44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 14, 2023 10:00AM
- Feb/14/23 10:14:10 a.m.
- Watch
Before I go to orders of the day, I want to wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day.
18 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/23 11:55:50 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I wish the the NDP and that member, our partners in this supply-and-confidence agreement, a happy Valentine's Day. It is certainly one of the more challenging relationships I have ever been in, but, nonetheless, happy Valentine's Day to them.
The member brought up the agriculture committee. I could not help but reflect on a comment that was given last night at the agriculture committee by Dr. Jim Stanford from the Centre for Future Work. He said that clearly inflation was not due to the Prime Minister either, that our inflation and our food inflation were both below average for industrial countries.
Would my colleague like to comment on how inflation is a global problem? While it does not bring a lot of comfort to those who are experiencing it in Canada, we are experiencing these problems throughout the world.
145 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/23 2:00:13 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, happy Valentine's Day. Speaking of matters of the heart, ever year more than 250,000 Canadian babies are born with congenital heart disease, the number one birth defect in Canada.
This week is Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Week. My wife Ally and I have a personal connection. Over seven years ago, we lost our son Teddy to congenital heart disease. He was born and died just 22 minutes after birth. There is not a day or year that we do not think of what could have been. My wife has been a tireless advocate for infant loss and congenital heart disease while writing a blog: alwayschooselove.net.
Many families have a story similar to ours, but many families have stories that last a lifetime, with significant needs ranging from multiple invasive procedures, such as open-heart surgery, to daily therapies for breathing and physical rehabilitation. This week, look in Toronto at the CN Tower lit up in red, or alongside B.C. Place, Cabot Hill and Montreal Park Tower. The warmth of the red signifies that there is a need for Canadians to support our babies born with a broken heart.
This Valentine's Day, have a heart, and support and share stories of congenital heart disease. Let us help find a cure.
216 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/23 3:30:17 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I just wanted to wish my wife and all spouses and partners out there a happy Valentine's Day.
28 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/23 3:30:25 p.m.
- Watch
Before everybody tries to do the same thing, let us all wish our spouses and our loved ones a happy Valentine's Day.
Resuming debate, the hon. member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis.
37 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/14/23 3:57:35 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I want to wish you a happy Valentine's Day. I really appreciate you.
I am feeling a bit torn. On the one hand, we have a government drifting on a sea of appalling departmental dysfunction and, on the other hand, we have an opposition party playing games and giving fake, facile solutions to a very real problem that is far more complex than it cares to admit.
After all, inflation did fall from 8.1% in June to 6.3% in December, although it fell almost everywhere in the world.
I would like to ask my Conservative friend the following question. Since inflation is a global, heavily interconnected problem, what solution does he propose to keep Canada, which is part of this world, from being affected by this inflation?
132 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I will begin my speech by wishing my wife a happy Valentine's Day. As usual, we are debating an important bill. We never waste any time. We always do constructive things and get results in the House. Unfortunately, I am obligated to stay here and I cannot be with my wife, so I want to wish her a happy Valentine's Day.
It is the busiest time of day here in the House, a great time to speak because there are always so many people, so that is nice.
I used to work in theatre, where there is an unwritten rule. Obviously, I am not talking about Broadway, where the theatres are always full. I am talking about Montreal theatre. The unwritten rule is that there must always be more people in the audience than on stage. Otherwise, the show is cancelled. I can say that I once had to cancel a show when there were only two actors on stage, which might give my colleagues an idea of the situation. That time, it was a complete flop.
Obviously, I am pleased to speak to this subject because last week I rose to speak to the Conservative motion, which has come back today. It is always interesting with the Conservatives. They do one thing and then repeat the same thing the following week. The motion was on the carbon tax and I had the opportunity to say that it was not a good idea to cancel the carbon tax.
In Quebec, we have solutions and wood is part of the solution. Wood is very important. It is an integral part of our culture. It is omnipresent in our economy, in our recreation, in our concern for the environment, in our culture and even in our language. In Quebec, we talk about forest capital. It is important. We create infrastructure to be able to leverage the benefits of this forest and we work very hard for that.
My colleague was saying earlier that there are no trees in his riding. There are trees in Quebec. That is not a problem. The forest sector is even a big part of our conversations, because in Quebec we say that we heat with wood and eat Yule logs. It is important.
There is a Quebec expression that I do not know how my friends, the interpreters, are going to translate: “Swing la bacaisse dans l'fond de la boîte à bois”, or swing your logs into the wood bin, which actually means leave your work behind and join the party. The forest is very important in Quebec. We even say that we walk in the woods. I do not know if this translates well in English, but when children resemble their parents, we say that the fruit does not fall far from the tree.
There is another important aspect. The first Quebeckers discovered this continent and travelled around it. What is the U.S. Midwest today was actually discovered by Quebeckers, the “coureurs de bois”.
Let us get back to Bill S-222.
The Bloc Québécois has long been committed to promoting the forestry sector and to upgrading forestry products. We have long been proposing that the federal government use its procurement policy to support the lumber industry, a key sector for Quebec. For years, we have been requesting that the Quebec forestry sector, and not just the oil industry, get its fair share of federal investments. Last year, the Liberals gave $8.5 billion in direct and indirect aid to the oil industry. That is completely outrageous. The UN said it was time to put an end to fossil fuel investments, and the Liberals invest $8.5 billion. That is more than the Conservatives invested back in the day.
We also believe that federal support should start with a public procurement policy that promotes the use of wood products. This industry needs to be promoted rather than the focus always going to the Ontario auto industry or the Alberta oil and gas industry.
The use of wood in construction is on the rise, and wood is recognized for its contribution to fighting climate change. The choice of wood as a construction material is significant. It is a local, sustainable and renewable resource. A life-cycle assessment of wood shows it has an exceptional environmental performance.
Quebec already has a strategy. We already have a national lumber strategy and a policy for integrating wood into construction. Now it is up to the Government of Canada to contribute.
In September 2020, the Bloc Québécois presented its green recovery plan, in which we talked a lot about wood. In April 2021, the Bloc Québécois even organized a forum in Trois-Rivières under the theme “forests and climate change”. That is important. Later, the Bloc Québécois announced a vast study on the economic and environmental optimization of the forestry sector.
That is important. We even made eight proposals to the federal government. We are not always criticizing. We have constructive proposals to maximize the potential of Quebec's forests. The Bloc Québécois has even proposed a road map—
891 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
