Parliamentary Speeches
722 speeches by Yves-François Blanchet — Page 13 of 15
Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, over the past few days, I had the privilege of meeting Catalonia's minister of foreign action, who came to meet with a significant number of Quebec institutions, including the Government of Quebec. We discussed the extraordinary economic advantages of developing partnerships between such prosperous and innovative territories as Catalonia and Quebec, which share some comparable charact…
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Madam Speaker, I am being told that I refuse to address the root causes of injustice, whereas I am suggesting that we take a positive approach, not a negative one. I am suggesting that we take an approach that will rally people around this diversity. I am suggesting that there be a set of incentives, including financial ones, to help ensure this extraordinary diversity is better represented. Discr…
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Madam Speaker, I would respectfully submit that ideology does not compete with research and science, but rather it comes from research and science. An opinion must be based on some minimal knowledge. Science, research, education and the sharing of these ideas and these possibilities all contribute to the shaping of minds and forming of opinions. As those opinions expand, deepen and develop, they o…
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Madam Speaker, I fully support the notion that institutions of all kinds should be representative of and reflect the extraordinary diversity of the societies in which we live. Today's debate is not about inclusion. It is about the need to resist the temptation to exclude people, the need to avoid discriminating, even with the best possible intentions, against people who can make a significant cont…
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Madam Speaker, this is a wonderful opportunity to say hello to my constituents in Beloeil—Chambly and to inform you that I will be pleased to split my time with the very distinguished member for Drummond. We are starting a debate. I am not only talking about here, today. I am talking more generally about society, after a number of years that have been quite turbulent in this regard. We are startin…
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Mr. Speaker, his idea of contributing to the debate is giving money and perpetuating a blatant lie. Enough with this business about not practising or not being able to practise a profession. It reeks of partisanship. Quebec has been so often maligned across Canada that attacks on language and secularism in Quebec are gaining traction among Conservative Party leadership candidates. That was the ver…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister managed to praise democracy and the monarchy in the same sentence. Unbelievable. This is the same monarchy whose quick little vacation I am paying for, and the same monarchy that he is maintaining by appointing a Governor General and a Lieutenant Governor who do not speak a word of French. Will the Prime Minister try to explain to the Prince of Wales that the Domini…
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Mr. Speaker, as they say in mass, and then there was light. I truly understand why the Prime Minister was so hostile to our motion on the separation of church and state. He was planning to spend a week with the heir apparent to the British throne, who, incidentally, is the future head of the Church of England. We see and understand his priorities. Now that we know that we must pray for the royals …
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Mr. Speaker, he needs the Prince of Wales around in order to meet with business people and indigenous people? Okay then. Meanwhile, he appoints people to represent the monarchy who do not speak French. He supports the Liberal MPs who are challenging Camille Laurin's and René Lévesque's Bill 101. He refuses to allow the Charter of the French Language to apply to federally regulated businesses. In l…
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Mr. Speaker, for the Prime Minister, $2.2‑million vacations are hardly extraordinary. There are islands that welcome him. In real life, the vast majority of Quebeckers and a majority of Canadians do not support the British monarchy. It is costing us more than $2 million this week and more than $65 million a year. Tourism usually generates revenues, not expenses. Who is footing the bill?
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That, in order to create a lasting solution to the irregular migrant crossings at Roxham Road, this House call on the government to suspend the Canada-U.S. safe third country agreement; that it call for migrants to enter through regular channels across Canada and, cons…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so desperate to pick a fight that I, too, am on the verge of tears. In the meantime, I have a very simple question that should give the Prime Minister pause. If state secularism is so unimportant, why is he spending Canada's resources to challenge a legitimate Quebec law that all Quebeckers agree with? That must mean it is in fact important. Why not just let Quebec do what it wil…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said himself that he of course wants to stand up for all religions. However, every day, he asks parliamentarians to pray to the western Christian God. That must bug more than a few people here. Why not simply deal with this? We could vote to change the Standing Orders, and every religion would be equal during a moment of reflection.
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Mr. Speaker, anyone can be attached to the prayer and the monarchy. That is totally legitimate. However, given the context, I would like to make a religious reference: whitewashed tombs. Those parties are afraid of having to say one thing to Quebec and another to Canada. Here and now, they cannot do that. They will have to stand and vote, and the outcome could change the Standing Orders of the Hou…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Bloc Québécois moved a motion to change the rules of the House so that the prayer of support for the British monarchy would be replaced by a moment of reflection, allowing everyone to have a moment to themselves. Everyone here had all sorts of preposterous arguments for why it was not important. However, everyone here will have to stand up and vote under the watchful eye…
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Mr. Speaker, last week, with the Prime Minister present, journalists asked Quebec's premier if he was still going to demand—
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Mr. Speaker, I cannot continue so could you take care of this first?
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Mr. Speaker, last week, with the Prime Minister of Canada present, journalists asked Quebec's premier if he was still standing firm on his immigration demands, essentially for the sake of consistency, whether with respect to social services, education, francization or the labour shortage, and thus ensure that Quebec manages everything, except for security matters. The Premier of Quebec said yes. W…
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Mr. Speaker, will they be there if Quebec wants it, or only if Quebec wants it? The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship made it clear that the federal government does not think Quebec is taking in enough immigrants. However, the federal system has been backlogged for so many years that there have been files waiting to be processed since 2009. This gover…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's indignation is a little selective. Air Canada's CEO does not care about French, and a vice-president from CN spoke to the Standing Committee on Official Languages in English only, even though both of these companies have French roots. That is a little worrisome. How can the Prime Minister say he is flabbergasted? Does he not realize that by appointing a governor g…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister used the word “flabbergasted”. He was upset and I am glad to hear it. Canadian National has its headquarters in Montreal and so does Air Canada, and he is upset that no one at CN speaks French. He should be upset that none of the board members can speak French because they are in Quebec. On June 16, 2021, 281 elected members here in the House voted to recognize that…
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Mr. Speaker, we will get there yet. On the Prime Minister's little cheat sheet, it says that it is not a question of speaking French, but rather of possibly learning to speak French in the future, or “at some point”. At some point, though, could the Prime Minister not simply say that he will allow Quebec to apply the Charter of the French Language to businesses under federal jurisdiction, end of s…
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Mr. Speaker, it is not clear. He is not doing that. That is the problem. He is not doing it. I want to make it clear that I am not criticizing Ms. Simon or Ms. Murphy. I am criticizing him. He is the one who appointed these women. Honourable though they may be, they do not speak French. How can he be flabbergasted and indignant about people not speaking French when he himself appoints people who a…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is showing a lack of respect for Quebeckers, Canadians and especially Ukrainians. When Syrian refugees came to Canada, he chartered flights and brought them coats. Everyone took a selfie, even the airport security officers. I am not asking the Prime Minister whether there will be an airlift for displaced Ukrainians, but when there will be an airlift.
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Mr. Speaker, after 62 days of war, he has the gall to use the word “quickly”. This government is unable to explain to these people how to give their biometrics and unable to collect these people's biometrics. It is telling them, “Here are some Aeroplan points”. That is not costing the government a cent. The government is not chartering flights. This is not costing Air Canada a cent, so Air Canada …
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Mr. Speaker, we are finding out that the Bay du Nord project is going to be or is in the process of being approved. This comes as no surprise to anyone. We are talking about one billion barrels. The IPCC harshly criticized those countries that are shirking their responsibilities. It did not name names, but we understood that it was talking about Canada. There is a major inconsistency between the g…
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Mr. Speaker, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, is the highest authority on the issue. I am not sure what the Prime Minister found that would call the IPCC's expertise into question, but if we take a good look at the announcement made at four o'clock this afternoon, the approval of the Bay du Nord project is a global disaster waiting to happen. In this context, does anyone rea…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Environment and Climate Change served up a contradiction, first saying that he is waiting for environmental assessments on Bay du Nord and then talking about provincial jurisdiction. A Liberal talking about provincial jurisdiction is interesting, to say the least. For the sake of consistency and clarity, and to give a smidgen of credibility to the plan for re…
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Mr. Speaker, on April 21, I will be one of the nearly two million Quebeckers who will be left feeling empty. There is a whole slew of us who will be facing a huge void every Monday through Thursday at 7 p.m., because District 31 is going off the air. We have lost Nadine and Poupou, but losing Chiasson, Gagné, Bissonnette and the rest of the team is a major blow. It is unimaginable to think that we…
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Mr. Speaker, no one believes in the Liberal government's emissions reduction plan. In fact, everyone is united in their dislike of the plan. It is not as though the minister did not try. I sincerely think he did, but his own government got in the way. What we need, though, are results. The IPCC has been clear that it is impossible to meet the targets by increasing production. Will the Prime Minist…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not need to applaud his plan, because I am not asking him for a cheque. Not only is the plan scientifically unacceptable, but the government is not even trying to meet the targets. The proof is that he is subsidizing the oil industry, which, with its increased production, will ensure that levels of greenhouse gas emissions remain the same. Could he at least commit to saying no to…
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government encourages inclusion in all matters, and I fully support this. However, there are positive ways of doing so. Examples include making applications anonymous at the beginning of the application process or reserving scholarships for certain types of applicants. Exclusion, on the other hand, is unhealthy and eminently divisive. Does the Prime Minister agree that ex…
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Mr. Speaker, the government has agreed to ease visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees coming to Quebec or Canada. Now, being rich should not be a criterion for refugees. It is about being equitable. We do not want to run the risk of making some very vulnerable people even more vulnerable. The only solution appears to be a humanitarian airlift. Does the Prime Minister agree that an airlift needs …
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Mr. Speaker, the NDP is staunchly opposed to Quebec's state secularism law. The Liberal Party is staunchly opposed to Quebec's state secularism law. There is even a Conservative Party leadership candidate who has become staunchly opposed to Quebec's state secularism law. Will this marriage also involve attacking Quebec's state secularism law once and for all using the money and resources at the Ca…
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Mr. Speaker, now that the NDP and the Liberals have gotten hitched, could the Prime Minister send the Green members over to this side of the House and put all the Liberals on the correct side so they can all sit together? I gather that the basis for this agreement is interference in the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces in the areas of health, dental and drug insurance. Is it not true that…
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Mr. Speaker, esteemed colleagues, and, especially, Mr. President, it is difficult for me today to express myself in simple words, which cannot convey or express all the sadness, indignation and anger roused by the dirty war inflicted on your great nation and your great people. It is also difficult for me to admit to a certain powerlessness to do much more than express our compassion and our desire…
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to ask for a little more clarity, because as soon as Russian boots hit the ground in Kyiv, the Conservatives wanted to use it as an excuse to send oil. The Conservatives also want a leader who was against energy east, but in favour of the carbon exchange. I am a little confused. I get the impression that the Conservatives want a Liberal leader. Now, I ask the Liberal leader w…
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Mr. Speaker, the argument we hear in connection with fossil fuel issues is “energy security”, but Canada's energy security is not at risk because Canada can meet its own fossil fuel needs. We do not need Russian oil. This sanction is meaningless. Europe's energy security does not seem to be in jeopardy either because OPEC can boost production as needed and the United States can supply natural gas …
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Mr. Speaker, there are some matters on which we agree, such as co-operation with major international institutions and humanitarian assistance, which must be generous, and which is ultimately more important that military assistance. There are, however, some matters on which we do not quite agree. I refuse to believe that the government would endorse the idea that we need to send western oil to help…
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Mr. Speaker, things are moving faster and faster, if not backwards, and Europe is no longer dependent on Russian energy. Ukraine's IPCC representative says that oil is not the solution. The UN says that oil is not the solution. I wonder what the Minister of Environment says about oil being the solution. If the Prime Minister wants to switch to blue, can he choose the right blue?
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Madam Speaker, they have a leadership race to sort out. They need a bit of a break. Back to more serious things. I simply want to say that we will be introducing a bill that would protect Quebec's weight within Canadian institutions. This does not mean that we, as good neighbours, no longer wish to work together. We want to continue working together with the Canadian entity, no matter how it is de…
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Madam Speaker, I stand corrected. Obviously, my colleague was not talking about Jean Charest's campaign. Mr. Charest is opposed to pipelines and he is behind the carbon tax. My colleague must have been talking about someone else. That is to his credit because the Conservatives are entitled to their own leadership race. There is another race, the race for the planet's survival. Some people say that…
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moved: That, in the opinion of the House: (a) any scenario for redrawing the federal electoral map that would result in Quebec losing one or more electoral districts or that would reduce Quebec’s political weight in the House of Commons must be rejected; and (b) the formula for apportioning seats in the House must be amended and the House call on the government to act accordingly. Mr. Speaker, I w…
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Madam Speaker, despite the temptation to do otherwise, I will try to maintain what little positive atmosphere we have here. I understand that the member's question was written before he rose and before he even heard the opening of my brief speech. Of course members will say that now is not the right time. It is never the right time. It will never be the right time for the Quebec nation to have mor…
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Madam Speaker, despite the temptation, I always avoid rewriting history. I will avoid rewriting history by going back to 2011, and I will say instead that I understand that the NDP will support the Bloc Québécois today, and that I imagine the NDP will also support my party's bill when we introduce it.
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I appreciate that answer, Mr. Speaker. There is another issue. Does the Prime Minister agree that, in any circumstance, especially given what we are witnessing in Ukraine, it would be irresponsible to use the war and its humanitarian consequences as an opportunity to promote oil exports from western Canada?
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Mr. Speaker, it seems the Russian tyrant's pride has been wounded and now he is waging a brutal, extremely violent attack on a peaceful people. The international community, including Canada, has imposed very strong sanctions, which I applaud. However, those sanctions must not be temporary measures that, after a quick victory, enable the Russian tyrant to save face. Do we agree that the sanctions m…
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome the general convergence of ideas in the House in the face of shared adversity. This has not happened often. I understand that the government is working with major international organizations like the G7 and NATO, among others. This is what the Bloc Québécois and likely many others were hoping to see, and it was definitely the only way forward. However, certain decisions stil…
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Mr. Speaker, merit comes with intent. What is the intention here? Is the intention of my colleague's remarks to generously and compassionately ensure Europe's energy security? Or is this just another attempt to find new markets to increase trade in western Canadian oil? There is no scenario in which western Canada would be able to get oil to Europe in a timely manner using the infrastructure proje…
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Mr. Speaker, the ribbon I am wearing is a little different from my colleagues' because I got it yesterday during the march in support of the people of Ukraine in Montreal. People in Montreal, in Quebec, probably in Canada, as well as in major cities and capitals around the globe, stand united in their condemnation of these serious, indefensible acts of aggression, which are driven by the vilest pr…
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