44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 17, 2024 10:00AM
- Sep/17/24 10:06:05 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 18th report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities entitled “Issues and Opportunities: High Frequency Rail in the Toronto to Quebec City Corridor”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
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- Sep/17/24 10:23:56 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the vision that I paint about what happens in Canada is evidenced on the streets in communities across this country, in every province including Quebec, where people are lined up at food banks and there are tent cities, devastating destruction, despair and even death. This was not something that happened before the destructive policies of the NDP-Liberal government, and Conservatives are going to fix it.
I am very hopeful for what our country has in store, because it is built on such a strong foundation. The Liberals have not been able to destroy it in nine years. Life was not like this before the Prime Minister and is not going to be like it after him.
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- Sep/17/24 10:37:15 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, divide and distract is the Liberals' mantra. While I am talking about problems that affect all Quebeckers and all Canadians, namely the ability to put food on the table, find a place to live and pay rent, the only thing the Liberals and the government want to do is change the subject and pretend that these problems do not exist in Canada or Quebec.
We need to shine a light on this Liberal government's corruption. We need to shine a light on this Liberal government's ineptitude and incompetence, and we need to do so in collaboration with every party in the House. We need to do it in collaboration with the NDP and the Bloc Québécois, who must vote in favour of a non-confidence motion to stop the Liberals from continuing with business as usual.
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- Sep/17/24 11:37:15 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, let me first take a moment to congratulate the new member for Lasalle—Émard—Verdun, Louis-Philippe Sauvé. I suppose I can use his name since he has not yet been sworn in. I congratulate him warmly. He is a very good friend of mine. There is absolutely no doubt that the people of Lasalle—Émard—Verdun now have an excellent representative, and that Louis-Philippe will be an asset in ensuring that our own country, Quebec, finally comes to be.
Now to my question for my colleague. I was listening to the Liberal members earlier. They were speaking against the official opposition and talking about dental insurance in a debate about GC Strategies, and that made me think of the City of Montreal. At the time, the city had a mayor who was never around. He was never in the places and rooms where things were happening.
I think about that and I wonder: When it comes to responsibility, what are all these shenanigans telling us?
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- Sep/17/24 2:03:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the memory of a great patriot, Rimouski's own Michel Dompierre, who sadly passed away on August 28 at the age of 78.
Michel was a talented photographer who spent more than 45 years immortalizing the magnificent landscapes of the Lower St. Lawrence on film. From La Pocatière to Routhierville, travelling on foot or by bicycle or car, nothing escaped this great artist's eye. His photographs came to symbolize Quebeckers' deep attachment to their regions and their nation. He showed the world the beauty of eastern Quebec, and for that, we are all very proud and grateful. His final gift was to bequeathe a trove of over 15,000 photos to Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec, Quebec's national library and archives. What a spectacular addition this will make to Quebec's regional cultural heritage.
I bid adieu to Michel Dompierre and thank him for everything.
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- Sep/17/24 2:10:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers are still wondering what the Bloc Québécois is good for. The Bloc Québécois voted with the Liberal Prime Minister nearly 200 times, keeping Canada's most centralist government ever in power. Giving the Liberal Prime Minister a blank cheque does not benefit Quebeckers in the slightest. The Bloc Québécois's inconsistency is blatantly obvious here in Ottawa. It says one thing and does another. It says it wants to stop sending money to Ottawa, but it voted in favour of more than $500 billion in inflationary spending by this Liberal Prime Minister. The “Liberal Bloc” voted in favour of adding 100,000 new public servants to the payroll while bringing about no improvement in Canadians' day-to-day lives. There is more spending than ever, more public servants than ever, more scandals than ever, all being paid for with Quebec's money, our money.
Who is the Bloc Québécois good for? It is good for the Liberal Prime Minister. What is the Bloc Québécois good for? Unfortunately, it is not good for Quebeckers.
The only party that can stand up for Quebeckers is the Conservative Party of Canada, the party of common sense.
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- Sep/17/24 2:19:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, voters in the former Liberal strongholds of Toronto and Montreal have given their verdict. After nine years, this Prime Minister is not worth the cost. During the nine years of this Bloc-Liberal government's reign, we have seen the largest expansion of the federal government in history and the most expensive and centralizing government that is inflating the cost of housing and groceries for Quebec.
How can the Bloc Québécois keep a government and a Prime Minister that are so bad for Quebec in office?
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- Sep/17/24 2:21:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am sure that people wait-listed for food banks or living in tents and homeless camps will be celebrating today. However, the government is trying to take credit for the fact that, after inflation reached a 40-year high, prices are still going up, not down.
My question is this. Why is the Bloc Québécois supporting the most centralizing and costly government ever, which has no respect for Quebec's jurisdictions or Quebeckers?
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- Sep/17/24 2:42:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to clarify something for the government, the entire House and everyone else, something that is not going to happen. The Bloc Québécois will not be told, “Help us interfere in areas under Quebec's jurisdiction, then give us this, then give us that, and then maybe...”. That is not going to happen.
The Liberal government will have to be consistent and implement a law that it voted for. Otherwise, it will have to either get back together with the NDP or start getting a bus ready.
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- Sep/17/24 2:43:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, “which he voted against”, “maybe”, it is not clear. I have never voted in favour of interfering in areas under Quebec's jurisdiction.
The Liberals voted in favour of a bill introduced by the Bloc Québécois, but then there was the minor matter of a royal recommendation. They figure they will just withhold the royal recommendation so the Bloc Québécois bill will never go through and seniors will never get their money.
If they want to play that little game, if they did not catch on to what I meant by “getting a bus ready”, it means there is going to be an election.
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- Sep/17/24 2:44:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois leader is raising the spectre of an election instead of delivering results for Quebec's seniors. It is a bit much. This is not the only thing we would like some clarity about. What I would say to the Bloc Québécois leader is that a vote is very clear. He does not vote often, as we just read, but when he does vote, the Bloc Québécois leader votes against lowering retirement age to 65. He voted against increasing the guaranteed income supplement for poor seniors in Quebec. When we set up dental care, he voted against it.
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Mr. Speaker, we will say it again. The Bloc Québécois votes against all interference against Quebec, whether it is on its own or mixed into a tasteless salad.
The Liberals voted for Bill C‑319; let them take responsibility and implement the legislation so that retirees are no longer the victims of an injustice they created. I may vote a little less often, but I am voting a little more intelligently and consistently.
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- Sep/17/24 2:45:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois has spent his life putting the Canadian pensions of Quebec seniors at risk. When he votes against lowering the retirement age to 65, it is not about interference in jurisdictions, he is voting against seniors. When he votes against increasing the guaranteed income supplement, he is not voting on a jurisdictional issue; he is voting against the well‑being of Quebec seniors and for poverty among seniors.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois needs to take responsibility and explain his votes against Quebec seniors.
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- Sep/17/24 2:49:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is a costly proposition to Canadian taxpayers, but especially to Quebec taxpayers. What use is the Bloc Québécois when we know that it voted for the the largest-ever expansion of the federal government, for more spending than ever, for more public servants than ever and for the most scandals ever?
Aside from keeping the Liberal government on life support for the next year, what is the “Liberal Bloc” good for?
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- Sep/17/24 3:01:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the asylum seeker issue is going nowhere. The Liberals promised that Quebec would finally stop being the only one making a superhuman effort to welcome asylum seekers with dignity. They promised a fair resettlement strategy by this fall.
Fall is here, but there is still no plan. Quebec is still taking on an utterly disproportionate share of responsibility for welcoming asylum seekers, while some provinces refuse to help. Let us be clear: Quebeckers will keep doing their part, but they are getting fed up with having to do it alone. When can we expect a resettlement plan?
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- Sep/17/24 3:01:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course we need a plan that makes sense for all of Canada. Two provinces are contributing more than their fair share: Ontario and Quebec. The other provinces have to get on board. The federal government is offering financial and organizational incentives.
We are here to work, regardless of the efforts by certain provincial premiers to exploit this issue for their own re-election campaigns.
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- Sep/17/24 3:07:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the first six months of this year, vehicle theft in Quebec decreased by 36% compared to last year.
This improvement came after we increased penalties, introduced new offences and allocated funds for border and police forces.
After the last Conservative government's budget cuts for ports, we are pleased that things are getting back to normal. We will continue to work for Quebeckers and for everyone in Canada.
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- Sep/17/24 5:11:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with my colleague. This historical error caused people to lose their citizenship, their rights and access to services. They became second-class citizens. Children became stateless and were stuck in limbo, although limbo apparently no longer exists because the church officially abolished it.
I would like to talk about the Conservatives' position. They talk about citizenship tourism and birth tourism. That makes me think of the years of darkness under the Stephen Harper government, when Jason Kenney eliminated health care for asylum seekers and refugees, claiming that these people were leaving their countries and their families to get health care here in Quebec and Canada. It seems like more of the same with the current batch of Conservatives.
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- Sep/17/24 5:13:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a comment. I want to congratulate my colleague on his speech. I am a proud sovereignist and I am often asked whether my work in Ottawa is interesting. I say that it is, because when the Bloc Québécois takes a position, we do so as if we are defining the parameters of our future country.
We just heard an eloquent speech that set out the Bloc Québécois's position on citizenship. Anyone who claims that asserting the right to be recognized and respected for our differences is xenophobic or racist is mistaken. That speech was a concrete demonstration of how we in the Bloc Québécois would one day like to have Quebec citizenship, but in a country that is inclusive.
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- Sep/17/24 6:35:14 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for introducing this bill, which we debated at the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. It is now before the House.
My colleague spoke about the benefits of healthy school food. There is no doubt about this anymore; the studies prove it. It is so true that Quebec has a school food program. My colleague acknowledged in committee that education and school programs fall under the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces, but despite that, he also acknowledged that not enough was being done in his province.
It seems that the federal government is deliberately interfering in the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces to make up for the fact that some provinces have decided not to invest in these programs. Is that true?
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