44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 9, 2023 10:00AM
- Mar/9/23 2:14:57 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, on March 11, Quebec will celebrate its Journée nationale du microcrédit, or national microcredit day.
MicroEntreprendre is a group of 20 organizations that promote economic and social development, particularly for low-income women, immigrants or people with disabilities. Through their guidance and support, they help make the dreams of thousands of entrepreneurs come true. So far, more than 6,384 businesses have been created and maintained.
In Hochelaga, the Nabou Beauty hair salon was financed by Microcredit Montréal. Ms. Dieynaba Samb is proud to have created a mini Senegal where her community can, for the length of time it takes to get their hair cut, reminisce about their country.
For 32 years, Microcredit Montréal has been fighting poverty and exclusion by providing small loans for people who do not have access to the traditional financing system. The five-year survival rate among these businesses is twice the Quebec average and the repayment rate exceeds 90%.
The secret to this success is proximity, trust, guidance, a Quebec-style microcredit approach that means community credit.
188 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:16:10 p.m.
- Watch
I would like to remind members that there are statements going on.
We will continue statements with the hon. member for London—Fanshawe.
24 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:16:26 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my gratitude to members of the Canadian Ukrainian Logistics Division. This is a group of Londoner volunteers who use their experience in military and policing to organize and deliver aid directly to Ukrainians.
Steve Long, Rafal Schubert, Scott McCallum and Peter Kwiatkowski first travelled to Ukraine last may to track London community donations and deliver supplies. On the one-year anniversary of Putin's illegal war, three of their members were again at the front lines in Ukraine to deliver support. They saw first-hand the homes and communities destroyed by Putin and the resilience of brave Ukrainian women and men fighting for democracy. With their assistance, London has been able to collect and ship over 100 tonnes of aid, including enough purification devices for 20 million litres of water.
I ask all members to join me in thanking these brave volunteers for bringing London's spirit of solidarity to Ukraine.
158 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:17:26 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge in the House the great honour that Quebec writer Hélène Dorion just received.
Throughout her prolific career she has already earned honours as prestigious as the Order of Canada and the Ordre national du Québec, and will now have her work Mes forêts studied as part of the university curriculum for poetry in France. She is not only the first Quebecker to receive such an honour, but she is the first woman of any nationality to see her work become part of the curriculum in her lifetime.
Thousands of French students will dive into the words of the Hélène Dorion, become steeped in her poetry and share her wonderment at nature, an eternal source of inspiration for her, as evidenced by this passage from Mes forêts: my forests are ghost-filled atticsthey are the masts of stationary journeysa wind garden where collide the fruitof a season past heading back toward tomorrow
Congratulations, Hélène Dorion.
178 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:18:28 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, not only are Canadians worried about foreign interference in our elections, but they are also shocked at the Liberal government's inability to take this crisis seriously. It is clear that this Prime Minister is more concerned about polling numbers than about Canadians' safety.
For example, instead of agreeing to the proposal put forward by all the opposition parties to launch an independent public inquiry, he opted for a secret process involving a secret committee and secret hearings, where the evidence will be kept secret and the truth of what happened will never be revealed to Canadians.
Furthermore, we learned this morning that the RCMP is actively investigating two Chinese-run police stations in Brossard and Montreal. This is not a partisan game. This is about Canada's public safety. We want to make sure Canadians continue to have confidence in our democratic electoral system and that communities across Canada are not being harassed by the communist regime in Beijing.
The Prime Minister needs to be honest. Canadians deserve answers and an independent public inquiry. If the Liberal government does not agree to our requests, Canadians will be happy to get themselves a new prime minister.
198 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:19:40 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, March 9 is World Kidney Day. World Kidney Day promotes preventative education and advanced screening to improve kidney health around the world.
After a year of serving my constituents locally, in person and virtually in Parliament, this week also marks my in-person return to Parliament.
Hybrid Parliament played a crucial role in my health journey. It allowed me to fulfill all responsibilities as the MP for Steveston—Richmond East and protect my health at the same time. I was able to serve my community while I received dialysis treatment and recover from a kidney transplant I received last summer.
In closing, I want to thank BC Renal, the Kidney Transplant Clinic, the health and dialysis teams at Vancouver General Hospital and the Richmond Community Dialysis Unit, my colleagues across all aisles, and my family. Without them, my recovery and the honour of serving my community would not be possible.
For overall health, we must protect our kidneys, get screened and stay informed.
166 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:20:59 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, today we learned that the RCMP is investigating two alleged Chinese police stations, this time in Quebec.
The Prime Minister has known about Beijing's interference for the past 10 years, when Beijing gave the Trudeau Foundation $200,000. He has known about these threats for years. He has had plenty of time to consult.
I want a date, please. When will we have a foreign influence registry?
70 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:21:37 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, when foreign agents attempt to influence, monitor, intimidate or threaten Canadians, it is unacceptable.
The RCMP has said it is actively investigating these alleged police stations. As they have done in the past, they will not hesitate to act again. Everyone should feel safe in this country. We will spare no effort to protect Canadians from the unacceptable actions of hostile authoritarian states.
65 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:22:08 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the question was on what date the Prime Minister will bring in a foreign influence registry. This is something his own top public servant has suggested and something he has discussed with the Australian Prime Minister, an idea he has known about for years and could have consulted on all of that time. One has to register if one wants to lobby on behalf of the food bank, but one does not have to register if one wants to manipulate our democracy on behalf of a foreign dictatorship. That is the case after eight years of the current Prime Minister.
Eight years is long enough. There has been enough talk. On what date will we have a foreign influence registry?
122 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:22:49 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I will take no lessons from a former minister of democratic institutions whose shining achievement was actually making it harder for Canadians to vote in elections. Over the past eight years, we have done more than any previous government to ensure that we have mechanisms, tools and ways to prevent and counter foreign interference and reassure Canadians that everything is being done. We will continue to do even more, including a foreign agent registry. We know how important it is to do everything to keep Canadians and our institutions safe.
92 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:23:27 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I asked a second time for the date for a foreign influence registry, and he refuses to answer the question.
Here is another question. The Prime Minister's department prepared a briefing that said there was a “large clandestine transfer of funds earmarked for the federal election from the PRC Consulate in Toronto”. Will the Prime Minister commit to returning any of the funds the Liberal Party, its local associations, his leadership campaign or any Liberal nomination contestants received from the PRC?
86 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:24:07 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, we have long known that politicians across political parties, across levels of government and around the world are targeted by foreign interference. This is a fact. Just yesterday, the 2023 annual threat assessment of the U.S. intelligence community spoke of China's “willingness to meddle in select election races that involved perceived anti-China politicians”, so this is not a threat that Canada faces alone. We continue to work with our partners around the world.
At the same time, let me be clear that any suggestion that any member on either side of this House is not loyal to their constituents, but a foreign government, not only is dangerous but undermines our democracy.
118 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:24:50 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the question was whether the Prime Minister will commit to the Liberal Party, his leadership campaign or any other branches of his party returning any funds they received from this “large clandestine transfer”. This information was in a briefing note that he received from his own department. He has known about this for months.
Once again, will the Prime Minister commit to returning any money that his party, his leadership campaign or any other branch of the Liberal Party got from the PRC?
87 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:25:31 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, despite the efforts of the Leader of the Opposition, Canadians know that foreign interference is not, and should never be, a partisan issue. That is why we will be appointing an independent expert to identify any gaps in our system. They will make public recommendations, which could include a formal inquiry or some other independent review process, and we will abide by those recommendations. We also have two national security bodies that will undertake independent reviews of foreign interference in our elections, and we are also taking further immediate action to bolster our institutions, better coordinate government efforts to combat foreign interference and more.
106 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:26:12 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, so he will not commit to giving back any money that his party got from this “large clandestine transfer”. Instead, he delays, as he has been doing. He has known about this for seven years, and now he has these processes that have no time frame. They could go on for years without us getting answers or action.
He knowingly allowed this to go ahead in two successive elections, and now he is delaying. What is to stop it from happening again in the next election if we do not get answers before that election happens?
100 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:26:48 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich for the former minister of democratic institutions, who did nothing to counter foreign interference when he was in charge of our elections. All he did was make it harder for marginalized Canadians to vote in those elections.
What we actually did, starting eight years ago, was bring in a plan to protect democracy, which includes notifying Canadians in the event our ability to have a free and fair election is threatened, by including a panel of senior public servants informed by national security agencies and reviewed after every election. That is where Canadians can have confidence in our institutions and in our elections. We brought in rapid response mechanisms, digital citizen initiatives, NSICOP and other institutions.
123 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:27:35 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, there are reports of two so-called police stations working for the Chinese regime in Quebec, yet the Prime Minister wants to be the one to choose who investigates. We know that the Prime Minister has had reports from the intelligence services for years, yet he has done nothing. He wants to act alone. He wants to act in secret.
Was it through negligence or ignorance that the Prime Minister failed to disqualify himself for the role?
79 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:28:12 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, we need to be very clear about the different issues. Obviously, we are going to appoint an independent expert to look at the matter of interference in our political systems. I think that is important.
With regard to the police stations that we are seeing across the country and in Montreal, which are very worrisome, I can say that the RCMP and CSIS are already taking meaningful action and will continue to do their job to protect Canadians, particularly Canadians born outside Canada.
85 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:28:52 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, in the best case scenario, the Prime Minister is always three, four or five steps behind. However, he is going to have to do something. He is going to have to appoint someone. He can call that person a rapporteur if he wants. It does not really matter. What matters is that the person in question is independent, at complete arm's length from him.
Does the Prime Minister not realize that this sort of appointment would be best left to the House?
85 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/9/23 2:29:25 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I have tremendous confidence in the parliamentarians working and looking after our security institutions. That is why we created the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, which includes members from all parties who have received sufficient security clearance to be able to fully investigate everything our security and intelligence services are doing. That is how parliamentarians are aware of everything that is happening in our intelligence systems. That is why we believe in Parliament, unlike the Conservatives.
81 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
