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House Hansard - 153

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 3, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 153 - Feb/3/23
Mr. Sébastien Lemire (Abitibi—Témiscamingue, BQ)
  • Feb/3/23 10:26:11 a.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-34 
Madam Speaker, I want to commend the minister for his leadership. I say that because this was a request that the Bloc Québécois made in a supplementary report for the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, which looked at the Investment Canada Act. It is nice to see that the government wants to better protect our businesses. However, in my opinion, national security goes hand in hand with economic security. It is important to protect our head offices, particularly in Quebec. The Quebec economy depends on SMEs and the Investment Canada Act sometimes becomes a weakness or an obstacle for the province. The threshold issue could have been addressed in Bill C-34, but obviously the minister decided not to go that route. How can we ensure that our head offices are properly protected? How can we do a better job of that? Do we need to think about investment thresholds, particularly if we are on the verge of a recession? In the context of COVID-19, we saw how an airline company can be devalued very quickly. Would the ability to rely on clear thresholds have been of net benefit to Canada?
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Context: House Hansard - 153 - Feb/3/23
Mr. Gabriel Ste-Marie (Joliette, BQ)
  • Feb/3/23 1:29:53 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-34 
Madam Speaker, we in the Bloc Québécois are still reeling from the sale of Rona to the American company Lowe's and all the negative consequences that followed. In my hon. colleague's opinion, if Bill C-34 passes as is, will the interests of our economy be better protected with respect to potential transactions?
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