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Context: House Hansard - 303 - Apr/19/24

Hon. Pablo Rodriguez (Minister of Transport, Lib.)

Apr/19/24 11:26:34 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I think the Bloc Québécois is losing it a little. The Bloc members do not know which way to turn. They do not want to talk about the budget, essentially because it provides money for housing, and that is good for Quebec. It provides money for seniors, and that is good for Quebec. It provides money for a bunch of things that are really important to all Quebeckers. They do not want to talk about it too much because they know it is good for Quebeckers, but not good for the Bloc Québécois.

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Context: House Hansard - 303 - Apr/19/24

Ms. Julie Dabrusin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Lib.)

Apr/19/24 11:54:11 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am so pleased to hear the Bloc Québécois say something that is completely true: The federal carbon tax does not apply in Quebec. The Bloc Québécois should talk to the Conservatives about this, because the Conservatives cannot seem to get that through their heads. On this side of the House, we agree that all sectors of the economy must reduce their emissions. That includes oil and gas companies. We are doing the work to make sure that happens.

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Context: House Hansard - 303 - Apr/19/24

Ms. Marie-Hélène Gaudreau

Apr/19/24 1:08:59 p.m.
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The Bloc Québécois has always stood up for victims. My colleague from Rivière-du-Nord, who has already spoken about this bill, had this to say: I can assure him that the Bloc Québécois [also sides with the victims]. It always has and always will side with victims. The Bloc also sides with society. We must never lose sight of the fact that our justice system is not just about avenging a victim or punishing a criminal. The purpose of our justice system is to build a safer society... I can say that I am quite partisan about what comes next. As I often say, in a mature, democratically evolved society where the rule of law is a fundamental value, we cannot accept even the slightest encroachment of politics into the judiciary. To me, that is key. In his work The Spirit of Law, Montesquieu outlines his theory of the separation of powers. He states that, in order to avoid despotism, it is absolutely essential to separate the legislative, executive and judicial powers. This bill is nothing less than a proposal to reverse that sacrosanct separation. The Government of Canada, regardless of its colour, whether it is red, blue or potentially orange, may well seize arbitrary powers for itself, but when it comes to judicial powers, politics should not play a part. The independence of Correctional Service Canada's and the Parole Board of Canada's decisions about incarcerated individuals, including assigning and changing their respective security classification, stems from the quasi-judicial nature that the law confers on them. Even if these two organizations are attached to the government apparatus, they are effectively equipped with an administrative tribunal that must make decisions independently. I like that word. The Conservatives are proposing to remove that independence from bodies that make decisions based on objective and impartial criteria. The fact is, that worries me. We need to have governments that respect the independence of government agencies. We saw that the Harper government often trampled on that independence. We see that the Conservative Party wants to go down that road again. That does not bode well for the future. On one hand, we have the Liberal Party that interferes in provincial jurisdictions. On the other hand, we have the Conservative Party that wants to interfere in the independence of government organizations. I believe that is going too far, and it does not bode well. I will wrap up my speech. The bill introduced by the Conservative member from Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup is a complete departure from the principle whereby these offenders can be on a path to rehabilitation. In our society, we do not want penitentiaries to become factories to turn out criminals. Yes, we want them to be places where people are detained, but we also want them to provide an opportunity for rehabilitation. In our society, we want the separation of powers to be respected. We want human rights to be respected. We want those who have demonstrated a willingness to reintegrate into society to have a second chance and to turn their lives around, when possible. We want governments that respect everyone's jurisdictions. That is the society that we will build when Quebec becomes a country.

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