- Member of Parliament
- Minister of Public Services and Procurement
- Liberal
- Québec
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 62%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $98,564.48
- Government Page
- Jun/5/24 3:13:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, members on the other side of the House clearly have a listening problem, because I have answered this question many times today.
I say it is a listening problem because, a few days ago, other members and I heard the Leader of the Opposition and chief insult-hurler tell Quebeckers in my region that the Canadian dental care plan does not exist. However, there are 9,000 seniors in my colleague's riding of Lévis—Lotbinière who are already enrolled in the plan. More than 60%, 62% to be precise, of dental care providers in Quebec are already enrolled.
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- May/27/24 3:00:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague talks about struggling, but the people in my region, the Quebec City and south shore region, are struggling to understand the Conservative leader who says that the Canadian dental care plan does not exist, when in her region 9,000 seniors have registered for it. Several thousand Quebeckers in the Quebec City region alone have been able to access dental care, in some cases for the first time.
How can we struggle even more when we hear the Conservative leader say on Radio-Canada in Quebec City that the Canadian dental care plan does not exist?
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- May/2/24 2:46:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one of the priorities of the people in my riding is access to affordable quality dental care.
The great news is that, since yesterday, thousands of seniors in my riding, 300,000 seniors across Quebec and one million seniors across the country now have access to accessible and affordable quality dental care. For some, this is the first time in their lives that they have had this. That is great news for all Canadians. It is certainly great news for all Quebeckers.
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- Apr/18/24 3:00:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is a distinguished economist who knows that it is important for everyone to work together to take care of Canadians, including Quebeckers, who are struggling these days. That is why I am sure he will be pleased with the $6 billion invested in Quebec over four years. Quebec is thrilled. The money will help create 35,000 new child care spaces in Quebec.
As an economist, he knows as well as I do that this is a great way to increase family income. It is great for gender equality. It is great for poverty reduction. It is great for our children's development.
All these measures respect jurisdictions; we all contribute in our own way.
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- Apr/11/24 2:27:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Bloc Québécois may not like the idea of co-operating with the Quebec government. However, a scant few weeks ago we signed an agreement to build 8,000 affordable housing units, which represents the largest investment in affordable housing ever seen in the history of Quebec.
That is because the Quebec and federal governments are working together to invest two times $900 million to give Quebeckers and all other Canadians the affordable housing they need.
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- Apr/10/24 3:04:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are pleased to do so with the co‑operation of Quebec municipalities, including the City of Lévis, and the Government of Quebec. There will be 8,000 affordable housing units in the coming months. This is the largest number of affordable housing units built by Quebeckers in one go in the history of the province of Quebec. That is because we are working in partnership with the Government of Quebec.
We talk about competence, but I think we have forgotten the person who is perhaps the least competent of the gang: the Conservative leader. He built six affordable housing units during his tenure as housing minister.
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- Apr/10/24 2:30:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the time is always right to talk about the impact of federal investment for Quebeckers.
Let us start with child care services. A $6-billion investment over four years is helping give families, and women in particular, 35,000 new child care spaces. Naturally, this is helping boost family income and reduce poverty, while contributing to gender equality and childhood development—without interfering in anyone’s jurisdictions.
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- Apr/8/24 2:46:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the next budget is coming and the member already knows that it will contain additional housing measures.
What he should also know is that, just a few months ago, we signed a $1.8-billion agreement with the Government of Quebec that will provide, all at once, the largest number of new housing units in the history of Quebec. This is an extraordinary event resulting from an extraordinary collaboration.
Unlike the Conservatives, who keep spewing insults, picking fights and calling people, particularly municipal and provincial representatives, incompetent, we are working for Quebeckers to get hundreds and even thousands of housing units built in the coming months and years.
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- Mar/22/24 11:24:46 a.m.
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Yes, Madam Speaker, Canadians and Quebeckers are having a hard time paying the bills. That is why it is so surprising that the Conservative Party is against the Canada child benefit, which has reduced child poverty in my colleague's riding by 40%. It is against the dental care program, which is helping about 7,000 seniors in my colleague's riding. It is surprising that the Conservatives are being so hypocritical and saying things that do not make sense. They are against the Canada child benefit and dental care for seniors.
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- Mar/18/24 2:39:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to hear our colleague talk about dental insurance, the new Canadian dental care plan, for which over 1.4 million seniors have already applied and been approved.
Over one-third of those 1.4 million seniors are Quebeckers. I hope our colleagues from Ontario are not hearing this, but more Quebec seniors have been approved than seniors in Ontario. It is all happening because we really need this plan to help patients get the dental care they need. It will help dentists and hygienists provide care to these people, and as an added benefit, it will also help the Government of Quebec.
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- Feb/8/24 2:26:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wish I could be the minister of both health and procurement. I did get to be Minister of Health.
As Minister of Procurement and a minister from Quebec, I recognize, as my colleague did, the important contribution that the Government of Quebec and Quebeckers have made over the past few years to advance the discussions, reflections and actions on this very sensitive topic, on which we must all work together. That is what we are going to do.
We will continue in this way with the Government of Quebec and all Quebeckers over the coming months and years.
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- Nov/9/23 2:28:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for pointing out the amazing work that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and all the other ministers from Quebec accomplish for Quebeckers every day. One example that I am sure he knows about is the Davie shipyard, which is very close to my riding. In March 2023, it became part of Canada's new national shipbuilding strategy, all because of the effective leadership of Liberal members from Quebec over the past few years.
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- Mar/30/23 2:58:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for making that connection and focusing on Quebeckers' needs, which are just as important as the physical health, mental health and oral health needs of all other Canadians.
The Quebeckers I have been talking to for quite some time now are happy to see that between two and three million Quebeckers, families with average and modest incomes, will be able to take advantage of this new Canadian government dental plan over the next few years.
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- Mar/30/23 2:57:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
First, it gives me an opportunity to acknowledge what we heard from Quebec today. People across the country believe in the importance of dental care, which is essential to overall health. Second, two to three million Quebeckers will be able to benefit from the Government of Canada's new dental insurance plan in the coming years. Lastly, all of this will be done in co-operation with all of the provinces, including Quebec.
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- Mar/29/23 2:44:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to hear the member make the connection with the major investments announced by the Prime Minister on February 6 and confirmed in the budget tabled yesterday by the Minister of Finance. These investments will support hundreds of thousands of Canadians, patients and workers across Quebec. In addition, the dental insurance program that will be implemented in the coming years and months will also help millions of Quebeckers take better care of their oral health.
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- Mar/10/23 11:26:08 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we are all pleased to hear that my colleague agrees that extra billing is not part of the health care system in our country, including Quebec. The good news is that Quebeckers and the Government of Quebec can be quickly reimbursed for these deductions if Quebec, like the other provinces, continues to ensure that people are being provided with treatment based on their medical condition, not their ability to pay.
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- Oct/25/22 2:42:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely right. Many of us in Canada and Quebec know that dental care is important. That obviously includes businesses and Canadians who already have access to dental insurance. About 4% of dental care expenses are paid by the provinces and territories, and 40% of dental care is unfortunately paid by people who do not have access to dental insurance.
That is why all Canadians, including Quebeckers, will be able to benefit from the insurance program provided by the Canadian government.
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Madam Speaker, I am very happy that my colleague asked that question.
All of Canada's health ministers have had the opportunity to speak with one another quite regularly over the past several months. We did so again a few weeks ago, and I did so several times over the summer.
We have spoken frequently about this dental insurance program since it was first announced a few months ago. My officials and provincial and territorial government officials speak with each other very regularly in order to share all relevant information, because we know, as my colleague suggested, that this work must be done in a complementary way to support the dental care needs of all Quebeckers and all Canadians.
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- Sep/27/22 2:59:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to be asked this question.
This gives me the opportunity to say that once again, next week, I will be speaking with all my fellow health ministers. I plan to tell them that I am their ally and that I am going to help them invest money to reduce the backlogs in surgery and diagnosis, which are huge because of the accumulated effects of COVID-19. I will also help them provide Canadians with access to a family doctor, a family health care unit, long-term care, palliative care and quality home care. Everyone knows that this care is important to Canadians, and certainly to Quebeckers.
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Madam Speaker, before answering definitely yes to the last question, I would like to correct the introduction a little. The introduction to the question suggests that we have not worked together over the past few months. I suggest that my hon. colleague speak to his counterpart, Quebec's health minister—even though he may be a little busy right now—and check with him about all the exchanges we have had over the past year, which led to positive health outcomes, especially in the fight against COVID-19. Those outcomes have been significant for the country and certainly for all Quebeckers.
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