Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his commitment to our official languages. Our government has already announced over $732 million to support French-language education across the country, from preschool to post-secondary education: over $13 million in Yukon, $15 million in the Northwest Territories, $43 million in Saskatchewan, $523 million in Ontario and $133 million in New Brunswick.…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that, of all the countries in the world, Canada has the best agreement with the United States and the lowest tariffs: 85% of our economy is exempt from the U.S. tariffs. I think that all the Canadians watching us know that the situation with the United States is complicated right now, but despite that, our country is faring the best. Every mont…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I think that we have a good example why the Bloc Québécois will never be in power. Canada Post's accumulated deficit over the past few years is $4 billion. Seventy-one million dollars out of $4 billion does not make much of a difference. It is important in our democracy to have our Governor General as head of state. This has been part of our democracy since the very beginning. We wi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the Governor General plays a very important role in our democracy, and she is making an effort to learn a third language. She is already bilingual. I think we should be encouraging her, not discouraging her. I admire her efforts to improve her French, and I would point out that her French is improving. What the member opposite said is not true. I have spoken with her, and have done …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned exaggeration. Considering the speech she just gave, that is a bit rich. She is well aware that the answer to her question is in her question. Obviously, the courts cannot change the Constitution. The point of our intervention is not to enable the courts to change the Constitution. As she said yesterday, the only entity that can change the Constitution is Parliam…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am very sorry, but what my colleague is saying is simply not true. Our intervention before the Supreme Court is aimed at defending the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We are the party of the charter. We have always defended it, and we will always continue to defend it. Just last week, one province announced that it would be using the notwithstanding clause in three bills at…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that, in the last election, Quebeckers voted in twice as many Liberals as Bloc Québécois representatives. I repeat, twice as many. Why did they do that? It is because they know that we will be there to defend their rights, but they also know that we are capable of working with the provinces and territories. Just last week, I was with two Quebec gove…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague, what she is saying is misinformed. The federal government's intervention before the Supreme Court will not prevent the provinces or territories from continuing to use section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Canadian Constitution and to use the notwithstanding clause if they want. The Minister of Justice, who is seated next to me, w…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am a very proud Quebecker. There are a lot of very proud Quebeckers on our side of the House. We have been defending the Quebec model for years if not decades. What the member opposite is saying is simply not true. We are the first federal government to have acknowledged the decline of French and to have invested $4 billion in official languages. For the first time in history, we ac…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is responsible for defending one of the pillars of our democracy, that is, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. All across Canada, the government must stand up for the rights of all Canadians. It is our job to defend this charter and to ensure that everyone in this country is protected. We are doing our job. The matter is before the Supreme Court and w…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that the federal government's intervention in the Supreme Court case will not prevent any province or territory from continuing to use the notwithstanding clause. That is very clear, and she knows it. If there are any problems, I would be happy to ask the Department of Justice to offer a briefing, but the purpose of our intervention is to protect Canadians…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what we need to do to address the housing crisis is co-operate with municipalities, provinces and people on the ground. That is the opposite of what the Conservative Party is proposing. The Leader of the Opposition has repeatedly criticized the mayors of cities like Quebec City, Montreal and others across the country. Yesterday, my friend and colleague, the Minister of Housing and Inf…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the members opposite are saying, it is important to know what we are talking about. I am a founding member of a housing co-op. I know very well that in order to get these projects off the ground, we need to work together, not against each other, because that does not work. The Conservative approach, which is to cut, cut, cut, does not work. That is not the right way t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Canadian Heritage was responsible for the research and policy work underlying the development of Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, including its passage through the parliamentary process. However, the Department of Canadian Heritage is not responsible for the implementation of the framework once the parliamentary process is complete. The implementation of the framework is the respo…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), operations team meetings allow open discussion and are primarily used for sharing information and updates related to a variety of regional and national issues. Formal agency decisions are taken through a governance process whereby documents are maintained in compliance to the Government of Canada records management standards. With regard to (b), I was not, and am n…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the purchase order was for a one-time, non-recurring recruitment service to secure the recruitment of a specialized external candidate. With regard to (b), the purchase order was issued on October 5, 2016. With regard to (c), CBC's hiring manager responsible for filling the posting authorized the purchase order following the hiring of the successful candidate. With…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), some portions of the Parks Canada-administered lands along the Rideau Canal in Smiths Falls have been subject to archaeological assessment. More detail about specific properties and types of agreements is required to provide a full response. A manual search of non-digitized records would also be required. Parks Canada has determined that producing and validating a …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a)(i) and (a)(ii), the total number of grants and contributions provided by Heritage Canada during the 2024-25 fiscal year was 28,129 and the total value was $1,859,294,977. With regard to (b), the departmental financial system does not track transfer payment information by federal riding and/or census metropolitan area. With regard to (c), two payments were made to en…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, as to part (a), Parks Canada directly informed the following people of the decision. Chief Dwayne Blackbird and others of the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation were informed on May 9, 2025, by Leanne Cooper, field unit superintendent, at an in-person meeting. James Plewak of the Coalition of First Nations with Interests in Riding Mountain National Park was informed on May 9, 2025, b…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this morning, I was with my colleague and friend, the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, our colleagues from the Quebec government, and the mayor of Montreal. At that time, I had the pleasure of announcing a project to build 20,000 housing units. That 20,000 units includes 6,000 affordable off-market units—social housing to help families and young Montrealers. We are going to be …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, to build more housing, we need to work together. We need to work with municipalities. We need to work with stakeholders on the ground. We need to work with the provinces. Unlike the Conservatives, who think we need to insult people, we believe we should work together. That is what we did this morning, when the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and I made a historic announcement t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Mont-Saint-Bruno—L'Acadie for his commitment to his community. Our government's celebrate Canada program supports more than 1,500 events across the country to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, Saint‑Jean‑Baptiste Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day, Canada Day and National Acadian Day. Concerts, cultural festivals and community gatherings are all opportuni…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, there is no better time to choose Canada, which is why today we unveiled the new Canada Strong Pass. All summer long, admission is free for national parks and historic sites, with major discounts on camping as well. What is more, kids get free access to national museums and galleries, and free or discounted fares on Via Rail. We are encouraging people of all ages to explore the places…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I would like to remind my colleague that we still have carbon pricing for large corporations, for major emitters, that results in three times as many emissions reductions as consumer pricing. We have a robust carbon pricing system, and the federal price per tonne is almost double the Quebec price. Quebec's price is $59, and the federal government's price is $95. …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, even Google agreed that it should do this. Google will pay $100 million to help Canadian journalism in this country. An international, U.S.-based company, is agreeing to do that, but the Conservative Party of Canada would vote against it, would prevent it from happening and would want to prevent our media from getting $100 million so there is more local content and more journalists hi…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, for decades, we have witnessed journalists losing their jobs, newsrooms shutting down and local media going bankrupt. Access to fact-based information from coast to coast to coast is essential to keeping Canadians informed. Unfortunately, my Conservative colleagues do not believe that preserving this pillar of our democracy is important. On our side, we chose to pass the Online News A…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, just about everything the member said in her intervention is wrong. Bill C-11 ensures that Canadian artists get rewarded, as they should, by online platforms. Bill C-11 makes sure that Canadian content can be discovered by Canadians, by my kids, by all of our kids, instead of just international artists. That is exactly what Bill C-11 does. It gives the opportunity for Canadians to dis…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my Bloc Québécois colleague knows I hold him in high esteem, but I think he is pushing his luck a bit today. As he knows full well, Quebec's system is quite different from the federal system. Currently, Quebec's price per tonne is $59, whereas the federal price is $95. That means that, for years, Quebeckers paid half as much for carbon pricing as all other Canadians were paying. He ne…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I sincerely believe that we are comparing apples and oranges here. The Quebec system is based on a cap-and-trade mechanism, not a pricing mechanism. The federal system, on the other hand, is based on a mechanism that sets a price per tonne, which sends a signal to the market and consumers to reduce their emissions. These are two completely different systems. The federal government has…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), and in accordance with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Audiovisual Co-production Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of South Africa”, signed at Capetown on September 3, 2024.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, our government has long expressed reservations about the Government of Quebec's Bill 21, especially regarding what we consider to be its misuse of the notwithstanding clause. We made up our minds a long time ago that we were going to intervene. What we are doing now is preparing to intervene, since the matter in question extends beyond Quebec's borders. As my Bloc Québécois colleagu…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, in that lake and that region, we are facing a zebra mussel invasion on which we must intervene to control. Otherwise, it could spread in the region to other water basins around that area. That is why, with Parks Canada, with local partners and with indigenous partners who support what Parks Canada has been doing, we are trying to tackle this issue as rapidly as possible…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite is saying is simply not true. We have, in fact, been working with local authorities. Parks Canada provided funding to compensate for some of the loss in revenues last year because of the closure as we are trying to tackle this very important crisis. It is totally irresponsible for the member to somehow suggest that we should just let the zebra mussels spread a…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the people of Laurier—Sainte‑Marie for allowing me to serve here for a third consecutive term. I would also like to remind my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois that the British Crown always reads the Speech from the Throne. There is nothing new there. This time, of course, the King came to read it, which is a great honour for many Canadians, including Quebeckers. …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I would invite my colleague to read the fall economic statement. If he does, he will see that Canada is in a particularly enviable fiscal position compared to all our G7 competitors. We have the best debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. The IMF, the International Monetary Fund, estimates that we will have the strongest economic growth next year. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources ju…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we have more good news for Quebeckers today, with the publication of the clean electricity strategy. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be invested in collaboration with Hydro-Québec, with the Government of Quebec and with businesses to develop the electricity network we need for the 21st century to decarbonize our transportation sector and to decarbonize the industry and buildings …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the hon. colleague that everything we have done since we have been in power, in 2015, has meant a 43% decline in emissions in Canada. Greenhouse gas emissions are at their lowest level in 27 years. Our plan is working. We are helping the economy, creating jobs and fighting pollution.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the “2023-2024 Reports by Federal Authorities with Obligations under Section 71 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012”.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, the Supreme Court last year directed the government to review some of the elements under the Impact Assessment Act of Canada, which is what we have done. We still have a commitment to phase out thermal coal export by 2030 and she also knows that 10 indigenous—
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, the Supreme Court of Canada directed the government to make some changes to the Impact Assessment Act of Canada last year, which is what we have done. We still have a commitment to ban the export of thermal coal by 2030. My colleague also knows that 10 indigenous communities are supporting this project, which is why, in the end, the Impact Assessment Age…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Environment and Climate Change Canada has no funding program related to Q-3113.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, due to Alberta's unusually early wildfire season, which began on February 20, 2024, and was fueled by widespread drought conditions in 2024, there was not a period in which the prescriptions required for controlled ignition could take place. The elevated fire risk associated with these conditions made it unsafe and contrary to prescriptions required to carry out such operations. Presc…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Bloc Québécois for his question. Lion Electric is indeed a very important company for the electrification of transportation, and not just in Quebec, but across Canada. The federal program will enable municipalities to purchase hundreds of electric buses thanks to this program, contrary to what my Bloc Québécois and Conservative Party colleagues are saying…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about telling Canadians the truth. What did the Conservative Party leader do when we offered Canadians a tax break during the holiday season, a measure that he was in favour of just two years ago? He told his MPs to vote against it, regardless of what they actually wanted to do. Conservative MPs are no longer the voice of their constituents in Ottawa. They are now the voic…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, my colleague has just quoted Professor Sylvain Charlebois on food issues. This same professor believes that climate change is the biggest challenge facing the agri-food sector. He published a report today on the macroeconomic impacts on the agri-food sector. On page 14, the first item mentioned in the report is climate change. Pollution pricing is not even mentioned. That is not one o…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The NDP has an opportunity to help people over the holidays by giving them a tax break. We would like the NDP to work with us to help Canadians by giving more than eight million people a tax break over the holidays. The New Democrats have an opportunity to do just that, and they should take it.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Marc Lévesque, former chief economics strategist at TD Securities, says that he is not in the habit of calling people liars, but that it is an outright lie; the report the member is referring to does not mention that the carbon tax is a factor behind the $800 increase, and certainly does not say that the carbon tax will cost families $800 more on food.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, ECCC does not have any projects related to Q-3085.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. We will always be there for Canadian families and businesses, in good times and in bad. We have cut taxes for the middle class twice. What has the Conservative leader done? He forced his members to vote against those tax cuts not just once, but twice. Today, with the GST cut, we are providing meaningful support to families and businesses, but it …
Read full speech →