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Christine Normandin

Member of Parliament
Deputy House leader of the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois

Saint-Jean
Quebec
Voting Attendance: 64%
Expenses Last Quarter: $109,900.56

Government Page

Context: House Hansard - 298 - Apr/11/24

Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Apr/11/24 2:38:51 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, immigration minister Christine Fréchette reiterated the Quebec government's modest demands. There is nothing spectacular or over-the-top about them. The minister is not asking for full powers over immigration; she is asking for the bare minimum. What she is asking for is a fair distribution of asylum seekers among the provinces, reimbursement of the costs associated with taking in asylum seekers, and adequate funding for French integration classes. I do not think that is too much to ask for. Is the government going to agree to Quebec's requests, or are we about to end up with another of the squabbles the Liberals are so fond of?

114 words

Context: House Hansard - 290 - Mar/18/24

Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Mar/18/24 2:56:15 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to let him know that I have read it. The federal government has no lessons to give Quebec on successful immigration. The federal government is the one responsible for plunging immigrants into the worst housing crisis in recent history. The federal government is the one responsible for the lack of services that asylum seekers too often face. It is the federal government's fault that these people do not have the right to work to meet their basic needs. No, we will not accept the federal government's decision to unilaterally increase the immigration targets set by Quebec. Will the minister respect Quebec's choices?

110 words

Context: House Hansard - 278 - Feb/8/24

Ms. Christine Normandin

Feb/8/24 1:50:29 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I would like to come back to what I was saying, which is that the discussion on levels must be comprehensive and must also take place outside the provinces, because there is something called interprovincial migration. All of that has to be taken into account. The housing problem is critical, regardless of immigration categories. People who have always lived here are also struggling to find housing. Take, for example, the situation in Saint‑Jean‑sur‑Richelieu, which I mentioned in my last speech. In a newspaper article, it was reported that many asylum seekers who had entered the country through Roxham Road went to Montreal, but then ended up going back to Saint‑Jean‑sur‑Richelieu because the city was welcoming, rent was a bit cheaper and it was easier to find work. Sometimes they had developed local ties, but there was still a housing shortage for these people. It is even more urgent now. This week, it was announced that the vacancy rate in Saint‑Jean‑sur‑Richelieu is 0.4%. There are currently only 56 housing units available in Saint‑Jean‑sur‑Richelieu, which has a population of 100,000. It does not matter who the people looking for housing are; the problem exists. This needs to be taken into consideration when determining integration capacity as part of a comprehensive discussion with everyone, especially the people on the ground.

245 words

Context: House Hansard - 255 - Nov/24/23

Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Nov/24/23 11:28:45 a.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, the minister is talking about additional amounts, but one has to wonder whether he has ever met with an asylum seeker or one of the organizations that support them. He will not find anyone on the ground who is saying that there is too much money for asylum seekers. There is no such thing as too much money when we have to support people who do not even have the right to work because the federal government is not giving them permits. There is no such thing as too much money when people are sleeping in tents in the winter. There is not too much money, there are just too many political games being played at the expense of vulnerable people. When will the minister take responsibility, stop playing petty politics and reimburse Quebec?

136 words

Context: House Hansard - 153 - Feb/3/23

Ms. Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, BQ)

Feb/3/23 11:26:23 a.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, let us talk about the human cost. There is a labour shortage in our classrooms. We cannot just ask our teachers to take in even more children who do not speak French and who are more likely to have special needs. The elastic is stretched thin and stretching it further would cut the quality of education offered to all children. Quebec does not have the resources to take care of all the asylum seekers from Roxham Road on its own. That is the reality. When will the government finally suspend the safe third country agreement so that asylum seekers can be welcomed across Canada?

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Deputy House leader of the Bloc Québécois

Christine Normandin