44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 20, 2022 10:00AM
- May/20/22 11:34:24 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, virtual Parliament was meant to be a temporary measure to deal with a worldwide pandemic, but it has the effect of reducing the accountability of government. That is fine with the current Prime Minister and his cabal, but it should not be fine with Canadians.
As workers across the country are back at work, is it not a little rich for the government to insist that it is not safe to do our work in person? We are no more special than the rest of Canadians. Trying to represent our constituents from the comfort of our homes just does not cut it. Continuing with a hybrid parliament diminishes this institution.
Conservatives believe it is time to get democracy working again. The Prime Minister and his NDP-Liberal government have demonstrated repeatedly that they are willing to do anything to avoid the oversight of Parliament. Virtual sittings reduce accountability and transparency in our democratic parliamentary system. We have seen it clearly in question period, where answers to serious questions are obfuscated at best.
This needs to end now, so we can bring back a real democratic Parliament to Canadians.
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- May/20/22 11:35:34 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Service de sécurité incendie de l'agglomération de Longueuil recently received a 2022 municipal award for excellence in the special COVID‑19 category from the Union des municipalités du Québec. The Longueuil fire department was being honoured for its role in coordinating municipal emergency preparedness organizations in response to COVID‑19.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the department implemented a regional governance framework and held meetings to coordinate decision-making, co-operation and alignment in the greater Longueuil area.
The department's leadership and professionalism during this unprecedented time has benefited all citizens of the agglomeration.
I congratulate the Service de sécurité incendie de l'agglomération de Longueuil, its director, Jean Melançon, and all of its members on winning this fantastic award.
I want to thank all of them on behalf of the people of Longueuil—Charles‑LeMoyne.
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- May/20/22 11:36:31 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, can members imagine going to school hungry? They would have a hard time concentrating. The sound of the teacher's voice would be a dull rumble in their stomachs. They would be feeling tired, and they would barely have the energy to lift their pencils. That is the reality for nearly two million children in Canada. Right here at home, one in three children is at risk of going to school hungry.
Canada is the only G7 nation without a national school food program. UNICEF ranked Canada 37 out of 41 industrialized countries for food security among children.
Canada is a wealthy nation, yet our children are going hungry every day. We can change all of that. I am calling on the Liberal government to adopt the NDP private member's bill to develop a national school food program. All children deserve a chance to succeed.
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- May/20/22 11:37:36 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the passing of former Bloc Québécois MP Christian Ouellet will be marked in Bromont this Saturday, May 21.
He was first elected in 2006 in the riding of Brome—Missisquoi at the venerable age of 72 and was re-elected in 2008. He decided to take his well-deserved retirement in 2011. His love for Quebec always guided his choices and his commitment. He was my political mentor.
He started out as an architect specializing in green architecture and was even named a fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for his commitment to promoting green buildings. He was a formidable and extremely competent deputy critic for the environment and natural resources. Mr. Ouellet connected with his constituents and cared deeply about his fellow human beings. This made him a thoughtful critic for social housing and homelessness. Mr. Ouellet had an open and inquiring mind and was ahead of his time in many ways. The most important thing I learned from him was when he said to me, “Andréanne, once you are elected, you will represent everyone”.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Estelle, his family and his loved ones.
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- May/20/22 11:38:46 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s reign over the Commonwealth. To celebrate, in the absence of any formal federal recognition with a platinum jubilee medal, I will be awarding 70 specially designed platinum jubilee commemorative medallions to volunteers in Barrie—Innisfil who have gone above and beyond to selflessly help the residents and communities of Barrie—Innisfil.
Over the past month, since we put out the call for nominations, my office has received amazing stories of these volunteers, and I am not in the least surprised by it. I encourage residents to nominate a deserving volunteer by visiting my website, johnbrassard.com. Over the summer, I will personally deliver these special medallions to these special volunteers.
As we head into the first long weekend of the summer, I want to wish everyone a safe and restful weekend. I wish a happy Victoria Day to all members of this House and every resident of Barrie—Innisfil. God save the Queen and long may she reign.
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- May/20/22 11:39:49 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Jimmy Quong came to the Yukon literally to build bridges. A practice-trained engineer, James moved up from Vancouver in 1942 to design bridges for the Alaska Highway that connected Dawson Creek, B.C. to Fairbanks, Alaska in an astounding eight months. One hundred and thirty-four beloved bridges later, Jimmy Quong's legacy expands from the Dempster Highway to Nisutlin Bay, to the Marsh Lake bridge and the magnificent Skagway road connecting Carcross to Alaska.
Jimmy brought his keen eye for detail to photography, illuminating scenes of the Yukon from the forties onward: roads and bridges, paddle wheelers, buildings and the people of his time. His meticulous photographs now tell the Yukon's story in museums and archives around the territory. When I first arrived in the Yukon, in a frigid January in 1995, one of the first to welcome me was Dr. Ken Quong, Jimmy's son, now a respected medical leader and a skilled photographer in his own right.
As we commemorate Asian Heritage Month, I salute the life of Jimmy Quong, whose bridges, photographs and family form part of the Yukon's vital fabric.
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- May/20/22 11:41:02 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, by calling anyone who disagrees with his reckless policies a racist, this Prime Minister is playing a dangerous game. He should know that even some of his most loyal MPs have had enough with that cop-out, because it is getting harder and harder for them to explain it to their constituents.
He calls us racist because we know how bad Bill C‑5 is. If passed, it would reduce the number of prisoners in federal penitentiaries by leaving dangerous offenders in our communities. Am I to assume that the Prime Minister also thinks Laval police chief Pierre Brochet is racist?
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- May/20/22 11:41:39 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, I want to be very clear: Those who commit serious offences will continue to receive serious sentences.
Our bill is about getting rid of the failed policies of the Conservative government, which have filled our prisons with low-risk first-time offenders who needed help, not to be put in jail. These failed policies did not deter crime and did not keep us safe. They target vulnerable and racialized Canadians.
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- May/20/22 11:42:11 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, when the Prime Minister calls racist for opposing this dangerous law, he does not realize that, by the same token, he is accusing members of his own caucus of the same thing.
Bill C-5 is nothing more than a public relations exercise that seeks to reduce incarceration statistics by letting violent criminals go free when they should be behind bars.
Since the Prime Minister likes to brag about having Canadians' support, is he aware that Stéphane Wall from the Communauté des citoyens en action contre les criminels violents said, and I quote, “There is absolutely a dichotomy between Bill C‑5 and the social context of gun violence”?
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- May/20/22 11:42:47 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, let me repeat: Those who commit serious offences will continue to receive serious sentences. Our government is committed to our criminal justice system reform. It is a promise we made to Canadians, and we intend to keep it. This is about criminal justice policy that actually keeps our communities safe. A justice system that unfairly targets indigenous peoples and Black and marginalized communities is not effective, does not keep us safe and must be changed.
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- May/20/22 11:43:16 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, Anie Samson is a former city councillor and member of the City of Montreal's executive committee who was responsible for public safety. She said, and I quote, “What does Bill C‑5 do to protect our young people and deter them from taking this path? It does absolutely nothing to deter them, in fact. Abolishing certain MMPs simply exacerbates impunity for these kinds of acts.”
Would the Prime Minister have us believe that the Laval police chief, the Communauté des citoyens en action contre les criminels violents and Anie Samson are all racist?
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- May/20/22 11:43:52 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, a justice system that targets indigenous peoples, the Black community and marginalized individuals is not fair, does not keep us safe and needs to be changed.
I invite the member opposite to listen to the testimony of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers and the South Asian Bar Association, as well as many legal experts who have come forward in support of this bill.
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- May/20/22 11:44:25 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, we have recently seen the Supreme Court interpret current law as allowing extreme intoxication as a valid defence against violent crimes. This is an urgent message that the legislation we pass here in this House must be absolutely clear, yet the government is insisting on trying to weaken our justice system by allowing judges to sentence offenders to house arrest for violent crimes.
Why is the government allowing drug traffickers and those guilty of firearms offences to go virtually unpunished?
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- May/20/22 11:45:01 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, I want to be very clear here. I have repeated this before: Those who commit serious offences would continue to receive serious sentences. Our bill is about getting rid of the failed policies of the Conservative Party, which have filled our prisons with low-risk first-time offenders who needed help, not to be put in jail. These failed policies did not deter crime, did not keep us safe and target the most vulnerable and racialized Canadians.
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- May/20/22 11:45:32 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, the government can try to deny it all it wants, but organizations like MADD Canada and Women's Shelters know the truth. With Bill C-5, the court may order that the offender serve the sentence as house arrest for offences such as sexual assault and harassment. This means that many women would be stuck in their community with their offender.
The Prime Minister claims he is a feminist, but his legislation would cause harm to women. If he is really a feminist, why would he do that?
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- May/20/22 11:46:04 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, this is about criminal justice policy that actually keeps our communities safe. I want to invite the member opposite to listen to the very profound testimony of the president of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, as well as the South Asian Bar Association. They speak to the desperate impact of our current criminal justice system on racialized and indigenous people, and I really reject the premise of the question posed by the member opposite.
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Madam Speaker, while Quebec is in the midst of debating Bill 96, Ottawa is trying to thwart one of the bill's main measures.
Ottawa's Bill C‑13 would prevent Quebec from applying the Charter of the French Language to federally regulated businesses. We need to protect the French language in Quebec, yet Ottawa is protecting the English language at work. On top of that, the Liberals are in a rush. They just moved closure on Bill C‑13 to limit debate as much as possible.
Is this because they are afraid Quebeckers will rally against this bill, which does not protect the right language in Quebec?
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Madam Speaker, our government is firmly committed to protecting and promoting the French language across the country, including in Quebec.
We are also committed to supporting official language minority communities. This is why we are moving forward with an ambitious bill that has more teeth. We want to rectify the situation in Canada.
I hope that the Bloc Québécois and all stakeholders will help us pass this bill.
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Madam Speaker, when she talked about the bill having teeth, the minister failed to mention something important. Bill C-13 allows businesses to voluntarily become subject to the Charter of the French Language. She is well aware of the difference between voluntary and mandatory.
If Bill C‑13 passes, Bill 96 will apply to businesses only if they so choose. I find it hard to believe this was not prearranged, knowing how plenty of Liberals feel about protecting French. The reality in Quebec is that it is French that must be protected.
Does the minister understand that she is actually protecting the anglicization of workplaces with Bill C‑13?
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Madam Speaker, the Liberal members' position on French is crystal clear: It must be protected, promoted and valued. It is a beautiful language that all of us will defend.
What concerns me is the radicalization of the Bloc. It claims that Liberal members from Quebec are not Quebeckers, that they are just Canadians. The Bloc members are Quebeckers, but all the others are Canadians.
There are Liberal members from Quebec, who were elected in Quebec by Quebeckers. They too are Quebeckers, and they have just as much right to speak as the Bloc members.
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