44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 16, 2022 11:00AM
Madam Speaker, spending a weekend in Charlevoix does not make one an expert on Quebec.
Quebeckers know that we can do two things at once, and they support our efforts to defend Quebec's political weight. The correct weight would be 100%, and we would no longer be here.
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Madam Speaker, I will answer by asking another question.
In the 20 years I spent fighting for French in Quebec, there was one thing that I found very fascinating: There were never any federalists at the protests. My hon. colleague from La Pointe-de-l'Île can attest to that.
It is odd. That should be a given. Preserving culture should also be important to Quebeckers who believe in Canada, but that is not the case at present. That is something that has always somewhat bothered me. I hope it will be different in the future.
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Madam Speaker, that is precisely my point. Proportional representation would mean seven fewer Bloc Québécois representatives in the House of Commons and seven more NDP members.
We have to respect Quebeckers' choices. If we look at the percentage of votes, we see that they would have chosen to elect seven more NDP members and seven fewer Bloc Québécois members. However, the Bloc is opposed to a proportional system for Quebec and the rest of Canada.
I do not understand that. The Bloc says we have to respect Quebeckers' choices. That would mean seven more NDP members if we look at proportional representation.
I do not understand why the Bloc Québécois refuses proportional representation in the House of Commons.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his comment.
I would like to come back to the debate.
The motion that the Conservatives proposed would have applied to Quebec and all the provinces. However, in the March 2 debate, the Bloc Québécois suggested that the motion should apply only to Quebec.
We agreed with the principle, but we wanted it to apply to all of the provinces, which is the intent of Bill C‑14. We are therefore very pleased to see that the Liberals modelled this bill on our motion. That is great because it is good for all of Canada.
I would like to remind the member that that suggestion was made during the referendum on the Charlottetown accord. As the member knows very well, Quebeckers voted against it.
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- May/16/22 2:20:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we absolutely understand that the cost of living is an important issue for Canadians. We also understand that Canadians, including Quebeckers, understand the importance of climate action.
Our budget includes a range of measures that will help reduce the cost of living, such as dental care, doubling the assistance provided by the first‑time home buyers' tax credit and a one‑time payment of $500 to people facing housing affordability challenges.
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- May/16/22 2:39:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we saw several members of the Liberal Party of Canada at last Saturday's protest against Bill 96. As Quebeckers, it was their right to attend, but it does raise a question. It is high time members understood that responsibility for the language laws that guarantee the future of the French language as the only official and shared language of all Quebeckers lies only with the Government of Quebec. To be clear: As federal members, it is none of their business.
Does the Minister of Official Languages condone what these members have done?
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- May/16/22 2:41:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one would have thought that Ottawa had finally understood that the only official language in jeopardy in Canada is French. I thought that was clear to everyone.
However, it was not clear to the Liberal members who went to protest against a Quebec law that aims to protect French. By opposing the defence of French in Quebec, these members become little more than defenders of the anglicization of Quebeckers.
That is unacceptable. Will the government commit to not obstruct the application of the Charter of the French Language in Quebec?
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