- Member of Parliament
- Prime Minister
Leader of the Liberal Party
- Liberal
- Papineau
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 55%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $79,187.97
- Government Page
- May/22/24 3:16:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Davenport is right. Reproductive health is health. Abortion is health care.
The Leader of the Opposition pretends to care about freedom, but whose freedom was he defending by threatening to suspend Canadians' charter rights, by voting to restrict abortion or by removing the right to vote from thousands of Canadians when he was minister of democratic institutions? That is the very opposite of freedom. We will never back down from defending all Canadians' fundamental rights and freedoms.
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- May/22/24 3:14:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has continually pledged to make assault-style weapons legal again. We have banned them for the past four years, and we will continue to make sure that they stay banned in this country, while the Leader of the Opposition wants to bring back assault-style weapons to our communities and to Canadians from coast to coast to coast. That is not how to keep this community safer.
On top of that, in the name of protecting Canadians from crime, the Leader of the Opposition is willing to suspend their fundamental freedoms by using the notwithstanding clause to override the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That is not responsible, and it makes us wonder what other rights he is going to come after on Canadians.
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- May/8/24 3:20:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is playing politics at the expense of Canadians' rights and freedoms. He clearly will not protect women's freedom of choice on abortion.
He bragged about being able to use the notwithstanding clause to violate Canadians' rights. A woman's right to choose should not be up for debate in the House in 2024, and yet, that is what is happening because of him.
I hope that the entire Conservative caucus will be here in the House tomorrow for Canadians, rather than going to oppose reproductive health. That is what Canadian women deserve.
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- May/8/24 2:58:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader opposes pharmacare and our plan to provide free contraception prescriptions to Canadians, and we all know why. The leader and his caucus' ideological objection to reproductive freedoms is putting all Canadians at risk.
Yesterday the member for Peace River—Westlock sponsored an anti-choice petition. The member for Yorkton—Melville has introduced several private member's bills that would serve as a sneaky back door to limit women's bodily autonomy.
One would think that someone who claims to stand for freedom would be there for women as well, but the Conservative leader is not.
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- May/7/24 2:22:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, obviously no one in the House does, which is why we agreed with the British Columbia government to modify its pilot project to better suit its concerns.
At the same time, we have seen the extent to which the Leader of the Opposition will continue to try to use tragedies and ongoing challenges that Canadians and vulnerable people are facing to try to score political points. It is the same reason he has said that he will suspend people's fundamental rights and freedoms: to score cheap political points. That is not something Canadians want to see.
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- May/1/24 2:47:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Bloc Québécois leader knows full well, when Bill 21 lands in the Supreme Court, we will intervene in our capacity as the federal government, because we are concerned about the consequences this bill could have on Quebeckers. We will make our voice heard at that time. Yes, we have opinions on how the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Canadians can be better protected, and we will share those opinions.
At the same time, we will always seek to offer everyone the same opportunities to buy a house and build a better future, because we know that young people are struggling these days.
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- Feb/7/24 2:30:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we could not agree more that a Conservative government would pose a threat to fundamental rights and freedoms. At the same time, when it comes to medical assistance in dying, we understand how difficult and personal a choice this is. We have a duty to protect the most vulnerable while respecting fundamental rights and freedoms. That is why, with regard to advance requests for people with mental health issues and for minors, we have been holding and will continue to hold in-depth discussions and consultations before going any further.
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- Jan/31/24 2:29:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are well aware that the issue my colleague is pointing out is real. It is one issue that needs to be looked that, along with other difficult issues that are being examined and debated.
Yes, we will continue to consider advanced directives. We are going to continue to look at how we can ensure that people have the choices and freedoms that are important to them, while at the same time ensuring that we are protecting them and everyone else from the possibility of being vulnerable to unforeseen circumstances or negative situations.
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- Jun/21/23 3:13:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader is all talk, no walk when it comes to freedom when he hand-picks candidates who want to take away Canadians' freedoms.
Let me be very clear. In Canada, everyone has the freedom to love who they love, everyone has the freedom to choose what they do with their own bodies, with safe access to abortion, and everyone has the freedom to move safely in their communities without damaging blockades.
On this side of the House and in our candidates, we will always stand up for Canadians' freedoms.
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- Jun/21/23 3:12:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader talks about freedom, but he is all talk, no walk on freedom when he hand-picks candidates who want to take away Canada's freedoms.
Let me be very clear. In Canada, everyone has the freedom to love who they love, everyone has the freedom to choose what they do with their own bodies, with safe access to abortion, and—
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- Nov/2/22 2:52:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member is trying to pretend he is standing up for workers right now when he is refusing to condemn a suspension of their most fundamental right, the right to collective bargaining. Workers' ability to negotiate a better future for themselves and their families is core to the success of this country's middle class.
Why is he not condemning this attack on the fundamental rights and freedoms of workers?
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- Nov/2/22 2:51:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives continue to play rhetorical games, the reality is Canadians need a Conservative Party that stands up for them, which is something they simply are not getting. It is not stepping up on rental supports for low-income renters; it is not stepping up on dental care for kids who need it, and it is not even standing up for the fundamental rights and freedoms that the Leader of the Opposition made a full campaign out of. Now he is nowhere to be seen on standing up for Canadians' fundamental rights and freedoms.
Will he condemn the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause?
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- Nov/2/22 2:49:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives continue to focus on me, we are going to stay focused on supporting Canadians, whether that is with measures the Conservatives oppose to deliver rental supports for low-income Canadians or whether that is to make sure all Canadians can send their kids to the dentist.
We heard the Conservative leader, for months, talking about rights and freedoms for Canadians, and now that a government is pre-emptively blocking Canadians' fundamental rights and freedoms, there is not a whisper from the so-called freedom fighter. When is he going to condemn the use of the notwithstanding clause pre-emptively?
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Nov/2/22 2:37:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause to suspend workers' rights is wrong. Invoking the notwithstanding clause to deny Canadians the right to collective bargaining before negotiations have even reached an impasse is wrong.
We will always stand up to protect workers' rights. We will always be there to protect Canadians' fundamental rights.
As my NDP colleague noted, it is sad to see the Conservative Party, which professes to protect people's freedoms, not stand up to protect people's fundamental freedoms.
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- Nov/2/22 2:35:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, using the notwithstanding clause pre-emptively to suspend workers' rights is wrong. To invoke the notwithstanding clause in a way that denies Canadians the right to collective bargaining before that bargaining has even reached an impasse is wrong. The clause must only be used in the most exceptional of circumstances.
Like the leader of the NDP, I call on the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, who supposedly stands for rights and freedoms, to condemn the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause to suspend people's fundamental rights and freedoms.
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- Nov/1/22 2:25:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know we are all astonished to hear the Leader of the Opposition miss an opportunity to stand up for the rights and freedoms of workers. That is something we expect him to continue to do, alongside all of us in the House, in condemning the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause.
On top of that, he is also talking about cuts to EI. When he criticizes us for being there and ensuring that EI and CPP are there for workers into the future, he calls that tax increases.
We are going to be there to support people paying for EI. We are going to be there to support people with their pensions. We are going to be there for dental and rental; he is not.
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- Nov/1/22 2:23:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the Leader of the Opposition were truly concerned about the cost of living for Canadians, he would be supporting our measure to support families with the cost of dental care for their kids and help with our support for low-income renters as well.
I am also astonished that the Leader of the Opposition has been silent on the matter of the use of the notwithstanding clause pre-emptively to suspend people's fundamental rights and freedoms. I call on the Leader of the Opposition to stand up for workers' rights, to defend people's rights and freedoms, and condemn the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause to suspend workers' rights.
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- Oct/19/22 2:45:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we invoked the Emergencies Act in a responsible, targeted and time-limited manner that fully respected the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Canadians. We did so because the situation demanded it. I am very pleased that a public inquiry is now taking place to allow all Canadians to see what we were seeing, namely, that these illegal occupations were a real problem, not just for the residents of Ottawa and people across the country, but for our economy and for the well-being of our democracy. We did what we had to do, in a responsible way.
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- Jun/1/22 2:46:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois may be ready to attack one of our country's fundamental freedoms, freedom of conscience, but I know that the federal government will be there to defend fundamental freedoms such as gender equality and the protection of minorities, including official language minorities across the country.
We will always ensure that the fundamental rights of all Canadians, whether they live in Quebec or elsewhere in Canada, are protected. That is what Canadians expect from this government.
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- May/31/22 2:33:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to Bill 21, we are on the side of Quebeckers who are shocked and disappointed that a young teacher can no longer practise her profession. We support and follow Quebeckers who are defending their rights in court with respect to this law that they feel is unjust.
We expect that this matter will be appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, and, if that happens, our government is determined to contribute to the debate, given the vast implications for all Canadians across the country and the need to defend the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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