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Context: House Hansard - 322 - May/31/24

May/31/24 10:46:21 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would also like to congratulate the member for Chatham-Kent—Leamington on his speech. My colleague just spoke about municipal elections, which are extremely important in Quebec, and about the need to motivate the public to get involved at every level in each election. However, the sensitive issue of pensions cannot be overlooked. I know that my colleague touched on it earlier. Personally, I am extremely uncomfortable about telling Quebeckers that we are going to push back the date of the election. The only message that people will remember is that a whole bunch of MPs elected in 2019 are going to be eligible for their pensions. I think that sends a very bad message. It encourages and fuels cynicism toward politicians. I would like to know whether my colleague would agree to a possible proposal to amend this bill and move the election to a different date, two or three weeks earlier if necessary. This would address concerns over the municipal elections scheduled at the same time and quell public cynicism toward politicians, precisely over the pension eligibility issue.

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Context: House Hansard - 321 - May/30/24

May/31/24 10:33:14 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, there are three reasons why the Bloc Québécois cannot vote for this bill. None of them are positive. The first is that we should not be making accommodations on religious grounds. When it comes to something as important as the democratic process in a G7 country, for us, that simply has no merit. The second is that we think it is irresponsible to postpone this for a week when we are going to be six days away from municipal elections in 1,109 municipalities across Quebec. We already have trouble mobilizing people for municipal elections. I do not have time to talk about the third reason. I will let the parliamentary secretary answer.

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Context: House Hansard - 321 - May/30/24

May/30/24 1:34:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I was just talking about decorum in the House. These rather ridiculous interjections do nothing to lend credibility to our work. As I was saying, with the carbon exchange in Quebec, gasoline costs 9.9¢ more per litre, while in the other provinces, gas costs an estimated 14.3¢ more per litre because of the federal carbon tax. Obviously, when we see that, it seems much more advantageous to have a carbon exchange like Quebec and British Columbia. Not only does it encourage people to pollute less, but we are always hearing good things about it. However, Canadians in other provinces seem to prefer the carbon tax approach because of the rebates. Could my colleague tell me the average rebate that Canadians in the backstop provinces get? That way, we can see whether the Conservatives' proposal makes sense in terms of the rebates that are paid out.

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Context: House Hansard - 321 - May/30/24

May/30/24 1:33:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his speech and for his efforts to deliver a speech that makes sense, relatively speaking, while ignoring all the attempts to distract him. I wanted to point that out. There could be a little more decorum in this chamber. In Quebec, for every litre of gas, the carbon tax is estimated to add—

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Context: House Hansard - 320 - May/29/24

May/30/24 1:08:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the motion moved by the Conservative leader is yet another very populist gimmick. It is easy for the Conservatives to tell people they are going to demand a summer tax break so people can go on vacation. I do not think it is as simple as that for Quebec and Canadian families, but the idea, as far-fetched as it may seem, would still come at a cost. Can my colleague tell me how much it is estimated that Quebeckers and Canadians will save thanks to the measure proposed by the Conservatives, but more importantly, how much it will cost SMEs, Quebec and Canadian businesses and the administration of the system in general to suspend a tax for a limited period of time? What will it cost in terms of operating costs, and what will it cost the public purse in lost revenue?

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Context: House Hansard - 317 - May/24/24

May/29/24 4:46:53 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-70

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is in favour of sending Bill C‑70 to committee. I heard the minister talk in his speech about the broad consultations with Canadians on this issue and his intention to work in a very inclusive manner with the opposition parties in the House. My colleague from Trois-Rivières introduced a similar bill to protect Quebec and Canada from foreign interference. There are two things that I feel are particularly important and should be included in Bill C‑70. One of them is that public office holders should not be allowed to work for a foreign government after they leave office, especially if their new job is to influence decision-makers on site. I wonder why that is not in the current bill. The other thing we feel is very important and would be very interesting to debate in committee is two-party registration. Foreign agents must disclose their contact with public office holders in Canada. Should Canadian public office holders not also have to disclose their contact and relationships with foreign agents in the course of their duties? I would like to hear the minister's opinion as to whether there are any amendments he would be open to supporting if the bill goes to committee.

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Context: House Hansard - 317 - May/24/24

May/24/24 11:55:49 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it would be really nice if we could get serious answers to serious questions. It is disturbing that the government refuses to require the court challenges program to comply with this federal law, its own statute. Once again, the Liberals are entangled in their own contradictions about the French language. They still have a hard time recognizing that there is only one official language at risk in Quebec, and that is French. They refuse to require that the court challenges program comply with their own legislation, the Official Languages Act. Why should the program disregard the different situation of English and French in Canada and Quebec?

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Context: House Hansard - 317 - May/24/24

May/24/24 11:54:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in committee yesterday, as the members were studying an overhaul of the court challenges program, a Bloc Québécois amendment was rejected, which is appalling. It was a very simple amendment that called for just one thing: That the court challenges program respect the Official Languages Act, that it respect the law recognizing that French is under threat, that it recognize the existence of other laws, such as the Charter of the French Language in order to protect our language, and that it recognize the need to advance the existence of a majority-French society in Quebec. Why is it so hard for the Liberals to respect the Official Languages Act?

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May/24/24 11:15:03 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Drummond has been on cloud nine since our Voltigeurs won the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's President Cup in four games against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. They played to a crowd of frenzied fans at the Marcel-Dionne arena, which was filled to capacity. It was a masterful performance. Top performers included Riley Mercer, a tough goaltender who frustrated opponents with his incredible skill throughout the series, and Vsevolod Komarov, a contender for the Canadian Hockey League title of defenceman of the year. How about Ethan Gauthier, a young man from my riding of Drummond, and the third in his family to wear the Rouges uniform, following in the footsteps of his father Denis and his brother Kaylen? Ethan was the team's top scorer, and ranked second in the entire league. He kept us on the edge of our seats all season, as I am sure he will again for a long time to come. The year 2024 will forever remain a high point in Drummondville's hockey history. This weekend, the Voltigeurs are set to play at the Memorial Cup games. This time, all of Quebec will be cheering them on. Drummond is ready for a two-trophy parade. Go Voltigeurs.

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May/23/24 10:09:44 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-316

Mr. Speaker, my next question may be a little long. I am going to present a scenario, which will give the minister plenty of time to answer. The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage is currently studying Bill C-316, which deals with a program that we want to create a framework for and that we hope will become permanent. The Bloc Québécois defended this program during the years of the Harper government, which wanted to abolish it. We fought alongside other opposition parties at the time to protect this program, which is very important for advancing the rights of francophones outside Quebec and for advancing the human rights of many individuals and groups. The current program includes a provision that prevents the federal government from funding challenges of Quebec or provincial legislation through the human rights branch. We think it would be appropriate for Quebec, as a nation repeatedly recognized by Parliament, to have access to a similar provision, an asymmetry provision for Quebec, to ensure that the program cannot fund challenges to the Charter of the French Language. This would help us protect the French language in Quebec while continuing to actively advocate for the advancement of francophones outside Quebec. Will the minister accept the Bloc Québécois's offer of help and agree to consider suggested amendments to Bill C‑316 to this effect?

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May/23/24 10:06:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to hear that and I am taking note of it because we are talking about more than 6,000 rulings, many of which are important references for numerous lawyers in Quebec and Canada. This mainly affects French-speaking lawyers, obviously, because the translation that was not done was into French. The documents are available only in English. If I understand correctly, the minister is committing to providing resources so that this recommendation from 2021 can finally be implemented by the Supreme Court. Am I hearing a commitment from him on that this evening?

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May/23/24 10:00:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our request is quite clear and is the result of a lengthy, extremely rigorous, sensitive and serious reflection within Quebec society. The minister does not seem to want to make an exception to the Criminal Code for Quebec. However, he did so for British Columbia. Does he consider Quebec's demands less important when it comes to such a crucial issue? Why would he not make an exception for Quebec as he did for British Columbia?

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May/23/24 9:59:18 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-390

Mr. Speaker, in light of what I said earlier about the difference between the social values and legal traditions of Quebec and Canada, will the minister commit to supporting the spirit of the bill that was introduced by my colleague, the member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou? This bill responds to the aspirations of the Quebec National Assembly and also to the will of the vast majority of Quebeckers. It seeks to allow advance requests for medical assistance in dying in Quebec.

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May/23/24 9:58:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I see the minister's younger days happened a lot more recently than mine. Given that Quebec is a nation with distinct social values and a different legal tradition, I would like to know if the minister agrees that Quebec laws cannot be evaluated and interpreted through the lens of Canadian values and the Canadian legal tradition. Does the Minister of Justice recognize that to do so would be incongruous?

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May/23/24 9:56:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to use my time to ask questions, make comments and get feedback and answers from the minister. To begin, I would like to commend the minister's attitude this evening. I do not know whether he has been sent to the committee of the whole as punishment for doing something wrong but, quite frankly, I think he is answering questions seriously and honestly. I think that should be recognized, especially after such a long day. I would also like to commend the work of the advisers accompanying him. I thank everyone for being here this evening. The House has recognized Quebec as a nation. The Supreme Court of Canada has noted Quebec's distinct legal traditions and social values. Does the minister recognize that the Quebec nation and the Canadian nation have distinct social values and different legal traditions?

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May/23/24 2:57:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today we are debating federal interference in the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces. One striking example concerns research chairs. The federal government is meddling in higher education and dictating which fields of study our universities must prioritize if they want to receive their share of funding. Worse still, with its equity, diversity and inclusion, or EDI, criteria, Ottawa is deciding not only what people will study, but also who will teach it. Ottawa is literally taking over our universities. Why does the government not let universities decide who to hire, based on their qualifications and nothing else?

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May/23/24 1:50:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be able to rise and take advantage of the unwillingness of Conservative, Liberal and NDP members to ask questions following the speech by my colleague from Terrebonne. Let me correct what I just said: A Liberal member did rise earlier. I understand that this may be a somewhat sensitive topic for the parties that would like to make gains in Quebec. We know that this is a matter of concern to Quebeckers. Earlier, my colleague mentioned a Bloc Québécois win, namely the fact that the federal government transferred funds to Quebec to bring high-speed Internet to all regions of Quebec. The program has worked better in the hands of the Government of Quebec, because the federal government had been dawdling for years. There are still problems of this nature, especially when it comes to cellphone coverage. There are a lot of problems like that. Does my colleague not think that, ultimately, the federal government should simply redistribute the money to Quebec and the provinces so that matters are resolved within a reasonable time frame and in a more competent manner?

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May/23/24 1:35:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I hope I have 15 minutes to answer the question asked by my colleague from Terrebonne, because I have a lot to say on the matter. It is disturbing to see that a government given a minority mandate by the people, instead of respecting the will of the people, would sidle up to another opposition party and govern as a majority government would, with policies and legislation that, perhaps well-intentioned, nevertheless violate certain principles, including respect for the jurisdictions of Quebec and the provinces. No, I do not think the government has the legitimacy to govern as it is governing.

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