44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 6, 2022 10:00AM
- Oct/6/22 10:36:26 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague spoke of tax havens, and I think it is important to spend some time talking about that. Not only is the government not doing anything, but it actually participated in the creation of these tax havens.
In 1994, the Chrétien government gave companies permission to repatriate income that they were earning in Barbados without paying tax in Canada. From that moment, Barbados became the tax haven of choice for Canadian companies. Even Paul Martin registered his shipping company in Barbados. Worse yet, in 2009, the Harper government decided that Barbados was not enough. It made another regulatory change. It decided that, once Canada entered into an information sharing agreement with a tax haven, it would be possible to repatriate profits without paying tax. It created 18 new ones. Not only did the Conservatives and the Liberals do nothing, they took it one step further and participated in the creation of tax havens.
My colleague agrees with me that the NDP and the Bloc Québécois have been speaking out on this issue for years, but that neither of our parties is going to form government.
Would he also agree with me that the only way to combat tax havens is for Quebec to become independent?
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- Oct/6/22 12:10:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend from Beauport—Limoilou for her question and for the excellent and tireless work she does in the House.
The Competition Bureau is not doing enough at the moment. Obviously, it is up to the government and the House to tell it to do more, to take on more cases, conduct more studies and intervene more.
Competition is very important. I will remind members of the time Rona was sold to the American company Lowe's. The Competition Bureau had the power to do something about that but chose not to, and, in my view, that deal was bad for the Quebec economy.
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- Oct/6/22 1:05:39 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, towards the end of his speech, my colleague talked about the measures put in place to combat tax havens and how much they cost. According to the Minister of National Revenue, those measures cost $1 billion.
If a measure is to be cost-effective, it typically has to yield at least as much as it cost, if not more, within three to five years.
To what extent have these measures paid for themselves so far, knowing that Quebec has managed to do better with a smaller investment?
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- Oct/6/22 2:03:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Louiseville buckwheat pancake festival is back in its entirety this year, and the 43rd edition is in full swing, making the Mauricie region and all of Quebec proud. It started out as a meal put on for those in need known as the “souper des gueux”, or supper for the poor, with a menu consisting of buckwheat pancakes, roast pork, cretons and hash browns.
Who would have thought that a meal for the poor would grow into such a rich tradition?
President André Auger and his energetic team have created a fantastic event that brings together people from all over Quebec and beyond.
I invite everyone to enjoy our diverse programming. Come join us for the many shows by local artists, the super bingo, the live auction and the historical parade, and get to know our miller and our people and discover our region and its history.
Hurray for buckwheat country.
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- Oct/6/22 2:17:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the new Conservative leader will put the people first: their paycheques, their savings, their home and their country.
The carbon tax is an utter failure. Liberals say it will reduce emissions, but emissions have gone up under the government. B.C. has had a carbon tax for 14 years, and its emissions have only gone up. Quebec has had one for 12 years, and its emissions have gone up as well. The carbon tax only drives the cost of everything higher and is punishing Canadians who can least afford it.
The Liberals say people get more money back from the carbon tax, but the PBO has said this is false, and many Canadians lose money because of the carbon tax. However, the Liberal government is going to triple the carbon tax by April 2023.
It would seem the Prime Minister is experiencing the carbon tax differently from hard-working Canadians, but help is on the way. A Conservative government led by our new leader would scrap the carbon tax.
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- Oct/6/22 2:27:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, here is what the Prime Minister intends to do at Roxham Road: increase the number of immigrants to Quebec, without Quebec's consent; secure contracts for generous Liberal Party donors; and, now, address the labour shortage by bringing in highly vulnerable workers who do not speak French and who will not get work permits for over a year.
Is it not obvious that there is absolutely nothing humanitarian about the Prime Minister's Roxham Road policy?
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- Oct/6/22 2:28:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we all know that immigration is crucial to our economy. As the member opposite already knows, Quebec sets its own immigration targets. Last year, we welcomed over 50,000 new permanent residents to Quebec. We will always work closely with the Government of Quebec to welcome immigrants, grow our economy and ensure that the French language and Quebec culture stay vibrant.
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- Oct/6/22 2:29:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois keeps saying Quebec should have more immigration powers, but Quebec actually has a lot of immigration powers, more than any other province.
The fact is, Quebec could take in a lot more immigrants than it currently does. It could make sure they all speak French. It has all sorts of powers, and we are here to work with Quebec to keep building the Quebec nation and Canada as a whole through immigration, by protecting the French language and by creating economic growth for all.
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- Oct/6/22 2:41:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government refuses to discuss immigration powers with Quebec. Let us look at what happens when the federal government is in charge. It is responsible for refugees, and 64% of refugee claims in Canada are made by people who come through Roxham Road. In other words, becoming a refugee in Canada in 2022 means being exploited by smugglers at the border and being arrested by the RCMP. Just this morning, the federal government was dragged before the Supreme Court by refugee advocates for its inaction on Roxham Road.
How can it give lessons when this is how it deals with the people it is responsible for?
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- Oct/6/22 2:42:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us continue to look at what happens when the federal government is in charge of immigration. The federal government is the one that takes care of temporary foreign workers. It is always the same thing. Businesses pay for workers who never arrive because their file is languishing in Ottawa. Just today, the newspaper Le Journal de Montréal reported that businesses such as Nationex have been waiting for workers since November of last year. It quotes discouraged businesses that say that the investment is not worth it, since the process takes anywhere from six months to a year and a half.
Why is the federal government refusing to transfer the temporary foreign workers program to Quebec if it is unable to take care of it itself?
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- Oct/6/22 2:42:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when the federal and provincial governments work together, men and women join Quebec society, succeed, perform, work and learn French. Children go to school, make friends, play hockey, participate in and contribute to society. That is a positive thing. Let us stop talking about immigration like it is just about numbers. These are men, women, children, human beings who come here to contribute to Quebec and Canada.
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- Oct/6/22 2:43:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the members opposite will have to change their tone because we are saying the same thing as they are. However, asking these people to wait three years for a work permit is not helpful.
Let us continue examining what is happening with immigration. Do members know how long it takes to process the file of a francophone skilled worker in Quebec who wants to become a permanent resident? Two years. At least workers fare better than francophone students from Africa who want to come to Quebec, because they face a refusal rate of 88%. That is more than twice the norm. When it comes to immigration, either the federal government is incompetent or it is acting in bad faith. In both cases, it should let Quebec take responsibility.
When will it do so?
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- Oct/6/22 2:44:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows very well, the Canada-Quebec accord gives Quebec the exclusive authority to select the majority of its immigrants. We have always respected Quebec's jurisdiction with respect to immigration, and we will work closely with Quebec to support its objective of welcoming the immigrants it needs to deal with the shortage and ensuring the development of businesses and the vitality of the French language. Here, we will work with the Province of Quebec today and in future.
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- Oct/6/22 4:31:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to begin by telling my colleague that we are also very proud of the success of our early childhood centres, a big success of a competent and pro-independence Quebec government.
However, in her speech, there is one thing that I did not understand. She spoke of the need for dental care for seniors. However, her government's proposal is for children aged 11 and under.
Could she explain that?
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- Oct/6/22 5:01:31 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, indeed, thanks to the NDP, the government is now taking action on GST rebates. That will benefit the people of Quebec as well as people across Canada. Thanks to the NDP, the government is now forced to deal with the housing issue. After 50 years, it is finally looking into the affordable housing issue. It will offer support to tenants. Thanks to the NDP, the government is taking measures to expand our health system and establish a dental care program.
It is thanks to the NDP that all these things are happening. The question, therefore, is rather why the other parties are not doing anything to help ordinary Canadians.
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- Oct/6/22 5:20:30 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there are quite a few. Quebec has a strong agricultural base. It has some strong marketing boards. It has some great farmers and agricultural operations. Using more local food is definitely one of the options, when we can provide it from the farmyard to the grocery stores. That means making sure that there is shelf space for that locally grown food, and having the resources to see the manufacturing of our food products here in Canada or in Quebec instead of chasing them out of Canada because we have made it too expensive to do that production here.
What are we going to do? We are going to export the grain and all the resources to make the product and then we are going to import it back into Canada and buy it at retail. Does that make sense? That is the policy we are facing right now with the current Liberal government.
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