SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 305 - Apr/30/24

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

Apr/30/24 1:43:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, since we are talking about the budget, my speech today will focus on the most recent budget, which was tabled by the Liberal government exactly two weeks ago today. Before I talk about the budget itself, I want to take a moment to give a little background. I want to talk about the context in which this budget was introduced. I would imagine that the government was aware that the polls were not in its favour during the period leading up to the tabling of the budget. Members of the Liberal Party were surely aware that the Prime Minister's popularity was plummeting. In such a context, I would imagine that people got together to have a discussion and figure out what they could do about it. They came up with a solution. They realized that the situation was so dire that they had to make people forget just how dire things were, so they decided to create a diversion. They decided to talk about something else, to make people look elsewhere, so that they would not look at the government's track record, or the current situation, and instead look at what was being announced and proposed. As we know, the Liberals are not going to reinvent the wheel. Their solution was to encroach heavily on areas under Quebec's jurisdiction, just to be original. Perhaps we can say they were indeed original, in spite of everything, because they had never gone as far as they did in this budget. They decided to promise so many billions of dollars that everybody would be happy and nobody would notice anything. It would be so much money that people would not even notice anything else. Well, it did not work. Liberal strategists saw that selfies were not working anymore and decided to try a budget striptease to change things up. We are here to speak out against all of this. The Bloc Québécois has submitted proposals to the government. For example, rather than the approach it has taken, we would have liked to see money for seniors aged between 65 and 75, who do not receive the same old age security benefit as those aged 75 and over. We believe that everyone should receive a decent pension that covers their expenses. Everyone has rent to pay and food to buy. All retirees have similar expenses, regardless of their age. However, the Liberals went a different way. We proposed other things. For example, we suggested putting an end to funding oil companies. The Liberals say that they will do it eventually. When they were elected in 2015, that promise was part of their platform. It is still part of their platform today. Maybe it will still be part of their platform in 2050 or 2100. Unfortunately, in spite of everything, we were realistic. When we proposed these things, we suspected that the Liberals would go in a different direction. Still, we took a chance and hoped they would listen to us and do as we asked. At the very least, we wanted them to do one thing. We know the Liberals have a habit of encroaching on areas of jurisdiction that are not theirs. We told them that if they did that, they had to give Quebec the right to opt out with full compensation. Again, the answer was no. I think the vote itself was even more telling: It looks as though the other parties in the House agree with the Liberal position. The reason they said no is not hard to understand, because the only jurisdictions the Liberals are interested in are the ones that do not belong to them. In fact, they solved that problem with their budget: Jurisdictions no longer exist for the Liberal government. The solution was simple. They just made daddy's Constitution go poof. Being Prime Minister is not enough for the member for Papineau. He decided to become premier of all 10 provinces and three territories and mayor of all municipalities across Canada to boot. Not bad, eh? That is what this budget is all about. We have a Prime Minister who is Canada's new self-proclaimed king. He is the one who will run Quebec's health care system. He is going to show up at long-term care facilities and tell them how to run a long-term care facility. He is going to show up at dental offices and tell them how to run a dental office as well, even though Quebec already has programs to help people. He is going to show up at hospitals to tell people how to run their hospitals, while also telling them that he is not going to give them any more money. In fact, he is going to show up practically everywhere. He will show up in cities and decide what new urban planning rules they have to follow. He will even decide how land is taxed, which is a big deal. He will tax land in the cities, even though it is a municipal jurisdiction. He will even go so far as to manage school cafeterias. Just imagine. His own affairs hold no interest for him. What interests him is our affairs. It reminds me a bit of the know-it-all kid at school, who always told everyone else how they should do things, even though nothing he himself did ever worked out right. Do not ask Ottawa to print a passport. Ottawa is not interested in doing it and not capable of doing it. Do not ask Ottawa to manage borders either, because it is not interested or capable. If something is Ottawa's responsibility, Ottawa is not interested. It is that simple. In fact, for years, I had a hard time understanding the Prime Minister's fascination with the monarchy. Now I am starting to understand it a bit more. The king is someone who is not accountable to the public. He is not accountable to anyone but himself and God because it is God who made him king. It could be Allah, Buddha or Yahweh, or whatever we want to call it. He is accountable to a higher power, hence the idea of fighting secularism and Bill 21 and the idea of Islamic mortgages in the budget. In the Liberals' postnational world, every religion has its own banks with their own rules. It is not up to the government to establish the rules. No, it is up to the religions. If someone is Christian, they will go to the Christian bank. If they are Muslim, they will go to the Islamic bank, and if they are Jewish, then they will go to the Jewish bank. Living together in harmony is wonderful, is it not? This will be called positive segregation: a monarchical and theocratic postnational state. Obviously, I am being facetious, but I do not think this government is headed in a very good direction. The sad thing is that it is not a joke, because it is in the budget. That is the direction this government is heading in. Naturally, any Quebecker who reads this budget and sees that will want to get out of here, because it makes no sense. It is clear that we need independence. Without independence, soon we will not even have provincial jurisdictions. There will be no more Government of Quebec, no more municipal governments. Ottawa will be the last one standing. Ottawa will call all the shots. Does nobody care about jurisdiction? That is what we really need to ask ourselves, because that is what the Prime Minister is telling us. He says people do not care about jurisdiction, but I do not buy it. Let us look at how the government manages its affairs, and take the ArriveCAN app as an example. It should have cost $80,000 to design, but it ended up costing $60 million, and we are not even sure if that is the real figure yet. Two guys in a basement managed to rack up $250 million in government contracts and line their pockets at taxpayers' expense. Soldiers are being forced to go out and buy their own boots because the government cannot supply them. The Phoenix payroll system cannot pay public servants. Federal wharves and train stations are going to rack and ruin. I think people do see these things, and I think they do care about the government's incompetence. The polls are starting to show that pretty clearly. We can see that the government's attempt to divert attention away from its pitiful track record is not working at all. What we see, in fact, is a government that is completely disoriented and that has lost its way. If we gave it a compass, it would not even know what to do with it. That is why we are going to vote against this budget. That is why the Bloc Québécois will keep fighting. That is also why we, the members of a separatist party, insist that Quebec needs to be respected, that its jurisdictions are its own and that it can make its own decisions without constantly having another government's decisions imposed on it. It is not for Ottawa to decide how Quebec will run its cities and hospitals. It is not for Ottawa to decide these things. The government's own Constitution says that it must not run these things. The government does not care, but we do. We are going to create our own country.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Apr/30/24 1:53:15 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am disappointed that the Bloc has made the decision to vote against the budget and the budget measures. The best I can tell, from listening to the member across the way, is that the federal government cares enough to develop a pharmacare program, to provide $200 billion over 10 years to health care and to provide food for hundreds of thousands of children. Does the member not recognize that there is a role for the national government to play in Canada, with respect to education and housing? I am very proud that the Prime Minister came to Winnipeg and met with the premier and the mayor to make a wonderful announcement on housing. There is nothing wrong with governments working together for the betterment of Canadians. Why is the Bloc so insistent on not having the services Canadians want, and why does it not want the federal government to contribute to them?

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Mr. Xavier Barsalou-Duval

Apr/30/24 1:54:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member across the way just provided an eloquent demonstration of his government's position, which is to run away, not face reality, not mind its own business, and then tell others how to conduct their business. The reality is that we have child care in Quebec. We have schools in Quebec. We have hospitals in Quebec. They are not perfect, but we are taking care of them. The federal government has none of these things. It is not the one taking care of these things. It is not the one managing these things. Who are the Liberals to come tell us how to manage our business? Why would a Canadian be better than a Quebecker at managing this? An hon. member: Oh, oh!

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Apr/30/24 1:55:03 p.m.
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If the hon. parliamentary secretary has another question, he should wait until it is the appropriate time. Questions and comments, the hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.

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Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP)

Apr/30/24 1:55:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my good friend, Joshua Charleson from Hesquiaht nation, the former elected chief of Hesquiaht nation, who works for Coastal Restoration Society, is here in town to talk about the importance of a restoration economy when it comes to cleaning up our waterways and our oceans. We had a historic program, a ghost gear fund, that was world class, and the Liberal government cut it out of the budget. It was critical in removing things like polystyrene and fishing gear that infect and that impact our ecosystem. In terms of food security, it had a really big impact on indigenous peoples in particular, on their traditional and cultural needs, and on the blue economy. I know that my colleague lives on a waterway and that he cares deeply about the environment. Is he also disappointed that the Liberal government cut this historic program? Just after we finished an international convention with the United Nations on combatting plastic pollution, what did the government do? It cut historic programs. That is not leadership.

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Mr. Xavier Barsalou-Duval

Apr/30/24 1:56:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do not get the impression that my colleague's question is about the budget. I am not familiar with the program he referred to, but I will be happy to discuss it with him after my speech and this debate, if we get the opportunity. The question I am asking myself is why we always have an NDP government—or rather an NDP party, but this one is practically a government—that decides to ask the government in power to intervene more and more in Quebec's jurisdictions.

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Mr. Damien Kurek (Battle River—Crowfoot, CPC)

Apr/30/24 1:57:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the debate that we are having today, but I would ask my colleague specifically if he could provide some reflections on the fiscal state of our country. Increasingly, we are hearing leading economists around the world suggest that if we continue on this trajectory, it is going to lead to significant pain for future generations of Canadians.

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Mr. Xavier Barsalou-Duval

Apr/30/24 1:57:43 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, while I share my colleague's concern about the government's colossal deficits and the fact that it may not have a plan for returning to a balanced budget, that does not necessarily make the debt-to-GDP ratio more frightening. I can understand why my colleague is concerned, but I am more concerned about seeing federal money used for things that are not federal responsibilities and spent in areas of jurisdiction that are not those of the government. Ultimately, my concern is that Ottawa will keep tightening its stranglehold on us and that Quebeckers will not get more for their money.

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Mr. Francesco Sorbara (Vaughan—Woodbridge, Lib.)

Apr/30/24 1:58:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I think I have about a minute or so before question period begins. I would like to say first that I will be sharing my time with the member from Saint-Laurent. Before I get into my budget remarks, which I will save for after question period, I wish to acknowledge someone in the Italian Canadian community, who unfortunately passed away a few weeks ago. Corrado Paina, from the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario, was someone our community held dear to our hearts. He did so much for our community. He was a friend, a mentor and someone I very much enjoyed spending a lot of time with. Corrado Paina was one of a kind. We went to his celebration of life on Friday morning, and several hundred people were there from our community to celebrate a remarkable person who gave back so much to our community. In 2017, Corrado Paina helped to organize a trip for Italian Canadian businesses to Italy, which I was a part of when the Prime Minister went to Italy for the G7. Much more than that, he was somebody I would stroll with along College Street in downtown Toronto, and we would talk about politics, economics and philosophy. For the last nine years, he always provided a word of advice and always was a great friend. He is missed by myself and by many others. [Member spoke in Italian] [English] I know that Corrado Paina is looking down on many of us, telling us to continue the good work for our community and for all Canadians. I look forward to resuming the budget debate after question period.

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Mrs. Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, Lib.)

Apr/30/24 2:00:17 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the painful events unfolding in Gaza are taking a deep emotional toll on many in Canada, particularly members of Muslim and Jewish communities. We must find ways to disagree peacefully, while respecting the rights of free speech and protest and the right of people to feel safe in their schools and places of worship. I have heard from many people who are concerned that their charter rights are under threat. There is an effort in our country to marginalize and silence pro-Palestinian voices, as well as to redefine and mislabel cultural symbols, such as the kaffiyeh, as terrorist symbols. This is wrong. It is dishonest and shameful to conflate support for the Palestinian people with support for a terrorist organization. Like most Canadians, most protesters want to see a ceasefire, humanitarian aid and the return of hostages and prisoners. As the government updates its anti-racism strategy, I urge it to address and define anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism.

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Mr. Damien Kurek (Battle River—Crowfoot, CPC)

Apr/30/24 2:01:39 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today as an MP with Polish heritage to join with the Canadian Polonia diaspora to celebrate Polish Constitution Day. This day commemorates the adoption of the constitution on May 3, 1791, which was one of the first modern constitutions on the planet. It shows that, despite occupation, war and Communists, Poles' stand for freedom and democracy has persisted through the centuries. Last week, Canada and Alberta had the honour of welcoming the President of Poland, who expressed his country's excitement in partnering with Canada, including in our energy future. From LNG to hydrogen and nuclear, the future is certainly bright. When I spoke with President Duda, we both reflected on how our peoples prosper when we simply get the job done. As we celebrate Polish Constitution Day, and for the first time in Canada, Polish Heritage Month, let us remember the principles of democracy, human rights and the freedom that the constitution of 1791 symbolizes. Happy Constitution Day to all those of Polish descent in Canada and around the world.

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Mr. Chandra Arya (Nepean, Lib.)

Apr/30/24 2:02:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, Ottawa and other cities are witnessing unprecedented fatalities from opioids and designer benzodiazepines. These novel substances necessitate an updated approach to our response strategies. Our children are more than mere numbers. Each increase in overdose fatalities represents someone's child, a family member, a friend. It is crucial to hold to account the drug dealers responsible for these tragedies. Without facing consequences, they will persist in flooding our streets and endangering our youth. I would like to recognize Natalie Bergin, Jayne Egan and Janet Tonks for taking the lead and organizing on this important issue. They have set up an organization, Trace the Lace, to find justice for the children who have died from laced drugs. Let us do our part to support Trace the Lace.

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Mr. René Villemure (Trois-Rivières, BQ)

Apr/30/24 2:03:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this year, my high school, École Chavigny, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The school welcomed its first student in the 1974 school year. At that time, it was still Polyvalente Chavigny and it was located in a field, far from everything, at the very edge of what was then still known as Trois-Rivières-Ouest. These days, nearly 2,000 students attend the school each year and a neighbourhood in the city of Trois-Rivières bears the same name. The school is known for its drama program, in which students develop their skills in appreciating, creating and performing a variety of theatre productions. Every year, the theatre graduates have the honour of representing Quebec at a theatre festival abroad. In the same spirit, École Chavigny, a member of the ArtDraLa network, also hosts the Festival international de théâtre francophone AQEFT. A major celebration will be held on May 4 to mark the school's 50th anniversary. I want to congratulate principal Jonathan Bradley and I hope that he never finds my disciplinary records.

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Mrs. Élisabeth Brière (Sherbrooke, Lib.)

Apr/30/24 2:04:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the words that best describe Louise Bourgault are committed and dynamic. Louise has been at the helm of Sherbrooke's chamber of commerce and industry for 18 years, and anyone who crossed paths with her at a professional event could tell that she never felt obliged to be there simply because of her role. The pleasure she took in her work spoke volumes about the importance she placed on her mission of fostering economic development in Sherbrooke. We collaborated on various files on several occasions, and her professionalism was second to none. She was always open to suggestions for initiatives, and I specifically remember her involvement in the economic recovery forum we organized together after the first months of the pandemic. She recently stepped down from her position to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. I wish her every success in her personal projects and I thank her, on behalf of Sherbrooke residents, for her dedication to Sherbrooke's economic development.

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Mrs. Shelby Kramp-Neuman (Hastings—Lennox and Addington, CPC)

Apr/30/24 2:05:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the following quote is tragic. These words should never be spoken, yet far too often this sentiment is shared: “I’m not angry with my sweet boy, I’m not angry with those who caused him extra suffering. I’m saddened for those people because they don’t understand mental illness and I hope they become aware. I’m heartbroken and frustrated we don’t have the resources needed for people suffering mental [illness] and for those people watching loved ones suffer. I struggle daily with the fact that my best wasn’t good enough. I was unable to keep my son alive.” Faced with the worst situation a mother could imagine, Louri decided to honour the memory of her son Mark by raising awareness of the terrible disease that took her son. Mental illness, mental health and suicide affect all ages, all professions. These things hit home and touch all of us, often when we least expect it. It is incumbent on each and every one of us elected to this place to give the tools necessary to our health care providers to combat mental illness in all its forms.

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Mr. Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre, Lib.)

Apr/30/24 2:07:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the remarkable 90-year journey of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. The roots of the federation can be traced back to 1934, amidst a backdrop of rising anti-Semitism and economic adversity caused by the Great Depression. From the outset, the congregations of Agudath Achim, Adath Jeshurun, Mackzikei Hadas and B'nai Jacob recognized the power of unity, understanding that they are indeed stronger together. Through the leadership of visionaries, such as Rabbi A. H. Freedman, Casper Caplan, Archibald Jacob Freiman, Thomas Schwartz, Norman Zagerman and Rabbi Reuven Bulka, the federation has made an incredible mark on our Ottawa community. Since 2005, the federation has raised over $107 million for the Jewish community. It has distributed thousands of Jewish books for free in Ottawa, and there is much more. The history of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa is a testament to the strength and resilience of the Jewish community in the face of adversity. In times of strain, such as the present, the federation continues to lead the fight against prejudice, discrimination and anti-Semitism. Congratulations to the Jewish Federation of Ottawa for their community building and service.

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Mr. Andy Fillmore (Halifax, Lib.)

Apr/30/24 2:08:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, April marks World Malaria Month. Malaria continues to ravage the world and, unfortunately, our country is not spared. Indeed, malaria still claims nearly 500 Canadian lives each year. When tragedy strikes, some individuals transform hardship into advocacy. This is true of Olugu Ukpai of Halifax, who is on a mission to end malaria after losing his 16-month-old daughter, Miss Goodness Olugu Ukpai, to the disease. Olugu plays a pivotal role in raising awareness about malaria using drumming demonstrations to engage the public on this pressing issue. He and his family, Goodness's siblings, are famous at home as the uplifting Halifax Multicultural Drummers and they led the commemoration of World Malaria Day on April 16 in Halifax, featuring special guests and drummers from various parts of the African continent. Artists and community members came together to support the cause and engage Halifax in battling this disease. Awareness of malaria is increasing, and we must maintain momentum. I want to extend my gratitude to Olugu Ukpai for his unwavering dedication.

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Mr. Branden Leslie (Portage—Lisgar, CPC)

Apr/30/24 2:10:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, it has never been more expensive to eat, heat or put a roof over one's head. The Prime Minister pretends everything is fine, but it is not. He is in complete denial. We can look at the costs of groceries and homes. No one can afford to live anymore. His record deficits have driven interest rates sky-high, and the dream of home ownership is simply dead. Canadians are struggling to stay afloat, and what does the Prime Minister offer? He throws them an anvil by raising the carbon tax a whopping 23%. This has increased the price of gas, of groceries and of everything else. In Canada, millions of people are using food banks. This is not the country I grew up in. It is hardly even recognizable. It is clear that the Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost. It was not this way before the Prime Minister. It will not be this way after, because Conservatives will bring home lower prices by axing the tax and fixing the budget.

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Ms. Jennifer O'Connell (Pickering—Uxbridge, Lib.)

Apr/30/24 2:11:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know when they call for emergency medical assistance, there is a team of compassionate and competent paramedics nearby to help. Canadians expect robust and responsive health care, and paramedics are an integral part of our emergency response teams. Today, we are honoured to welcome a delegation of paramedics from the Paramedic Association of Canada to Parliament Hill to discuss key priorities in ensuring that paramedics are recognized for the essential care they provide. Representing nearly 30,000 paramedics across Canada, who have answered over three million calls for service, the Paramedic Association of Canada advocates for the advancement of paramedicine to ensure that these services are accessible, responsive, proactive and safe. Paramedics are key to keeping our communities safe. Our government looks forward to our continued work with the Paramedic Association of Canada to serve Canadians and deliver the first response services they deserve.

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Mr. Robert Kitchen (Souris—Moose Mountain, CPC)

Apr/30/24 2:12:09 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-234

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of reckless spending, the only thing the Prime Minister and his NDP-Liberal government have succeeded at is making life worse for Canadians. With families across the country struggling to make ends meet, the Prime Minister continues to spend more borrowed money than ever before. Gas prices have increased dramatically, with some areas of the country seeing the highest prices in years, due to the carbon tax, which adds nearly 20¢ a litre. Farmers, the very people who feed Canada and the world, are having to pay thousands of dollars more each year to run their operations because of the carbon tax, which increased by 23% earlier this month and will only continue to go up. Given the Prime Minister's inflationary spending that drives up the cost of everything and keeps interest rates high, it is no wonder that Canadians are poorer. He needs to axe the tax on farmers and food by passing Bill C-234 in its original form. Canadians need relief and, sadly, they will not get it from the current Prime Minister, who simply is not worth the cost.

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