SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Denis Trudel (Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, BQ)

Nov/15/22 10:41:08 a.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Madam Speaker, it is always amusing to hear from our Liberal government friends across the way. When it comes to health care, the federal government does not run a single hospital, train a single doctor or pay a single nurse. However, it claims to know how health care works and tells the provinces and Quebec to do this or that in order to get money. The passport crisis has shown us just how unbelievably incredible, outstanding and exemplary the federal public service is. Oh, the lessons it could teach, but it is not going to. Last week in Vancouver, the Minister of Health said that, unless there were conditions in place, there would be no cheques. If my Conservative friends were in power, would they agree to the demands of all the provinces in Canada and Quebec to increase health transfers from 22% to 35%?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Brad Vis

Nov/15/22 10:57:06 a.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Madam Speaker, I will be very clear on this. The federal government needs to leave health care powers to the provinces, be it for British Columbia or Quebec. I would add that, if the Government of Canada were not such a big spender, there would be more money left for the provinces and for health care services.

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Denis Trudel (Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, BQ)

Nov/15/22 11:26:57 a.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Madam Speaker, my question is somewhat related to Bill C‑32. I would like to talk about Bill C‑31, because I have never had the opportunity to ask my NDP friends a question about something that puzzles me. Bill C‑32 contains some mini-measures on housing, but they do not really address the housing crisis. There is an important measure in Bill C‑31, a $500 cheque to help people. I have spoken to every housing agency in Quebec and they were just about beside themselves when it came to Bill C‑31, which hands out so much money without building a single thing. People had expectations about the agreement between the NDP and the Liberals. They thought that the NDP would be able to push the government to build housing. Does it not seem to my colleague that the NDP members sold their souls for a bowl of lentils with their agreement with the Liberals?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Denis Trudel (Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, BQ)

Nov/15/22 11:39:51 a.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Madam Speaker, I have a brief question for my colleague. We are used to hearing Liberal ministers and members beating around the bush and not answering questions. We spend 98% of our time here not getting answers to our questions, but since the member is from the opposition, perhaps I will get a fairly clear answer. That would be nice. There is a huge health crisis in Quebec right now. Emergency room physicians are sounding the alarm. People are dying in Quebec's emergency rooms. The provinces' demands are quite simple. Health transfers must be increased, no strings attached. If the Conservative Party were in power tomorrow morning, would it increase transfers from 22% to 35%, as the Quebec government is calling for?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. René Villemure (Trois-Rivières, BQ)

Nov/15/22 11:54:56 a.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for giving us his perspective. I would like to ask him this. He brilliantly explained the risks that going in the direction of this bill would pose for Canada, but I would like him to be more specific and tell me whether this bill contains any measures that are good for Quebec. Let us forget about the rest of the country for a moment. What measures does this bill contain that are good for us and what does he think is important?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Luc Berthold

Nov/15/22 11:55:23 a.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Madam Speaker, the main thing I see is the direction the Liberal government is taking with the interest payments on the ballooning debt that we are seeing year after year. Next year or the year after, the government will be paying more in interest than in health transfers for all of the provinces. That greatly reduces the flexibility the government could have had to help the provinces, including Quebec, deal with the current health crisis. I am trying to think of something good in the fall economic statement, but unfortunately, I still cannot figure out how it will improve the lives of Quebeckers.

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Xavier Barsalou-Duval (Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, BQ)

Nov/15/22 12:28:04 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Mr. Speaker, I find that surprising. I have been hearing the Liberals boast about the government's economic update all morning. I do not understand why they think it is so positive, given that there is a really important request, not only from the Government of Quebec, but from all the provinces in Canada. It may be easier for the government to be amenable to a request when it does not come from Quebec. However, since it was not just Quebec that was asking for health transfers this time, we hoped that the government would listen. Why are they not increasing health transfers? There is no mention of it in the economic update, and yet this is a unanimous request. Everyone is calling for this. I cannot understand it.

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Ms. Andréanne Larouche

Nov/15/22 12:41:59 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Winnipeg North for his question, and I will ask him the same question I asked the Minister of Mental Health yesterday. How is it that he knows more about the health care system than anyone working in Quebec's health department? What does he know about running a hospital that they do not? In the meantime, patients are being held hostage and waiting on stretchers. Do not talk to me about the debate at the federal level. The federal contribution was originally 50%, and it has dropped to 20% or 21%. That is a huge loss. The government needs to give back what it owes to the Quebec health system.

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Ms. Andréanne Larouche

Nov/15/22 12:43:22 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-32

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague. I enjoy working with her at the Standing Committee on the Status of Women as well. As I said yesterday to the minister and as we can see, the management of our health care systems is the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces. I brought in some organizations during the study in committee. They came to tell us that there are plans on the table that cannot be completed because the organizations do not have the necessary funding. They are being forced to save money by cutting corners because the federal government is not paying its share. Again, the government says it is championing health care, but it is still incapable of implementing genuine EI reform and it thinks that cancer can be dealt with in 15 weeks. To come back to mental health, the government needs to leave that to Quebec and the provinces. I think that they already have a plan to address mental health problems and help the women and girls suffering from mental health challenges.

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Blake Desjarlais (Edmonton Griesbach, NDP)

Nov/15/22 12:44:29 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague with regard to the crisis we are facing in our health care system. It is no secret that health care, whether in Alberta, British Columbia or Quebec, is facing a dire crisis. We are seeing hallway care prioritized and becoming far more common across the country, and we know the federal government must play a role. The member spoke about the need for enhanced federal spending in our public health care system. However, what we are seeing in my province of Alberta is a concern that I hope she recognizes and shares with me. In Alberta, we are starting to see a decrease in public spending on health care and an increase in the allowance of private surgeries, which is something Canadians do not want. We know we need a publicly accessible and publicly administered health care system. Does the member agree?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Ms. Andréanne Larouche

Nov/15/22 12:45:21 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois believes the health care system must remain universal and free. I think health transfers will breathe life into the system. This is important. It is crucial. With respect to private medicine, as I said, the Bloc Québécois is in favour of universal free public health care. That is essential. That means the federal government has to stop shortchanging the health care system, as it has been doing for far too long. We all know the Liberals and Conservatives have been making cuts since the 1990s. Let us reinvest in our health care system and give Quebec and the provinces the money they need to make good things happen and give sick people the care they deserve.

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Hon. Marc Garneau (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, Lib.)

Nov/15/22 12:56:50 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-32

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his presentation, and I know he is not going to like what I am going to say. He likes to talk about the 22% health transfer, but I do not know if he is aware that in 1977, which may be before he was born, the federal government transferred tax points to all the provinces. The federal government reduced its tax room and transferred it to the provinces. If we take into consideration the tax room acquired by Quebec and the other provinces, the federal government's contribution to health is actually 33%. Is my colleague aware of the historic 1977 decision to transfer tax points?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP)

Nov/15/22 1:00:14 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-32

Uqaqtittiji, I would like to ask about the Inuit in Nunavik in northern Quebec who suffer quite similar health disparities to my constituents in Nunavut. What does he have to say about ensuring improvements can be made to address the health disparities suffered by Inuit in northern Quebec?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Denis Trudel (Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, BQ)

Nov/15/22 1:43:08 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-32

Mr. Speaker, my Conservative friends will be pleased because I am going to triple my question. This morning, I asked my Conservative colleagues the same question twice, but I did not get an answer, so I am going to ask it a third time. The Liberal government opposite refuses to provide proper funding for the health care system, funding that is sorely needed, especially in Quebec. There is no way that my Quebec colleagues here have not seen the pictures of Quebec's emergency rooms. It is truly outrageous. The Liberal government is saying no. If the Conservative Party were to take office tomorrow, which is not necessarily something we want to happen, would the Conservatives agree to increase health care funding from 22% to 35%, yes or no?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Alain Therrien (La Prairie, BQ)

Nov/15/22 2:26:43 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-13

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has been warning from the beginning that Bill C‑13 is a way of helping companies that are anglicizing Quebec. It gives companies like Air Canada the option of abiding by the Charter of the French Language if they feel like it or continuing to show contempt for French without any consequences. Air Canada has confirmed that it has made its choice, and it comes as no surprise that it will continue to show contempt for French thanks to the Liberals. It will circumvent the Charter of the French Language thanks to the loophole created by the Liberals in Bill C‑13. Why are the Liberals encouraging companies like Air Canada to continue to anglicize Quebec?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lib.)

Nov/15/22 2:27:23 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-13

Mr. Speaker, obviously, I am an anglophone, but I want to assure my Bloc colleagues and all my francophone colleagues in our Liberal caucus that French is a priority for me and our government. We understand how difficult it is for the Quebec nation to continue speaking French in an anglophone continent. For that reason, our government will always support French.

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Alain Therrien (La Prairie, BQ)

Nov/15/22 2:28:03 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-13

Mr. Speaker, all of a sudden, the Liberals and the NDP are in such a big hurry to pass Bill C‑13 that they are shutting down debate. That seems odd, until we remember that Quebec has given Air Canada and its ilk until December 1 to get on board with the Charter of the French Language. They have two weeks left, and, believe it or not, Air Canada, Via Rail and CN, which have perfected the art of not giving a fig about French, have not yet signed on. Why? Because Bill C‑13 gives them an out. They are just waiting for it to pass. Is that why the NDP and the Liberals are in such a hurry to pass it?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Luc Thériault (Montcalm, BQ)

Nov/15/22 2:41:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, pediatric emergency rooms in Quebec are overflowing as we speak. Children are being sent 150 kilometres from home because there is no room for them at the hospital. It is time the minister stopped saying that it is futile to ask for health care funding. Let us ask the parents of these children if it is futile. It is time for the federal government to stop it with its bureaucratic power trip, its arrogance and its bickering and to hand over the additional $28 billion in health care transfers that Quebec and all the provinces are calling for. What will it take for the government to understand that this is urgent?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Mario Simard (Jonquière, BQ)

Nov/15/22 2:42:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, sometimes the answer should actually match the question. That needs to be made clear to our colleague. The federal government can clearly see that the health care system is underfunded. Everyone can see that the elastic is about to snap. People are at the end of their rope, but what the federal government fails to see is that it is the one that must do more. Quebec allocates 43% of its annual budget to health care. That is nearly half. As for the federal government, not even 9% of its total budget goes to health transfers. There is flexibility on the federal front, but not in Quebec City. When will the Liberals finally and permanently increase health transfers?

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Context: House Hansard - 127 - Nov/15/22

Mr. Mario Simard (Jonquière, BQ)

Nov/15/22 2:43:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers want governments that work together, but the Liberals have opted to govern by taking hostages. When it comes to health care, the hostages are patients, victims of the feud between Quebec and Ottawa, which is withholding $28 billion from us. As for infrastructure, the government is holding municipalities hostage by forcing them to get their project proposals in by March or miss out on $2.7 billion. In both cases, that is Quebec taxpayers' money, not the Liberals' money. Why not just work with Quebec and the cities instead of starting fights?

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