SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 298 - Apr/11/24

Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Apr/11/24 12:23:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and, especially, for the tone of his speech. We may not agree on the content, but I appreciated the thoughtful way he presented his arguments, which is in stark contrast to what happened at the Standing Committee on Natural Resources in December, when the heckling actually prevented informed voting by some members and was a health hazard for the interpreters. Does he agree with me that this was undeniably the wrong approach to take in committee? On behalf of his colleagues, does he regret that this happened? Should his colleagues have instead followed his example and presented their arguments thoughtfully and calmly, like he did today?

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Context: House Hansard - 298 - Apr/11/24

Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Apr/11/24 2:38:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, immigration minister Christine Fréchette reiterated the Quebec government's modest demands. There is nothing spectacular or over-the-top about them. The minister is not asking for full powers over immigration; she is asking for the bare minimum. What she is asking for is a fair distribution of asylum seekers among the provinces, reimbursement of the costs associated with taking in asylum seekers, and adequate funding for French integration classes. I do not think that is too much to ask for. Is the government going to agree to Quebec's requests, or are we about to end up with another of the squabbles the Liberals are so fond of?

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Context: House Hansard - 298 - Apr/11/24

Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Apr/11/24 2:39:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, their discussions are going so well that the Government of Quebec is thinking of holding a referendum on immigration. The truth is that Quebec is so fed up with having the government laugh in its face that it is thinking of reaching out to the people. Considering the federal government's incompetence when it comes to managing its responsibilities, we all know that things would work a lot better if Quebec had full powers. Is the minister going to respond to Minister Fréchette's highly reasonable requests, or would he rather wait for Quebec's entire population to vote on the federal government's immigration incompetence?

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Context: House Hansard - 298 - Apr/11/24

Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Apr/11/24 3:32:01 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in its initial version, the bill would have been a huge encroachment on Quebec’s jurisdictions. The Bloc Québécois gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought it might have been a mistake. We therefore proposed amendments to make adjustments and achieve a certain level of asymmetry in the bill. However, we soon realized that it was not a mistake, because the Liberals blocked our proposals to make the bill more fair to Quebec. Is this simply a prelude to the budget and a teaser of intrusive budgetary measures we are seeing?

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Context: House Hansard - 298 - Apr/11/24

Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Apr/11/24 4:16:45 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her remarks and the tone of her speech. As I mentioned to one of her colleagues earlier today, we appreciate the tone—although we do reserve the right to disagree with the content. We appreciate the tone, especially since it strikes such a sharp contrast with what happened at the Standing Committee on Natural Resources. It was a hapless circus until the wee hours of the morning. The Conservatives were shouting over each other on points of order, to the point where the votes that were taken happened without anyone really understanding what was being voted on. The interpreters' ears must have been hurting for an entire day. It was totally disrespectful. I would like to know if her colleagues' tone in committee was acceptable to her. It is a stark contrast to what we saw from her today as she spoke to us in the House. She was an exemplary model of calm and composure. That should be the norm for debate in the House.

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