SoVote

Mr. Francis Drouin (Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, Lib.)

Dec/10/21 11:04:25 a.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize and celebrate an extraordinary man who was a father, a husband, a journalist, an innovator, a man of justice, an activist and a strong advocate for French in Ontario. Philippe Landry left his mark on French Ontario. Franco-Ontarians have access to justice in French today thanks in large part to Philippe Landry and his involvement in the civil disobedience movement known as C'est l'temps! He once spent two days in jail because he refused to accept a ticket that was written only in English. His passion for sharing stories about the Franco-Ontarian community did not disappear once he finished his career in journalism. He created a Facebook group called Fier d'être Franco-Ontarien // Fière d'être Franco-Ontarienne, which has more than 12,000 members, to promote, share and encourage discussion within our community. Even though his death has left a hole in our community, Philippe Landry's love and passion for defending the French language will be felt for generations to come. I offer my sincere condolences to his daughter, Geneviève, and his family.

196 words

Context: House Hansard - 15 - Dec/10/21

Mr. Francis Drouin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.)

Dec/10/21 1:34:49 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-2

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, for whom I have a great deal of respect. We often have the opportunity to talk about agriculture, and we will have the chance to talk about it next Thursday. My colleague really made some good points. For the past few weeks, the official opposition has been playing word games worthy of François Pérusse. I can say that François Pérusse is a lot better at wordplay than the Conservatives. Today's motion is a waste of time. The Standing Committee on Finance is currently considering Bill C-2. Why, then, are we debating a routine motion to determine whether it is the workers or employers who will receive their benefits first? Can my colleague tell us how important this issue is to his constituents?

140 words

All Topics

Context: House Hansard - 15 - Dec/10/21

Mr. Francis Drouin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lib.)

Dec/10/21 2:09:06 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-2

Madam Speaker, I do not have a lot of time, but it would be a waste of time anyway, since the Standing Committee on Finance is already studying Bill C-2. I am surprised that the Conservatives would move such a motion today, considering that they are always advocating for less red tape. I am surprised that the Conservative Party would introduce such a motion today knowing full well that the finance committee had already started to look at the bill on December 7. They sure know because the member for Carleton likes to give us lectures for about 20 minutes at a time. Probably the whole reason for this motion today was so that he could speak for 20 minutes, give us a lecture on rebel news economics and publish it on his Twitter, if it is not already published now. In fact, as I speak, the finance committee is continuing to look at this bill. We see the news across the world and there was some good news in November. Our economy added 153,000 net new jobs, but COVID is still real and we do not know what may happen in January, February and March. That is why it is important that the measures in Bill C-2 be debated and adopted at some point. I hope the bill passes because it provides the worker lockdown benefit. I hope our Canadian economy and provincial governments will not have to implement lockdowns, but they are obviously a tool to reduce the spread of COVID. I would hate to let our workers down because of shenanigans in this place. This is exactly what this routine motion would do. The motion we are debating today essentially proposes the creation of two bills C‑2 that would be referred to the Standing Committee on Finance. This would lead to delays, including for workers who might need benefits if certain sectors of the economy had to close again. If we adopt the motion moved by the member for Carleton, then the bill cannot be passed before Christmas. I had the opportunity to rise to speak to Bill C‑2 earlier this year. Some sectors of the economy are still not operating at full steam, including the tourism industry. I often think of the 417 Bus Line Ltd company, which offers transportation services for the tourism industry. That company has to pay between $15,000 and $20,000 just to put a bus on the road. Some benefits would have helped them rehire employees and cover some of those costs. That would have been a big help. The member for Carleton knows really well Paul's Little Ray's Zoo. I am going to be meeting him at five o'clock today. He wants to know when Bill C-2 will be passed and I am going to have to tell him that his friend is trying to delay, through dilatory motions like this one today. I would expect those types of motions to be presented after six, seven or eight months. We know the official opposition plays games in a minority government. Of course, the Liberals have never done that. I am going to have to tell Paul that I do not know whether Bill C-2 will pass before the holiday season. I am going to tell him to talk to his business community and ask him to call the member for Carleton to explain the sense of urgency and why these measures are so important not only for the business community, but also the workers who may depend on them. Numbers are really high in schools right now. Parents have to be off work and it is important for them to have access to the recovery caregiving benefit. Not everybody can stay home and be paid. They are not fortunate like the member for Carleton. Some of them have to rely on measures that we have introduced. That is why it is important that Bill C-2 passes as quickly as possible, because people are depending on it. As cases rise in schools, parents have to take time off work, and it is not their fault. We are asking them to get their kids tested, and that is a responsible thing by the government. We recognize there is a gap in the system, but we fill that gap through the recovery caregiving benefit and the recovery sickness benefit. They are measures included in Bill C-2. I hope Conservative Party members join us. They can bring accountability to the finance committee, as they are doing as we speak, but Bill C-2 needs to pass before the holiday season.

781 words

All Topics