Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to a true hero from my region, Corporal Sylvain Bergeron of the Lamèque RCMP detachment. On June 2, in Chiasson Office, a teenage girl in severe distress entered the icy, choppy waters and was found more than 100 feet from shore. Upon arriving at the scene, Corporal Bergeron realized she was in imminent danger. Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague said that he was a mayor before being an MP. There was a program that was very helpful for municipalities. It was the housing accelerator fund, just like the Build Canada Homes program. This is what their leader was telling them. This article says, “Conservative MPs frustrated after [their leader] bars them from promoting housing fund”. The Conservative leader “instructed…
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Madam Speaker, I find it very funny that one member of the Conservative Party was talking about sending emails to the minister when his leader was asking the members of the Conservative Party not to send letters of support for projects under the housing accelerator fund. Can members imagine that? We welcomed the minister in New Brunswick a couple of months ago for a wonderful announcement, a $300‑…
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Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague talked a bit about diversification. In their speeches, Conservative MPs like to talk a lot about market diversification to help our economy, but the only market diversification deal the Conservatives were able to strike was when they exported their leader from a riding in Ontario to a riding in Alberta. Can my colleague talk about the investments the Prime …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I too want to thank my riding neighbour for his speech. He talked a lot about infrastructure. There is an infrastructure fund that has been very useful for his riding and mine. The Conservatives voted against that fund. It is the rural transit solutions fund. My riding and my colleague's riding are now connected by a public transit system, which is something our ridings did not have b…
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Mr. Speaker, in the last Parliament, I introduced a bill in the House to create a school food program. Every Bloc Québécois member voted in favour of the bill. We now have a school food program across Canada. During consideration of the latest budget, the Bloc Québécois voted against the measure that would make this program permanent. The member mentioned seniors. The Canada groceries and essentia…
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Mr. Speaker, and I just want to thank my colleague for her speech. It is wonderful to work with her. She is a new colleague. She is doing great work. I know how good she is. She is representing a rural riding just like me. In the last spring economic statement, there was $1 billion for small craft harbours, and I know that she was a big part of this investment. She was talking about some of the am…
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Madam Speaker, it always makes me smile when I hear the Conservatives say they are interested in culture. I remember the Harper government's cuts to culture quite clearly. Some artists in my riding took to the streets to call for help, but the government of the day refused to listen. Let me once again remind my colleagues what Stephen Harper said in the beginning. He said that artists were complai…
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Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to welcome the Minister of Finance to my riding a few times already, and I know that he has seen all the benefits that our programs have delivered for families since we were both first elected in 2015. Earlier, I heard Conservative members say that they would stand up for Canadians. However, when it came time to do so, for example on the Canada child benefit…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about helping others, helping Canadians and helping people in his riding. The Conservatives are saying that they are standing up for people, but when I presented a PMB in this room to create a school food program, the Conservatives voted against it. Can my colleague tell me how this helps kids in schools in his riding? I know he visited some of them, just like I di…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to some fabulous artists from my riding of Acadie—Bathurst. First, there is La Famille LeBlanc, a family of extraordinarily talented musicians who just won the Francophone Acadian artist of the year award at the East Coast Music Awards. For years, this family has been generously sharing the traditional Acadian music that brings generations closer together a…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance would say, it is already Thursday, but we still have good news. In my home province of New Brunswick, the forestry industry accounts for 25,000 jobs and contributes more than $1.5 billion to our economy every year. The United States has imposed unjustified tariffs on our softwood lumber. To support the industry, our government has already announced $2.5 bill…
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I think my colleague is well aware that it is very important to our government to ensure that we build as much affordable housing as possible for as many Canadians as possible. As we all know, young families and young people want access to housing. With programs like Build Canada Homes and other existing programs, we will provide families and young Canadians with the housi…
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Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague knows that we have always been able to collaborate with Quebec on plenty of files, including housing. Ultimately, what we want to do is build as much affordable housing as possible for as many Canadians as possible. I think that residents of the province of Quebec will continue to benefit from these programs. It will always be a pleasure for us to work with the Go…
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Mr. Speaker, if we adopt the Conservatives' plan, we would probably end up with six housing units, which is what was built when the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible for housing. The Conservatives like to talk about bureaucracy. We like to talk about building homes, and building homes by the thousands. The current programs we put in place are already getting it done, but with B…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to get a chance to speak about Build Canada Homes. To begin with, I would like to say hello to voters in my riding of Acadie—Bathurst, who have probably tuned in to watch me this evening. I think that the Build Canada Homes bill we are discussing today is an outstanding initiative. However, before I get to what we want to do with Build Canada Homes, I would like to t…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, my dad was a fisherman all his life. I am pretty sure he is watching right now, so I say hi to him. When I look closely at the bill, I see that there are some things in it that Newfoundlanders should maybe ask questions about. Right now there is no fee of any kind on recreational fisheries. The member talked about a monitoring system, and the bill actually proposes a monitoring system…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I welcome my colleague to the House. Of course, I will miss the deep and powerful voice of Darrell Samson, the member my colleague is replacing. However, I am sure that my colleague's voice will be just as strong in defending his constituents. My colleague said that he knocked on a lot of doors and met a lot of people during the election campaign. Can he tell us which of the measures …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague. We worked together well in the Atlantic caucus. I want to thank him again for all the great work he did in our caucus. According to my sources, my colleague and I received a number of project proposals under the housing accelerator fund in collaboration with municipalities. Members will recall that Pierre Poilievre said the fund was ineffectiv…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate all my new colleagues in the House on their election. I am a proud Acadian and a proud francophone. When I read through the Speech from the Throne, I read this: Canada is a country that respects and celebrates its official languages.... The Government is determined to protect the institutions that bring these cultures and this identity to the world, …
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moved that the bill be concurred in.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that the bill be read the third time and passed. Madam Speaker, I would like to welcome all of my colleagues back to the House. I also want to thank my constituents in the riding of Acadie—Bathurst for their support over the past few years. I also want to acknowledge my parents, my family, my friends and my staff. I hope that Parliament's work will go well and that we will have good debates …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and for the helpful comments she made about the bill in committee. I have been clear. I do not necessarily always agree with the Bloc Québécois's positions, but I can say that I have always been impressed by the number of programs implemented by the Quebec government over the years. I am thinking in particular of its child care program or even i…
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Madam Speaker, I would prefer not to get into a political debate when we are discussing a bill that will help so many children and families. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have repeated one thing over and over during the debates on my bill and even in committee. They keep saying that if there were no carbon tax, we would not need a program like this. They say that if we got rid of the carbon tax…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question, and I appreciate her friendship on the various committees that we serve on together. As I said earlier, we have known for years that many students are going to school hungry. We need to do something about that. I completely agree with my colleague that we need to implement a program like this one as quickly as possible. As the government announ…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 24th report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in relation to Bill C-322, an act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House wit…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is definitely going to be difficult to summarize the two hours of debate that we have had on my bill in five minutes. I would like to thank all of my colleagues from the various parties who spoke to this very important bill, which could change the lives of the children in our society. As I said in my speech, I think that this bill is one of the most important pieces of legislatio…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, the bill is saying to actually have a framework. We all know those things are the provinces' responsibility, so we need to consult with the provinces and territories to make sure that we have their input when creating this framework. Of course, we will do so. Of course, we know that provinces and territories need to be part of that. We know that school food programs already exist in…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, as I said earlier, we helped families so much in 2015 through many programs. I still think this is a bill that would, again, help children not go to school on an empty stomach. Can we do it faster? Yes, I hope that we will do it faster. There is a provision in the bill that would give us a year to have this done. However, I hope that it will take less time than that because children…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I think my colleagues know that we are currently doing everything we can on the housing file through the various programs that are in place and that our government recently unveiled. However, I want to talk more about my bill. This is something very important. We are talking here about children who go to school on an empty stomach. I think my colleague will agree that we cannot allo…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
moved that Bill C-322, An Act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, before I give my speech, I would like to acknowledge the following people. First, I want to thank my constituents in Acadie—Bathurst, who gave me the honour and privilege of representing them over the past eight years. I thank them from…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑322, An Act to develop a national framework to establish a school food program. Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank the seconder of my bill, my colleague and friend from Madawaska—Restigouche, who is here with me this morning. This bill provides for the development of a national framework to establish a school food program to ensure that all children in Ca…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the work that my colleague does with me on the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. As my colleague knows, I have three young children, aged seven, eight and 10. Sometimes, when I see them using their devices, I think about how much things have changed from when I was their age. I would like to ask my colleague whether she thinks it is important that this bill ma…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Canadians across the country need to hear the name Arthur Léon Haché. Mr. Haché died on December 7, at the age of 98. He was the last surviving World War II veteran from the riding of Acadie—Bathurst. He was only 17 when he enlisted in the North Shore regiment. Having participated in two major battles, the Normandy landing and the Battle of the Scheldt, he came home with haunting memo…
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Mr. Speaker, on January 28, the great Viola Léger passed away at the age of 92. She was originally a nun and a teacher, but it was her dramatic role as La Sagouine in the work of Antonine Maillet that endeared her to Acadia and the world. During her career as an actress, Ms. Léger would portray this legendary character more than 3,000 times, in addition to playing many other roles in theatre, film…
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Mr. Speaker, Petit‑Rocher hosted last weekend's 22nd Gala des Éloizes, a celebration of the vibrant, high-quality, original creative work of our professional Acadian artists. This one-of-a-kind gala is Canada's only awards ceremony that hands out prizes for all artistic disciplines, from dance, theatre and music to visual arts, media arts and literature. I would like to extend my heartfelt congrat…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the past two years have shown us that businesses need to adapt to the digital economy if they want to grow. Post-secondary educational institutions have a key role to play in that transformation because they are doing innovative research and training students for the jobs of the future. Would the minister responsible for ACOA tell the House how this government is preparing workers for…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Claudette Bradshaw, former Liberal minister and member of Parliament for the riding of Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, died earlier this week. Ms. Bradshaw loved to say that she was just an ordinary woman, but the truth is quite the opposite. She was an extraordinary woman with a big heart and a great Acadian. Everywhere she went she exuded unparalleled warmth and compassion, and t…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I will say it again so that all Canadians can hear me. The charter provisions will be respected and the act will be used with great restraint. Its use will be time limited and will target the geographic areas—
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, we were keeping a close eye on the situation. After three weeks, during which many protests took place on Parliament Hill, it was time for the government to intervene. We gave all police forces the tools they needed to put an end to this convoy once and for all. I am pleased that my colleague is saying that the charter provisions will be respected and that the act will be used with …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my newly elected colleague, the member for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, for sharing his time with me this evening. I am pleased to rise in the House this evening. My riding of Acadie—Bathurst is one of the most beautiful places in our country. The people there are extremely welcoming and generous. My riding is home to many generations of families from different cultur…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The Bloc Québécois is always the one talking about respecting provincial, municipal or other jurisdictions. Since this convoy began, some municipalities and even the police forces in Ottawa have unfortunately been unable to carry out certain operations and deal with the situation. That is why, as a last resort, we want to move forward with appl…
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The hon. member for Langley—Aldergrove.
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Mr. Speaker, we want to welcome tourists from around the world back to Canada once it is safe to do so. Tourists seeking incredible destinations and experiences and world-class events will find what they are looking for in Canada and my fantastic riding, Acadie—Bathurst. Furthermore, Canada has the highest vaccination rate of all countries. Can the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Fin…
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Mr. Speaker, the tourism, arts and culture, and hospitality sectors are key economic drivers in my riding, Acadie—Bathurst. They create thousands of jobs and contribute to the local economy. They also allow people from across the country and around the world to see why I and so many others are proud to live there. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly difficult for these sectors. Th…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and acknowledge the passing of Elder Gilbert Sewell. A highly respected member of Pabineau First Nation, Elder Sewell is an excellent example of someone who dedicated his life to the pursuit and sharing of knowledge. He was a historian, a storyteller and a traditional guide, but his greatest passion was sharing his knowledge and passing it down to …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I am a parent too. I have two young daughters who are now in school. As everyone knows, most kids age 6 and under go to day care. Child care is extremely expensive in New Brunswick because we are not as lucky as Quebeckers, who have a provincial child care system. I am glad that the government's fall economic statement included an announcement ab…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Scarborough—Guildwood for sharing his time with me today. I am pleased to rise to speak to Bill C-14. I would like to begin by thanking all the essential workers across Canada, particularly those in my riding of Acadie—Bathurst, who have been working in grocery stores, hospitals, long-term care homes and other areas since the very beginning of this pandemic…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. I think that Canadians have seen that our government has been doing everything it can from day one to help people and businesses get through the tough times we know they are currently facing. That is why we brought in a host of programs to help Canadians weather this crisis. Bill C-14 does exactly that. It helps families and businesses and gives …
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