44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 30, 2022 11:00AM
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her comments and her thoughts. I sense a great deal of passion as well.
To answer her question, I think we have to continue working with the provinces. As a member from Quebec, I am truly proud of the legislation that Quebec passed on electronic bracelets.
I hope we will be able to continue working with the provinces and territories to combat family and intimate partner violence against women.
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Madam Speaker, this is my last question. I certainly understand that all the questions about the process we are going through will not be answered.
I heard the minister. The Bloc Québécois is not just here to oppose things. We will vote in favour of things that are good for Quebec, and, obviously, we believe that Bill C‑18 is extremely good for Quebec.
Nevertheless, if collaboration is so important, why was the Bloc Québécois not consulted so that we could reach an agreement ahead of time? This is not our first time allocation rodeo. Over the past few weeks, closure has been all the rage. Again, the question is, how did we get to this point? Are the Liberals short on inspiration or on strategy?
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- May/30/22 2:05:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this week is National Tourism Week. We all know that tourism is a vital part of our economy. In Quebec alone, it generates $15 billion in economic spinoffs each year, and there are 25,000 businesses employing 400,000 people in tourism.
The last two years have been especially difficult. It is now time to look ahead. Our industry must regain its international competitiveness. The industry is ready, and it is safe. It is working flat out to offer tourists an exceptional experience.
We must support our businesses and sing the praises of our own little corner of the world. I have plenty to boast about. With its wide-open spaces, its history, its amazing food scene, its new-world accent and its charm, Quebec is ready to welcome tourists back with the same warmth and good humour as before.
Happy National Tourism Week, everyone.
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- May/30/22 2:15:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I just returned from an incredible trip to Australia, to which 58 patriots from Quebec were exiled 182 years ago for participating in the 1836-39 rebellions.
These courageous men, including farmers, businessmen, notaries and doctors, had fought for better democratic representation in the colony of Lower Canada.
Two men from Sainte‑Martine, Louis Dumouchel and Gabriel Chèvrefils, died there. All the others returned home after being pardoned by Queen Victoria, except for Joseph Marceau of Napierville. He fell in love with a young Australian woman and stayed there. The couple had 11 children and many descendants who still proudly celebrate their Québécois Canadian heritage to this day.
This is a little-known story that deserves to be told.
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- May/30/22 2:17:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last Tuesday, tragedy once again struck our American neighbours when a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in cold blood at an elementary school in Texas. Our hearts go out to the families affected by this heinous crime.
It would be a mistake for us to think that we are safe because we live on the other side of the border. If we do not take action, something that has become all too common in the United States could become the norm here too. The recent shootings in Montreal show that there is already a worrisome move toward a real culture of gun violence here.
The mayor of Montreal and the Premier of Quebec have been clear. They have reiterated that we need to ban handguns and crack down on gun trafficking at the border. With all due respect for hunters, we also need to take action against all military-style assault weapons, not just on a model-by-model basis. These weapons are not made for duck hunting, and they have no place in a society that needs to keep its citizens safe.
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- May/30/22 2:22:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we recognize that this has been painful for the families in Quebec City and for families in communities all across Canada.
I remind members that just because an offender is eligible for parole does not mean that parole will be granted. The Parole Board of Canada will determine whether Alexandre Bissonnette or any other convicted murderer will be granted parole after serving 25 years of their sentence.
We respect the clear and unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of Canada. It clearly stated that the law it was striking down constituted cruel and unusual punishment.
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- May/30/22 2:28:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the cat is out of the bag. The Liberals have finally announced their intention to challenge Quebec's Bill 21 when it reaches the Supreme Court of Canada. They are in such a hurry to do so that they have announced their intention even though the matter is not yet before the court. They are out of control. As the Premier of Quebec said, “This is a blatant lack of respect...for Quebeckers”.
Bill 21, the state secularism bill, was passed by a majority of the members of Quebec's National Assembly, who represent a majority of Quebeckers. What part of the concept of democracy does this government not understand?
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- May/30/22 2:29:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope he is embarrassed.
The Liberals like to accuse the Bloc Québécois of picking fights, and yet just last week, they were quick to launch a full-blown attack on Bill 21 on secularism, for one thing. Second, they also suggested they will challenge Bill 96, which is meant to protect the French language. Third, they refused all of Quebec's requests to better manage its own immigration. Each of those represents a slap in the face to democracy in Quebec. That is what they did.
The Liberals want to stop Quebec from protecting its secular, francophone society. They want to stop Quebec MNAs from doing what Quebeckers want them to do.
Who is the one really picking a fight here?
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- May/30/22 2:41:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly had not even voted on its Bill 96 before the Prime Minister suggested that he could challenge it in court.
Let us make one thing clear. Regardless of our differences of opinion, Bill 96 was democratically passed by a majority of elected officials. That is a democratic choice that responds to the clearly expressed will of Quebeckers to better protect French. More importantly, this democratic choice was made by all Quebeckers, not by a handful of federal politicians.
Democracy in Quebec has spoken. Will the government respect that?
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- May/30/22 2:41:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I, too, am a Quebecker and I, too, have the right to share my opinion in this regard, as do other Quebeckers from various sectors and fields.
Legal scholars, health care professionals and other experts have all spoken out against Bill 96. We all want to protect French, and we all should protect French. That is exactly what our Bill C-13 would do for Quebec and all of Canada.
As I said, we will be following the implementation of Bill 96 to ensure that it does not exceed Quebec's jurisdiction.
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- May/30/22 2:42:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are not just issuing threats against Bill 96, they are already dismantling it.
Bill 96 imposes the Charter of the French Language on federally regulated businesses, but the Liberals are giving them a way out in their own Bill C‑13, which will allow these businesses to continue to work in English with complete disregard for Quebec laws.
On language matters, the Liberals' actions speak for themselves. Why are they encouraging the anglicization of Quebec instead of protecting French?
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- May/30/22 2:43:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I had not even uttered the word “fight” yet.
What I am sensing here is a disregard for democratic debate and for diverging opinions. We have 35 MPs here from Quebec, who were elected by Quebeckers, who reflect their constituents' points of view, and who are also entitled to a say.
Just because we did this does not mean we are in favour of anglicization or against French. On the contrary, we stand up for French every day. We have done more than any other government, but it is not up to the Bloc Québécois to decide who is a real Quebecker and who is not. A Quebecker is a Quebecker.
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- May/30/22 2:44:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a true Quebecker would stand up, defend French and defend Quebec culture.
I want to talk about the Liberals' actions when it comes to French. The posting for the appointment of a new CRTC chairperson states: “Proficiency in both official languages would be preferred”. It is not mandatory, simply preferred. The Liberals decided to make French optional for the person responsible for the regulation and future of Quebec television and the entirety of our telecommunications system. They feel it is okay to put someone who does not speak French in charge of an entire segment of our culture.
Do the Liberals realize that their actions speak for themselves, and that those actions speak English?
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- May/30/22 2:58:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we would all like to believe that we are safe from gun violence and that our children are protected.
In Montreal, just last week, someone shot up a day care centre. Fortunately, there were no casualties. Fortunately, the day care centre was empty. However, gun culture is emerging in Montreal.
Again, we simply cannot allow the situation to deteriorate. The mayor of Montreal, the Premier of Quebec and the Bloc Québécois are once again calling for Ottawa to ban handguns.
When will the minister finally do what everyone in Quebec is waiting for him to do?
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- May/30/22 2:59:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are working closely with the Quebec government to reduce gun violence, and the Minister of Public Safety recently attended a forum in Montreal. We have directed $46 million under our guns and gangs fund to the Legault government. We are finalizing a transfer specifically for Quebec under our building safer communities fund to prevent gun crime.
The minister continues to engage directly with his counterparts in Quebec.
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- May/30/22 3:00:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety has a historic opportunity this afternoon with the introduction of his bill. He can ban handguns. That would be one more tool to counter their proliferation in Montreal. He can ban all military-style assault weapons, not just ban models one by one. He can use this opportunity to announce new border measures to combat illegal firearms, which are still the crux of the problem in Quebec.
Will the minister seize this historic opportunity this afternoon, or will he announce more half measures?
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- May/30/22 8:47:00 p.m.
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Madam Chair, did the minister receive the unanimous motion tabled on April 7 by the Quebec National Assembly calling for compensation for the financial losses incurred by fishers affected by the closing of the fishery?
Is the minister aware of that unanimous motion from the Quebec National Assembly?
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- May/30/22 8:47:56 p.m.
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Madam Chair, will the minister respond to the motion adopted by the Quebec National Assembly?
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- May/30/22 8:51:07 p.m.
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Madam Chair, at a parliamentary committee at the National Assembly of Quebec, Quebec's department of agriculture, fisheries and food revealed that DFO and its minister did not notify the Quebec government before suspending the mackerel and herring fishery, even though they are supposed to. We in Quebec would like to know why.
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