Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, the purpose of Bill C-215 introduced by my hon. colleague the hon. member for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia is to make the government accountable for its climate action. This bill calls on the government to bring in realistic and adequate measures and to implement oversight mechanisms. Through this bill the Bloc Québécois is hoping to make the government accountable to the House…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I salute my colleague, who I saw in my riding barely two years ago, when he was participating in an activity of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue conference of prefects. Indeed, the federal government has a role to play because we pay half of our taxes to Ottawa. In my view, the share Quebec receives is totally insufficient. It is the Government of Quebec that is incurring expenditures rela…
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Madam Speaker, I would like begin by thanking the hon. member for his sensitivity on a number of issues, including the issue of reducing carbon in mining. My colleague talked about diesel. I have heard that in Malartic, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, trucks consume about 100,000 litres of diesel every day. This is obviously a site that has become huge, even bigger than the city. Solutions must be found…
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has been focusing on the importance of the economic recovery for quite some time. We must look to the future. We must think beyond the next election. There are many federal mechanisms to get Canada back on its feet. In Quebec, the recovery will centre on local initiatives, the regional economy and the development of our nation, its towns and its villages. Green, res…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, a lot is getting blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic and the way it was managed. However, I think the Liberals admitted their guilt through the resignation of the finance minister, as well as the filibuster in committee and the prorogation of Parliament, which are violent, dangerous and undemocratic actions. The government House leader himself proposed a special anti-corruption committee …
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Madam Speaker, it is important to point out that there are problems with the interpretation. The interpreter just said that it is hard to hear the speech because the member is wearing her mask in the House. I completely understand the health measures, but this debate is so important that I think members need to speak clearly. There are also Internet connection problems, so I think that the least w…
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Madam Speaker, I have a very simple question: What impact does the member believe this agreement will have on our agricultural producers? I am thinking of supply management in particular. What will be the impact of reopening these negotiations?
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Madam Speaker, I would like to know whether the member opposite is comfortable with how the agreement was negotiated and this issue has been presented. The Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion signed an agreement with the United Kingdom on November 21, 2020. She only tabled the implementation bill for this agreement along with the text of the agreement on December 9, 2020, less than a m…
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Madam Speaker, first of all, I have to disagree with my colleague because, as a member representing a northern riding, I will take snowbanks over green spaces any day. That said, I liked his speech, especially when he said he wants to protect supply management. However, we have to be clear. First of all, I welcome the compensation, but the damage caused by the undermining of the Quebec agricultura…
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Madam Speaker, I am honoured to share my time with the hon. member for Saint-Jean. In 1987, Canada signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, with the United States and Mexico. The purpose of that free trade agreement was to reduce obstacles to North American trade as much as possible. The goal was to create a stable economic environment by reducing or eliminating tariff barriers, e…
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Mr. Speaker, I will answer my colleague's question by pointing out that there is something to learn here about economic nationalism, the importance of protecting our interests, and the importance of producing the things we need right here at home, so that we can be less dependent on exports. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we must not rely on international trade because a plane …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert for his vision and foresight. It is indeed interesting to ask the question. Has the United Kingdom not taught us a lesson about sovereignty? Why did such an important country decide to back out of the European Union? It did so to protect its interests. Sovereignty is about three things: signing your own agreements; passing your own laws…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, his comments and his awareness. I will give an example. With regard to international trade, we have to be at the negotiating table to protect our interests. If Quebec could have been at the negotiating table, it would have imposed a veto. If the provinces really were listened to in this country, we could have imposed a veto and prevented another …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I will be talking about scandals. In March 2020, Baylis Medical entered into an agreement to produce 10,000 ventilators under a subcontract. The company was owned by Frank Baylis, a former Liberal MP. The government awarded this multi-million-dollar contract without a call for bids. The ventilators cost twice as much as any other model made elsewhere. In June 2020, Ottawa announced th…
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Madam Speaker, I would also like to wish you a happy new year. My question for my colleague is as follows: What does he think about the government’s transparency at this time when the Parliamentary Budget Officer is telling us that, if the aim is to help the economy recover from the pandemic, the government may have missed the mark? What does he think about that?
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Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2021, and here is hoping that it will be better than last year. My question for my colleague is very simple. What does he think of the government's performance when it comes to supporting businesses? Are we doing enough for our SMEs and entrepreneurs? What does he think of the government's loan- and debt-based strategy for busi…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill for requesting this emergency debate. I also welcome the speech of the Leader of the Opposition with whom I share many of the ideas that have been mentioned. The Liberals have obviously set the table for an election. In this context, the major element that will determine whether there will be an election or not, t…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill for moving this motion this evening. I would also like to thank her for her fighting spirit. The problem we have today is that we cannot get vaccines. I also think that the problem is that we cannot produce vaccines. Currently in Canada, we are not producing any. What are the hon. member's thoughts on how we got into th…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Montcalm for his hard work on this file. To me the key element is the capacity to produce vaccines. What is coming out of this debate is that no vaccine is being produced here in Canada. What could have been done from the start of the pandemic to ensure that all Canadians and Quebeckers can have access to a vaccine that is produced here? Is the Medicago sol…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, my question is very simple. What does the member think about the current situation, about the fact that people are unable to get access to the vaccine? She spoke about it already, but what impact might that have on people's mental health, for example, or on other factors that directly affect people's lives?
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Someone's microphone seems to be screeching loudly on the interpretation channel. Those participating online can hear it and so can we. I wonder if that can be fixed, as it is hard to follow the debate.
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Foothills who, truthfully, I am noticing today for the first time in the House. I believe that his speech, together with that of my colleague from Beauport—Limoilou, was the most inspiring, pertinent and constructive speech in this evening's debate. My question is simple. He mentioned several examples of vaccine production in Canada. In the Liberal governme…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her intervention. I must say that it is one of the most partisan speeches I have heard today. We are hearing the Liberals say that they have a portfolio of vaccines and that of course they have a plan. Our colleague reminded us of that in her speech, even though she has no idea what this plan is. I will ask her a very simple question. What is the plan for th…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, in response to a question from my colleague from Montcalm earlier, the member for Winnipeg North said that opposition members were being, shall we say, very critical this evening and lacking in good faith. He also said that the Liberals have a plan. The government has a plan, and its plan is even available online at coronavirus.ca. However, the House of Commons has blocked the site …
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