44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 27, 2022 02:00PM
- Apr/27/22 2:17:25 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, for over 100 years the bells of St. Jean Baptiste church in Morinville, Alberta could be heard for miles around. The church was a place of worship, a place to mourn and a place to celebrate for generations of Catholic, indigenous, Métis and Franco-Albertans.
On June 30 of last year, in a disturbing act of hatred, this iconic structure was burned to the ground, and for the first time in over 100 years the bells were silenced. Despite this devastating blow to our community, the parishioners of St. Jean Baptiste have shown our country what the love of Jesus Christ really means: to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us.
On May 14, the church is hosting a fundraiser at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre to rebuild our beloved St. Jean Baptiste.
Today, in Canada's Parliament, I declare that we will not be defined by this act of hatred. The bells of St. Jean Baptiste shall ring again.
168 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:18:25 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Vladimir Kara-Murza has emerged as one of Russia's most respected democratic opposition leaders, a noted public intellectual and a voice of conscience. He is also a senior fellow with the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights in my riding.
He is no stranger to many of us in this Canadian Parliament. He has testified before us and was instrumental in our unanimous adoption of Magnitsky legislation.
Vladimir represents the very best of what Russians stand for and the country that Russia can aspire to be. Targeted for his principled leadership, Vladimir has survived two assassination attempts and nonetheless had the courage to return to Russia to oppose Putin's autocratic regime and his war of aggression and atrocities in Ukraine. For this, he has now been unjustly imprisoned and faces trumped-up criminal charges that can result in decades of imprisonment.
I know I speak for all members of this House when I express my condemnation of this injustice and call for Vladimir Kara-Murza's immediate release.
172 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:19:41 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize early childhood educators week and honour the thousands of ECEs from coast to coast.
Every day, ECEs perform some of the most crucial work in our communities. We all know that the first few years of a child’s development are the most important, and ECEs help ensure that our little ones get the best possible start in life.
However, ECEs, 98% of whom are women, are not compensated fairly for their labour. In fact, a quarter of them work second jobs to supplement their low income. Years ago, I worked as an ECE. I loved the job, but the low pay and lack of benefits resulted in me leaving this noble profession.
As $10-a-day child care is implemented across Canada, we must make raising ECE wages and providing ECEs with good benefits, including pensions, a priority. This week, let us do more than just thank ECEs; let us ensure they are paid fairly for the work they do.
169 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:20:51 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, April 24 marked the 107th anniversary of the genocide of the Armenian people. Let us come together to honour the memory of the 1.5 million Armenians whose lives were cut short beginning in April 1915, and everyone else who experienced exile, starvation and grief.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, the party that initiated efforts to have the House of Commons recognize the genocide, I want to reiterate our solidarity with the Armenian people. I want to reiterate the friendship that exists between the Quebec and Armenian nations. I would also like us to take this opportunity to reflect on the seriousness of the atrocities committed. Genocide is still going on in the world as we speak. We, and especially us as parliamentarians, have no right to trivialize this phenomenon. We have no right to be indifferent.
We cannot change the atrocities committed against the Armenians 107 years ago. Let us hope that commemorating this genocide will give us the courage to act today while we still can.
177 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:21:56 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, farmers have begun to plant their crops for the year in western Canada once again.
Western Canada was built on a hope and a prayer, and today it is no different with farming in Cypress Hills—Grasslands. There has been below-average moisture for multiple years. I know farmers are already praying for timely rains this year. They also need the Prime Minister to quit punishing them with ridiculous policies based on false claims about their industry. First it was the carbon tax, and then the clean fuel standard and harsh emission reductions for fertilizer production. Uncertainty and sky-high input costs come from an out-of-touch Prime Minister. Now he wants to go after wheat growers as a supposedly high-emitting sector. Arable farmland sequesters over 9.5 megatonnes of CO2 every single year in Saskatchewan alone. Enough is enough.
Producers across this great country just want to be left doing what they do best: produce food for a hungry world while taking care of the land and the communities that we all love. Thanks to the Prime Minister and his continued attacks on the west, it is becoming impossible to do either one.
199 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:23:08 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to pay tribute to a dear friend and a pillar of the Montreal community who passed away recently.
François L'Heureux was a highly respected lawyer and a well-known, passionate activist in our great Quebec nation.
François was a very caring husband to his beloved wife, Marie, as well as a devoted father to his sons, Philippe and Marc, who are both living with autism spectrum disorder.
With his son serving as his inspiration, my friend François served as a tireless advocate for a more inclusive society, believing passionately in the principle of neurodiversity. His dedication led him to the implementation of a wonderful autism organization in Montreal, the Giant Steps school and resource centre, where he served on the board of directors for over 20 years, much of that as vice-president. His tireless efforts would benefit generations of autistic Canadians and their families.
I would like to offer my deepest condolences to his family. We have lost a great man.
I say goodbye to my dear friend François. May he rest in peace. May his memory be eternal.
197 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:25:06 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister invoked the emergency measures act on Canadians without justification, and now he is trying to hide it. His ministers admitted they will not be co-operating with the inquiry and they will be hiding behind cabinet confidence, of course. How many times have they used that one? WE, SNC, Winnipeg lab documents, the list goes on. Their dirty work is always too secret for anyone to watch. This inquiry will be nothing but an exercise in nasty Liberal political spin and nothing about transparency or accountability. Is that not the truth?
96 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:25:43 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, when the illegal blockades hurt workers and endangered public safety, police were clear that they needed tools not held by any federal, provincial or territorial law. It was only after we got advice from law enforcement that we invoked the Emergencies Act. The Canadian Police Association and the Canadian and Ontario associations of chiefs of police all agree that this is how the legislation should be used, for emergencies. We have now announced the independent inquiry to examine the circumstances that led to the declaration and the measures taken in response. I know we all look forward to Justice Rouleau's excellent work.
105 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:26:25 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, wedge, divide and stigmatize, that is what the Prime Minister is about and that is what this inquiry is going to be about. It is another chance for him to call innocent people racists and misogynists and accuse them of all kinds of things that are factually not true.
The purpose of this inquiry on the use of the Emergencies Act is for Canadians to see the reason why the government used it, not a chance for Liberals to insult and divide. Why is the Prime Minister so afraid to show Canadians what reasons he had or did not have to use the Emergencies Act? What is he trying to hide?
113 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:27:05 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, when our government invoked the Emergencies Act, we committed to Canadians that we would be upfront and transparent about it. We have kept that commitment, and the commission, an independent public inquiry, is further evidence of that. As we have made clear, we will work directly with the commission to ensure that it is able to complete its work, because Canadians demand answers and that is exactly what we are delivering.
73 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:27:35 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, in a shocking revelation yesterday, the Prime Minister admitted he did not use a loophole to get away with his illegal holiday. He did not give himself permission. We know from the complaints commissioner that there were some hurdles to the RCMP doing its work, but they were not insurmountable. Yesterday, the Prime Minister removed one of those hurdles.
Conservatives have asked the RCMP to reopen its criminal investigation into his activities. Will the Prime Minister co-operate with the RCMP? Will he meet with the RCMP?
89 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:28:11 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Conservative Party has run out of ideas and material when it chooses to raise issues that were brought up by the Conservative leader three Conservative leaders ago. I know the Conservatives want to distract from their current leadership race, but there are real issues facing Canadians, from the rising cost of living to Putin's illegal war in Ukraine. Those are the issues that I am focused on. While they focus on me, we continue to remain focused on Canadians.
87 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:28:45 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I will inform the Prime Minister that there is no statute of limitations on fraud charges. This is very serious. This is a big deal. The Prime Minister of Canada has potentially committed criminal offences. We are talking about possible charges against the Prime Minister of this country. The Prime Minister has to know how serious this is. The Prime Minister has to know he is not above the law.
Has the Prime Minister met with private criminal counsel regarding these potential charges?
85 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:29:21 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Conservative politicians want to continue manufacturing distractions on matters that were dealt with years ago, instead of talking about the economy, talking about the environment, talking about things that Canadians care about. What is clear is that they do not want to talk about making sure our economic recovery leaves no one behind. They do not want to talk about or even acknowledge the climate crisis. They definitely do not want to talk about making our communities safer by banning assault weapons. They want to talk about me, so while they stay focused on me, I will stay focused on Canadians.
103 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:30:00 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, in 2016, the Prime Minister of Canada broke four separate sections of the ethics act. In doing so, as we found out just in the last week, he may have broken criminal law. The Prime Minister likes to break the rules; we know that. It all started with that illegal holiday, but it has continued with his illegal activity and interference with the SNC-Lavalin trial and his illegal benefits from the WE foundation, just to mention a few.
This is a Prime Minister who is always pushing the boundaries of ethical conduct and coming as close as he can to breaking the law. He seems to get away with it, but maybe not this time. Is the Prime Minister above the law?
125 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:30:46 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, what the Conservative Party members are making very clear is that they do not want to talk about investments in child care. They do not want to talk about how to close the infrastructure gap between indigenous and non-indigenous communities. They do not want to talk about investments in green infrastructure. They do not want to talk about making sure that the wealthiest pay their fair share. They definitely do not want to talk about protecting a woman's right to choose. While they focus on personal attacks on me, we will stay focused on the things that matter to Canadians.
104 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:31:39 p.m.
- Watch
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 French is the only common and official language of the Quebec nation.
Will the Prime Minister require members of boards of directors whose headquarters are in Montreal or Quebec to have a basic knowledge of French?
113 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:32:31 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, both official languages are at the heart of our identity. Every Canadian deserves to be served in the official language of their choice by federally regulated businesses, including CN.
The lack of francophone administrators on CN's board of directors is unacceptable, and we expect CN's management to lead by example.
As part of our modernization of the Official Languages Act, we are giving the Commissioner of Official Languages the tools he needs to ensure that CN meets its official languages obligations.
85 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:33:08 p.m.
- Watch
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 general and a lieutenant-governor who do not speak French, he is signalling to everyone that his government thinks French is just a quaint curiosity?
94 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/27/22 2:33:46 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Governor General is the first indigenous person to serve in that role. She was born in northern Quebec in the 1950s, a time when French was not taught there, unfortunately.
It is important for our leaders to set the example, and our Governor General has been taking intensive French courses since she was appointed.
Ms. Simon is determined to learn French and recognizes the fundamental importance of knowing both our official languages in order to represent all Canadians to the best of her abilities. By making it a priority to learn French, she has demonstrated the importance of protecting French across the country.
106 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
