SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Yves-François Blanchet

  • Member of Parliament
  • Leader of the Bloc Québécois
  • Bloc Québécois
  • Beloeil—Chambly
  • Quebec
  • Voting Attendance: 56%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $98,385.23

  • Government Page
  • Sep/20/23 3:15:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if you seek it, I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move: That whereas all parties have agreed on the parameters for the establishment of a public and independent commission of inquiry into foreign electoral interference on Canadian soil, whereas all parties have agreed to the appointment of Judge Marie-Josée Hogue as Chief Commissioner of this inquiry, all parties and parliamentarians pledge their full cooperation to this inquiry.
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  • Jun/13/23 2:31:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have to come back to this. We have to first agree on one fundamental principle: A commission of inquiry and the one or more commission chairs who are appointed must be completely independent from the government in order to do their job properly. If we agree on that principle, then and only then can we move forward and look at potential candidates. If the minister or the Prime Minister wants to talk to me about it, I can be reached at any time. However, I do have a question for the Prime Minister. Can we agree that all of this should be clearly and formally resolved before we rise for the summer?
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  • Jun/13/23 2:30:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the resignation of the special rapporteur appointed by the Prime Minister could turn out to be a turning point in the crisis surrounding the independent public inquiry. The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities showed signs of openness that I welcome with a mixture of enthusiasm and caution. I would like the Prime Minister to tell me if he would agree that the first thing that needs to be done, before any further action can be taken to bring this matter to a positive conclusion, is to put in place an independent public inquiry.
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑341, An Act to Amend the Inquiries Act. He said: Mr. Speaker, this is bigger than those in the spotlight at the moment. Current events are a good example of how frequently democratic institutions have come under attack during this Parliament and since the Liberal regime came to power. One of the most important elements of democracy is, of course, accountability. When accountability is lacking, there are statutory tools that task people with setting up commissions of inquiry. This latest situation is an extreme example, of course, and it could benefit from this act, but beyond that, institutions must be strengthened. Accordingly, the purpose of this bill is to ensure that, from now on, when a commission of inquiry is set up under the Inquiries Act, Parliament will determine who the commissioners of such an inquiry will be. I think getting this process under way now is essential, not only so it can help with the current conversation about a commission of inquiry into Chinese interference, but also so it can benefit democracy in the long term.
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  • Jun/7/23 2:47:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister does more to protect Liberal government secrets and the Trudeau Foundation, he is not protecting the people with family still living under the Chinese regime, being oppressed by China as an intimidation tactic. These people have the right to security on Canadian and Quebec soil. He is not protecting them. This morning, representatives from Taiwan, the Uyghur Autonomous Region, Hong Kong, Tibet and the Solomon Islands asked the Prime Minister for a public inquiry. Will the Prime Minister act like a head of state and allow this public inquiry?
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  • Apr/26/23 2:32:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have a Prime Minister who boasts about his ignorance. What are things coming to? Let us say that we pretend to believe him because he is becoming more and more convincing in the role of an ignoramus. The fact that he wants to remain ignorant is another problem, as is the fact that he does not ask any questions. This just goes to show that he cannot participate in the decision on who will chair the much-needed commission of inquiry into Chinese interference in Canada. Does the House not agree?
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  • Apr/19/23 3:00:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is being grilled like burgers on the barbeque he was talking about earlier. Meanwhile, he is not doing his job, which was already not going well. I have a solution to help him put an end to the torture. Why not let Parliament choose someone to lead an independent public inquiry that he will not have anything more to do with so that he can finally try to get back to doing his job?
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  • Mar/22/23 2:29:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, although no one knows just how many there are, many Chinese nationals who are under the Prime Minister's solemn responsibility and whom Canada let in, are being forced under threat to return to China. We can imagine what is waiting for them upon their return. Our main ally is coming to Ottawa tomorrow. Is that not just one more reason to establish that the Prime Minister cannot choose who will lead the inquiry or establish that the inquiry does not need to be public?
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