44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 5, 2022 02:00PM
- Oct/5/22 2:21:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Andrée Ferretti, a staunch separatist from start to finish, passed away on Thursday.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to offer my condolences to her children Lucia and Vincent, and her immediate family and friends.
Born Andrée Bertrand in a working-class neighbourhood in Montreal, Andrée Ferretti discovered very early a common thread that she would follow her entire life: freedom for the people of Quebec, which would lead her to join the Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale in 1963, then fight her entire life to make Quebec a country; the freedom of words, discovered alongside Miron, Aquin and so many others, developed in her novels, her essays and her articles; freedom for workers, doubly exploited as labour and as Quebeckers; and freedom for women, in politics and anywhere else.
Named patriot of the year in 1979, Andrée Ferretti also made a name for herself by winning several literary awards.
Today we bid a final farewell to Andrée Ferretti, separatist, writer, activist and free woman.
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- Oct/5/22 2:33:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers voted for a majority government on Monday, a majority the Prime Minister twice fantasized about but failed to even come close to winning.
The Quebec government wants more power in matters of immigration, while some want all immigration powers and others, like us, want to have absolutely all the power, period.
Let us look at the first scenario, more powers in immigration. The Quebec lieutenant said yesterday that Quebec has all the powers it needs. Meanwhile, the French language is in decline while English is flourishing.
Does this government see that as a successful language policy for Quebec?
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- Oct/5/22 2:34:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is well aware, our government has always been there to protect French across the country and in Quebec. I look forward to continuing to work with Premier Legault on this.
With regard to immigration, Quebec already has all the tools it needs to increase francophone immigration, if it wants to do so. Quebec has those tools, and we will gladly work with that province to end the labour shortages and help communities grow while also protecting the French language.
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- Oct/5/22 2:34:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister himself is saying that giving Quebec more immigration powers is out of the question. The only thing this government wants to see Quebec get more of is immigrants. I agree, but only as long as we can successfully integrate them in French.
Has he thought about discussing this with a premier who holds about three-quarters of the seats in Quebec rather than pretending to be his best friend from a distance?
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- Oct/5/22 2:35:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Quebec government has enough control over immigration to double the number of immigrants that it currently accepts. Our government would be more than willing to work with Quebec if it wants to do so.
If Quebec wants to bring in more francophone immigrants, we are there to help. We know that businesses across Quebec are facing a labour shortage, we know that immigrants are needed for economic growth, and we also know that immigrants deeply enrich Quebec life.
We will always be there to work hand in hand to improve the lives of all Quebeckers.
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- Oct/5/22 2:43:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister would have Canadians believe that there is nothing Canada can do to combat inflation. In the meantime, we have learned that Laval University in Quebec City is being forced to cancel the construction of a new pavilion because of the rising costs of construction.
Across Quebec, families are cutting back on their groceries to pay for other bills. The Prime Minister wants to triple the carbon tax, which will only increase these costs.
If he wants to help Canadians, will he cancel the carbon tax increase?
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- Oct/5/22 2:46:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is indeed a land of values, generosity and openness to the world.
Every step of the way, we ensure respect for Canada's foundational principles and values. We work with the U.S. government every day to improve the safe third country agreement. When people come to Canada, we make sure we follow the rules and protect them at the same time. We are here to support Quebec, which is doing a lot of work in relation to Roxham Road. We will always stand up for our values and our system.
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- Oct/5/22 2:47:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, under the circumstances, I would like to mention the presence of the member for Richmond—Arthabaska.
I will now talk about trios. In Quebec, there are now three big political players. On immigration and the French language, the Prime Minister is in the minority there too.
Is Roxham Road not a humanitarian issue that sometimes gives the government ideological comfort when, in reality, it is a way of giving money and contracts to friends of the Liberal Party?
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- Oct/5/22 3:05:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians all know full well that Hockey Canada's actions are absolutely unacceptable.
It is inconceivable that Hockey Canada officials think they can continue to operate. All federal funding has been suspended. In addition, I know that organizations like Hockey Quebec have already cut ties with Hockey Canada.
I think the only people who believe that Hockey Canada has any kind of future are the folks at Hockey Canada, because Canadians have completely lost faith in that organization. Hockey Canada officials need to wake up and they need to stop doing their job. They must be replaced—
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Mr. Speaker, I am lucky because I can put a little money in an RRSP or a pension fund myself. Not everyone can do that.
Quebec's and Canada's pension funds are there for people who have worked hard their whole lives to raise their kids and put food on the table. They may not have been able to save money, or if they did, they had to withdraw it because they went through tough times.
That is why the Canada pension plan exists. It enables people to save without really thinking about it. It is necessary. It is essential. It is no more a tax than our RRSPs are.
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Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my hon. colleague from Beauport—Limoilou. Her speeches always include little snippets that are very poetic and moving.
My question has to do with temporary foreign workers. Quebec has jurisdiction over labour matters. We have the Commission des partenaires du marché du travail and the Conseils régionaux des partenaires du marché de travail. Each sector is analyzed to determine labour needs, but the temporary foreign workers program comes under Ottawa's jurisdiction. It is appalling. You have to knock on one door and then another and another. It is ridiculous.
I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.
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Mr. Speaker, foreign workers are essential to our businesses. Everyone can agree on that.
What is not essential during a labour shortage is forcing businesses to conduct studies to prove that their employees are essential. Make no mistake, they are essential. People from other countries are not brought in if they are not needed. Quebec needs to have full jurisdiction over foreign workers.
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