has already promised to increase health transfers. The Prime Minister summarily rejected the provinces' recent demands in that area, claiming that he would look into it after the pandemic. The provinces need those health transfers now. Could the Prime Minister do something on time for once and commit to increasing health transfers?
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister did not seem too concerned about the situation he created in quarantine hotels. As though it were not bad enough that people have to wait on the phone for days and hotel staff are overwhelmed, now there have been cases of assault. That is very serious and very worrisome. Once again, the government improvised by presenting a policy that it is unable to imp…
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Mr. Speaker, it is quite simple: The safety of our citizens is currently at risk. That is more important than anything else. The Liberals' plan is not working at all. The government has failed on all counts. I am thinking now of the women who were assaulted and I cannot believe that we are letting this slide. Is the government waiting for more assaults to occur before it decides to act?
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Mr. Speaker, we understand that it is best not to travel, but there are Canadians who need to come back home. It is the government's job to implement suitable measures to ensure that all Canadian citizens can return in a safe and orderly manner. Unfortunately, what is happening is exactly the opposite. Every time this government comes up with a plan, it is either too late or ill-conceived. I would…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has a real genius for announcing poorly designed policies. The Prime Minister recently announced new quarantine measures for travellers, but they are not working. People cannot come back to Canada unless they have a hotel reservation. They are trying to make reservations, but the problem is that they are spending three days on the phone and still not getting thr…
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Mr. Speaker, instead of focusing on the pandemic and getting Canadians vaccinated, the Liberals decided to introduce Bill C-21 last week, once again hurting law-abiding gun owners. Worse still, in the same week they introduced a bill to reduce prison sentences for criminals who had illegal firearms in their possession. It is always the same with these Liberals: Honest citizens are penalized, while…
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Madam Speaker, if I were a member of the Liberal government, I would be embarrassed to repeat the same thing week after week. I wonder if the Liberals even believe what they are saying. The new Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement was signed last year. How long will it take to get this compensation, given that they are waiting on the two others? Our local processors are closing their doors and fa…
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Madam Speaker, today marks the start of an advertising campaign for dairy, poultry and egg processors. Since 2015, these groups have been waiting for government compensation as a result of the free trade agreement with Europe and the TPP. The Liberals have had six years to honour their commitment. They have not done so despite their promises. The government must give our local processors the compe…
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Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Prime Minister chose China to develop a vaccine instead of supporting Canadian companies. We ultimately lost the deal with China, we lost our intellectual property and the government wound up behind in its other negotiations. The Prime Minister had no issue helping his former federal MP Frank Baylis when the opportunity arose. Was the Prime Minister surprised to b…
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Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals are searching the globe for a vaccine supply, we could have produced one in our own backyard at Université Laval's Infectious Disease Research Centre. It is the only Canadian team that got an Ebola vaccine all the way to the approval stage. In a matter of weeks and with little to go on, they developed a prototype COVID-19 vaccine that was effective on animals. Why d…
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Mr. Speaker, the government can keep insisting that Canada will receive six million doses by March 31, but it is already behind schedule. What is more, those six million doses are only a fraction of what we need. People are dying because of bad management and a vaccine supply shortage. How many lives will be lost because of this government's incompetence?
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Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has highlighted how underfunded Canada's provincial health care systems are. All of the provinces have asked for an increase in health transfers. The leader of the official opposition has pledged to hold a summit on this issue within the first 100 days of a Conservative government. The Prime Minister could do this immediately, but he just wants to talk about the national …
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claim they are going to provide additional funding for long-term care, but this funding comes with ridiculous conditions that once again add to the burden on the provinces. The leader of the official opposition has promised a clear, predictable and unconditional increase to transfers. Why does the Prime Minister not trust the provinces to administer their own health care …
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Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe that the government is trying to pass off its incompetence on the backs of the provinces. Is it the fault of the provinces that the borders were not closed in time last spring? Is it the fault of the provinces if the Prime Minister is not able to ensure a vaccine supply? The accusations of the hon. member for Québec demonstrate a flagrant lack of leadership. His gover…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that, at the beginning of the pandemic, the government was slow to respond at the borders. Then, the authorities lacked guidelines for screening travellers. As such, it was quite incredible for Quebeckers to hear the President of the Treasury Board say yesterday on LCN that the Sûreté du Québec had done a poor job of ensuring that Quebeckers comply with the quarantine orders. …
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has now lost over 20,000 lives to COVID-19, but it is still in reaction mode. The border plan has been weak from the start. The provinces have no information about vaccination, and there has been no progress. Quebec is ready to vaccinate 250,000 people a week. Last week, we got zero doses, and we are getting very few this week. How will Canada catch up and vaccinate the majorit…
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Mr. Speaker, the government keeps singing the same tune. It keeps telling us everything is fine. The fact is that Moderna announced on Friday that it would be delivering fewer doses than planned. The European Union is going to restrict exports. Canada's vaccination deployment rate compared to other countries is declining rapidly. Seniors are waiting. Front-line workers are waiting. Vulnerable peop…
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Mr. Speaker, there is no point in telling us over and over again that Canada bought the most doses, when the government cannot get its hands on them. We need 60 million doses in order to vaccinate all Canadians by the end of September. We are now ranked 20th for vaccine doses administered, and we are falling further and further behind every week. The contracts were poorly negotiated, and this is e…
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Mr. Speaker, 60 million doses, two doses per Canadian, is what is needed to meet the target set by the government. That means two million doses a week. We know that we are not receiving any doses this week and very few next week. How does the Prime Minister plan to catch up on this unacceptable delay?
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Mr. Speaker, today we learned that the European Union is going to require vaccine manufacturers to obtain authorization before exporting those vaccines. That is very bad news for Canada, which is already behind schedule. Quebec is ready to administer 250,000 doses per week. How many Quebeckers will be deprived of the vaccine because of this decision?
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Mr. Speaker, the provinces had to speed up vaccinations under pressure from the federal government, which had promised that vaccines would arrive in Canada regularly every week. This week, however, Pfizer is not sending us any vaccines. Next week, we will get a very small amount. Quebec is ready and able to administer 250,000 doses per week. Canadians and Quebeckers are tired of being taken for fo…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps saying that we have a vaccine portfolio. What good is a portfolio if we cannot get the vaccines? There is no consistency and no transparency, which is causing chaos. The truth is that he did a bad job negotiating the contracts. The provinces have to make decisions with what little information they have. Will the Prime Minister be transparent and make the contr…
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Mr. Speaker, this is typical of this government. It asks us to push bills through quickly without letting us do our jobs. We often have to re-examine bills, when we could have just studied them properly to begin with. It is a new year. Will the government resolve to do things properly and allow debate on this bill so that vacationers do not get $1,000?
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberals unsuccessfully sought the unanimous consent of the House to pass a bill that would fix the mistakes in their rushed legislation that gave $1,000 to non-essential travellers for their quarantine. The House obviously decided it was best to study and debate the bill properly. I would like to know why the government has not yet introduced the bill.
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