Parliamentary Speeches
817 speeches by Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay — Page 16 of 17
Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I think we need to invest more in the electrification of transportation rather than in fossil fuels. That is the kind of simplistic solution we have come to expect from the Liberals. For example, they bought a pipeline by claiming that the revenue would be used to plant trees. In the end, those trees were never planted. That is fairly typical of the government. As everyone knows, th…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I would like to say hello to all of the members who are taking part in the debate on the report of the Standing Committee on Finance. As we know, finance committee reports mean budgetary policy. At this stage, we are being asked to concur in the report of the Standing Committee on Finance, but since the budget has already been tabled, we might as well talk about that. For starters, …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties, and I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House recognize that U.S. economic policy, specifically with respect to the trade embargo against the Republic of Cuba, must in no way restrict the right of Canadian and Quebec companies operating in accordance with Canadian law to do business with their inte…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the motion says that the government is going against the recommendations of vaccine manufacturers by extending the recommended interval for the second dose to four months. I am sure that the manufacturers' recommendations are important, but this motion portrays those recommendations as gospel. Public health authorities said that the second dose can be administered up to four months af…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, in 2004, a new community paper called Mobiles was published for the first time in Saint-Hyacinthe. Now, in 2021, Mobiles is a monthly paper that reaches 55,000 readers in print, 114,000 readers online and 20,000 Facebook followers. Mobiles covers a broad range of topics and is a fixture in our community. The people of Saint-Hyacinthe are proud of their dynamic local paper. Last week, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Okay, Mr. Speaker. As for the $1.7 billion, the government is essentially lumping the aerospace industry in with other industries such as the energy, mining, steel and aluminum industries. Although the budget is extremely short on details, I do want to point out that the aerospace industry deserves its own money specifically to work on greening its aircraft. We are a long way off from the plan tha…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Shefford, who is the MP for the riding next to mine. Aside from the investments, a policy begins with a vision and consultation. If we really want to compare what was done with Ontario, we can see that Ottawa sits down with the industry, the provincial government and the unions to make plans and agree on a policy. The late Jean Lapierre, who was a predecessor…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, of course it makes no sense. On this issue, I am sure the seniors in my riding are not so different from those in my colleague's riding. We do not have two classes of seniors. A senior is anyone 65 years of age or older. All seniors have seen their purchasing power decline since the beginning of the pandemic. They are also facing a slew of other issues related to loneliness and hardsh…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, one of the problems is that this plan to help the aerospace and airline industries green their aircraft is so far off from what France is planning. France has announced that its hydrogen-powered plane will be flying by 2035. Here, the government is doing everything piecemeal. France knows how to develop a coherent strategic vision for a vital sector. Another problem i…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am using the House-issued headset and I am not sure I have another, but I can check in the office.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, some unusual wording in the budget document does suggest that aerospace is a strategic industry. It does not say that literally, but in a roundabout way, it does say that the spinoffs from this industry are strategic. Again, that is a start. We have long been calling on the government to provide targeted assistance to the aerospace sector. The government responded that there are alrea…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, would you like me to start over, since some of our colleagues were unable to understand the first part of my speech?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I checked and everything seems to be working. May I continue?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I was saying that the message has gotten through at last. The budget even pairs “strategic” and “aerospace” in the same sentence. The government is finally acknowledging that aerospace is a strategic industry, just as the auto industry is strategic for Ontario. The wording is a little unusual because it does not literally say that, but it mentions—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to wish all my colleagues an excellent Earth Day. Today I am speaking as the Bloc Québécois aerospace critic. We are very happy that the budget is finally acknowledging the aerospace sector. Getting there took a lot of work. The Bloc Québécois really took on the role of patient teacher. I myself have had to explain repeatedly that air transportation is not the same thing as the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her presentation. She believes that we are not doing enough to exploit our energy resources, but this budget maintains direct and indirect financing for fossil fuels. In her opinion, how is it possible to square money for fossil fuels with the government's supposed environmental goals?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will simply say that most of the useful ideas can be found in the bill that the Bloc Québécois introduced, such as the need for real accountability, a recognized monitoring and oversight body, and 2030 targets. In other words, we cannot simply rely on good intentions and let the minister assess his own performance. We need an independent oversight body and we need much more binding …
Read full speech →Government Orders
I believe that—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, certainly, I will gladly pick up where I left off. I was a little surprised by the interruption, as I did not think we were there yet. Bill C-12 needs to include an action plan, measures and a review by an independent body that will assess whether the targets are being met and whether Canada is fulfilling its obligations under the Paris Agreement. The bill is missing that aspect. Th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to this bill. One thing is very clear. Climate change is truly the greatest challenge of this century, if not this millennium. The Bloc Québécois examined this bill carefully, and we support it in principle simply because we cannot be against doing the right thing. However, we think that the bill needs improvement. We need to give it some teeth. L…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, at their recent convention, the Liberals voted against the proposal of their party's Quebec wing to promote green energy and to put an end to fossil fuel subsidies. Despite all the good intentions and fine speeches, the Liberal Party rejected this proposal. We cannot transition to clean energy while increasing fossil fuel subsidies, as is currently happening. Unfortunately, Canadian g…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we completely agree that Ottawa must work with Quebec, the provinces and the different levels of government. That is not the issue, and promoting this collaboration is part of our DNA. We really want environmental matters to be an exclusive jurisdiction of Quebec. In my view, collaborating with the provinces means, for example, not imposing an oil project when the provinces do not wan…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her speech and for quoting an urban planner I like very much, Jane Jacobs, who was in favour of Quebec independence, in fact, because it would be good for the Montreal area. Does the member believe there is a problem in bilingual universities? Where the vast majority of students are anglophones, should the governance of programs in French be transferred to fra…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will probably not have time to describe each of the proposals in detail. However, if my colleagues on all sides of the House are genuinely interested in the Bloc Québécois's proposals, I can go over them quickly. First, we need a flexible and special stimulus fund for performance venues, theatres, festivals and museums to help them adapt to the pandemic and meet their various need…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today on behalf of the Bloc Québécois to speak to Bill C-14, which would implement certain provisions of the November 30, 2020, economic statement and other measures. It is rather unusual that we are still talking about the economic statement on April 13, when a budget is being announced on Monday. That is part of the delays inherent to this type of parliam…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what the Bloc especially does not like is confusion. The government is confusing aerospace and air transportation. The answer was about air transportation, but those are two different things. There are only three places in the world that have the know-how and the industrial infrastructure to manufacture an entire airplane, and the greater Montreal area is one of those places. However,…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa is paying a high price to compensate Air Canada for its grounded planes. It should have at least as much consideration for the 40,000 Quebeckers who build these planes. Aerospace is our main export sector and the order books are empty. Skilled workers are leaving the sector and expertise is at risk. Federal inaction is destroying what took generations to build. On Monday, will …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who was a true pillar of the Saint-Hyacinthe community. François Grisé, who passed away four days ago, was so much more than a businessman. He was a mentor to the entrepreneurs of Saint-Hyacinthe, especially those with businesses downtown. Of course, many will remember him for his years running the popular microbrewery Le Bilboquet, at a time when …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, your colleague certainly recognizes that the wage subsidy that we supported and which we even came up with, for the most part, did help these sectors. However, as I was saying earlier, there is a need for specific assistance for all industries. I would also add that we definitely need general programs, but there is also a need for specific assistance when an industry is struggling m…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, of course I share all of the opposition parties' concerns. As a Quebecker, I look at the government's spending habits and the sometimes reckless way it spends its money. I have the same fears and that is why there needs to be constant monitoring. As we know, the Liberal government does not like the committees that monitor its actions, but I do hope that as opposition parties, we wil…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, in principle and out of sympathy, I say absolutely. Of course, the NDP's motions often include other aspects. Although they may have included such things as taxing the ultra rich, they also included others that encroached and infringed on provincial jurisdictions. That is why the Bloc Québécois voted against those motions. That said, the billionaires and others have to contribute mo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I think that it falls short in every way. Ticket refunds are all well and good, but it is important to remember that tickets could be a lot more expensive as of next year. That being said, regional service is very important. Unfortunately, we are talking about an agreement with just one carrier, which does not completely remedy the situation. T…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, who is an advocate for culture and who could undoubtedly answer this question better than I can. She is a real expert on the subject. She is an actor and singer, and she represents a riding that unfortunately lost Félix Leclerc, one of the greatest singers in the history of Quebec, maybe even the greatest. Many things will have to be done to help the industry, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, obviously what we need is a policy. In many ways, we needed a policy even without the COVID-19 situation. It was essential before that. I shared some examples earlier: greening, recycling, maintenance, liquidity support, loans and support for research and development. All these things are part of a whole policy, but it all starts with a vision. We have to understand that it is an ec…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is very hard to understand and justify, especially since this provision was removed from the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA, even though it had originally been in the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, with the United States and Mexico. It is hard to understand and explain how a government can want to censor itself so much or set back democracy and …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I also salute my colleague, with whom I have the pleasure of sitting on the Standing Committee on International Trade. I would like to come back to her exchange with my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé. She said that she was pleased to see that the agreement with the U.K. would not result in new breaches in supply management. We are also pleased, and it is one of the fundamental con…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague the question that he asked me earlier. Why does Canada keep leaving the door open for multinationals to take governments to court? Why do public decision-makers always want to reduce the scope of their decision-making?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is quite the question. First, I believe that my colleague clearly showed us that the compensation process is quite long. We are in favour of compensation and will fight to defend it. There is no question about that. The fact remains that this process takes a long time and does not fully make up for the breaches in every case. We have a system that works. If the breaches are off…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the mechanism in question was removed from our main agreement, the one we signed with the United States and Mexico that covers 80% of our exports. No one has died so far. I understand that there needs to be a way to resolve disputes. However, it must not be limited to for-profit companies and the state. There should also be clauses to protect the public when their environmental and …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I suspect that my esteemed colleague is not disinterested in the issue. That said, I understand his total devotion to agriculture and supply management. Agriculture is a jewel, and our model is based on food sovereignty and land use. We must protect and defend it. Farmers have heard enough empty promises. I am very concerned about what comes next, not just a potential permanent agre…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there are many examples. I gather from my colleague's question that we are not just talking about the issue of trade and free trade, but about things in general. We know that the government does not like committees that study its role. We saw this with several proposals where parliamentarians were to closely examine COVID-19 spending. The government had to spend in the context of CO…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to begin by saying that I am rising as the Bloc Québécois critic for international trade. As we have said, the Bloc Québécois supports Bill C-18 on the Canada-United Kingdom trade continuity agreement, but not enthusiastically so. Our position is and always has been clear. We support trade openness, which is necessary for our SMEs, and we support market diversification. Given…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
In that case, I will finish up by just repeating my message. Let us pass Bill C-216. It is time to walk the talk. Farmers are sick of hearing governments promise that, unlike their predecessors, they will not touch supply management. They are sick of being told not to worry. That door needs to be shut, because farmers have sacrificed enough and the supply management system cannot take any more dam…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to be here today and to speak to this very important bill. I am rising today both as the Bloc Québécois critic for international trade and the member for what is likely the most agricultural riding in the country. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been promoting buying local. We have been realizing the importance of producing and consuming local. That gu…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to Luc Cordeau, who was devoted to preserving and enhancing the heritage and traditions of Saint-Hyacinthe. He passed away on February 23. Born in Saint-Pie in 1959, Luc Cordeau was involved with the regional historical society for 36 years and served as archivist and executive director of the Centre d'histoire de Sainte-Hyacinthe. His family describe…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to participate virtually in today's debate on Bill C-205, an act to amend the Health of Animals Act. If I may, I would like to go back to a sad event that occurred in my riding just under a year and a half ago. On December 7, 2019, 13 vegan and animal rights activists broke into a pig farm in Saint-Hyacinthe to protest the raising of animals for human consumption. They …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, we agree with the idea of setting up a committee to take a close look at things and analyze them. However, we need to think about what the best strategy would be. That is the purpose of committees, to look into such matters. Of course, our position on oil infrastructure is not the same as that of the official opposition. We understood the intentions behind that part of the motion wh…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, when I listen to the debates between the Liberals and the Conservatives, I often think that they are debates about the how, and while they may be intense, they are rarely about the why or the substance. One could almost say the two parties are one and the same, and call them the Liberal-Conservative party. The two words could be put together, although I would not call it the liberat…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, first, I would like to say that I will be sharing my time with my esteemed colleague from Beauport—Limoilou. I am pleased to rise today as the Bloc Québécois critic for international trade. First, I would like to say that the Bloc Québécois supports the official opposition’s proposal to create a special committee to take a close look at Canada-U.S. economic relations. The text of th…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. The short answer is yes. Neo-liberalism is a poison. It is an unfair, ecocidal system that is not even effective. We must absolutely demolish it. We agree on that. Free trade in itself is quite beneficial to Quebec. We had to reduce our dependence on the Canadian market. However, trade must not be confused with agreements largely favouring mult…
Read full speech →