- Member of Parliament
- Liberal
- Vaudreuil—Soulanges
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 65%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $151,302.55
- Government Page
- May/30/24 2:04:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, oyez, oyez!
Lords, ladies, nobles and all the good folk of Vaudreuil-Dorion will gather on June 6, 7, 8 and 9 for the 32nd edition of the Seigneuriales de Vaudreuil-Dorion. At this festival honouring the history of New France, they will eat, drink, play and sing as they celebrate the rich cultural heritage of our community, Vaudreuil—Soulanges.
Thanks to the extraordinary work of the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion, and Christiane Lévesque and her team, the people of Vaudreuil—Soulanges can explore the local artisan fair all weekend long and be charmed by period costumes and an atmosphere worthy of New France.
I want to take this opportunity to invite all the gentlefolk of Vaudreuil—Soulanges to join me at this festival. There will be activities for the whole family, local artisans and, of course, everything our seigneury has to offer.
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- May/30/24 10:01:57 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 17th report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities entitled “Main Estimates 2024-25”.
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- May/1/24 2:13:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to speak about Hudson's St. James Anglican Church in my community of Vaudreuil—Soulanges. The venerable institution, which has stood proudly since 1842, was struck by a heart-wrenching tragedy on April 14, when a fierce fire devastated the historic structure.
For over 180 years, St. James Anglican Church has served proudly as a place of worship, a venue for music and arts shows, a drop-off location for the collection of food and supplies for those in need, and a gathering place where Scouts proudly receive the badges and accolades every year. It is where generations of couples have said “I do”. It has served not just as a building but also as a pillar of community life, heritage, love and kindness. Amidst the ashes, the path forward is illuminated by unwavering resilience and kindness.
From the firefighters who fought valiantly to contain the fire to Reverend Sophie Rolland's steadfast determination to rebuild and all those who have come forward since to pledge support, the collective community response serves as a powerful reminder that, from the depths of despair, we will emerge stronger.
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- Apr/17/24 3:11:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's skilled workers and entrepreneurs are our greatest resource. Capitalizing on their ideas, innovations and hard work is an essential way to keep our place at the forefront of the world's advanced economies.
Can the Prime Minister tell the House about the new measures announced in the budget that will support not only our workers, but the Canadian economy as well?
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- Apr/9/24 2:13:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this past week, my family and I celebrated my 12th year in remission from cancer. I am immensely grateful for the continued time we have together.
Today, I am privileged to rise in this House to extend a heartfelt thanks to the team at the Canadian Cancer Society for the role it played in seeing me through my own experience and the support it has provided to countless more each and every day since 1938.
For people like me, that support came in the form of the invaluable information that it provides on its website, the first place I turned to after my diagnosis. For others, the support comes from the work it does on the ground by providing emotional support or petitioning to get more resources to find a cure for this disease, which will affect one in three Canadians during their lifetime.
To its incredible leadership team, led by Andrea Seale; dedicated team members, such as Kelly Masotti and Rose D'Souza; and army of dedicated volunteers, such as Kirsten Watson and Shailly Prajapati, I say a heartfelt thanks. Canadians are healthier, better and stronger because of the unwavering advocacy, dedication and support they give.
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- Feb/28/24 2:14:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is almost that time of year once again, and thanks to an army of volunteers led by Jay de la Durantaye, Rob Dumas, Ken Bell, Mark Noonan and Eileen McAleese, and the entire team at the Soulanges Irish Society, our community of Vaudreuil—Soulanges will become Irish for a day at the 13th annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Hudson.
This year, our grand marshal, renowned Canadian musician Brian Greenway will lead the parade, a parade that will feature Irish woman of the year, Kim Sullivan; parade queen, Veronica Gilmore; princesses Shawnessa Doyle-Guiliani, Vanessa Mooney and Addie Derouin; and reviewing officer, Hudson's mayor, Chloe Hutchison.
As always, this is a cannot-miss event. On Saturday, March 16 at 1 p.m., everyone is invited to Main Street to celebrate Irish heritage and culture. Let us make the 13th annual Saint Patrick's parade a cannot-miss event. Sláinte!
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- Feb/14/24 2:18:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with the cold and snow of winter all around us, the warm weather seems a long way off. However, I have it on good authority that spring is on the way, which means it will soon be time for that delicious symbol of warmth and joy, Quebec-made maple syrup.
Yes, the time has come once again for families, friends and visitors to gather for the maple harvest, a ritual as sweet as the syrup it celebrates. It is a celebration of Quebec cuisine, where traditional dishes are combined with the taste of fresh maple syrup. It is part of the rich tapestry of Quebec's heritage and culture.
Whether, whether they are drowning their French toast, their pancakes, their crepes, or pretty much anything their heart fancies, in fresh maple syrup at home, or visiting their local cabane à sucre, I invite all of Vaudreuil—Soulangois to enjoy the delicious gift of spring that the maple harvest brings.
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Mr. Speaker, as always, it is an honour to rise in the House to speak to a bill, this time, Bill C-317, which directly affects my community of Vaudreuil—Soulanges. As everyone is well aware, historic floods affected thousands of my constituents in 2017 and 2019, forcing people out of their homes. Dozens of homes were destroyed in Vaudreuil—Soulanges.
The situation was so sad and so serious that the Quebec government was forced to declare a state of emergency in my community. The Canadian Armed Forces were called in to help us evacuate people from their homes and to fill sandbags. Together with the mayors and elected officials in my region, I helped arrange for thousands of volunteers to come to the aid of disaster victims by filling sandbags. My colleagues from Pierrefonds—Dollard and Lac-Saint-Louis came to help us fill sandbags. The member for Lac-Saint-Louis was actually the one who introduced Bill C-317 in the House. The Prime Minister of Canada even brought his kids to help us fill hundreds of sandbags.
These events clearly demonstrated that climate change is real and that it will continue to have a major impact in our communities, in my community and communities across the country. That is why I fully support the bill introduced by my hon. colleague from Lac-Saint-Louis, which would create a national strategy respecting flood and drought forecasting.
In 2017 and 2019, my community experienced two historic floods. They called them “once in a century” floods. However, we had two of them in three years.
The impact on my community was significant and cannot be understated. Hundreds of homes were flooded, and hundreds of my constituents, including families with children, parents and grandparents, were forced from their homes. The Canadian Armed Forces had to be called in to help evacuate people from their homes, which were literally washed away in the river. They had to come and help fill thousands of sandbags to help protect the homes from the rising water.
These were people's lives, and all of us, as elected officials, seemed helpless. What could we do against the rising waters? We did our best. We woke up every morning and had conference calls.
The reeve of the RCM, Patrick Bousez, the mayors, councillors and myself all worked together to better address the needs of people in our communities, but it was difficult.
I remember being there with one of my constituents, Ms. Joy, who lived in Terrasse-Vaudreuil. We showed up to help place sandbags around some of the homes. Her home had already been taken care of. She and her family and friends had built a five-foot-high wall of sandbags. She had an island of dryness in a sea of rising water. As we were filling those sandbags and placing them around other homes, we heard a scream; when we turned around, we understood why. One of the retaining walls that she had built was giving way; in a 30-second period of time, we watched her house be completely destroyed by the water. We did our best; we ran over to try to put those sandbags back, but we could not do anything against the force of the rising and raging water.
Therefore, it is easy for me to support this piece of legislation, put forward by my friend and colleague for Lac-Saint-Louis, which looks to develop and put in place a national strategy to better predict and forecast droughts and floods. This is a no-brainer for my community, and when I look around this room, I hope that all colleagues will see it as a no-brainer. This is something that would truly and tangibly serve Canadians all across the country. It would help people in a community like mine, which has been impacted by record floods, or one in British Columbia that has seen wildfires develop in record numbers and destroy thousands of homes because of record drought. It would help people in Atlantic Canada, who are seeing record storms, and so forth, go through their communities, or people in the Northwest Territories, who are seeing record wildfires destroy communities in a way that has never been seen before.
This bill is in addition to the work that we are already doing to fight against climate change. We are investing to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We are making historic investments in making the transition toward a more sustainable transportation system and a more sustainable economy, which will help reduce our emissions and achieve net-zero by 2050.
There is, however, an additional aspect to our work to fight against climate change. We have to make sure that our cities, municipalities and communities are better equipped to know what is coming and be better informed about drought and flooding forecasts.
I remember waking up every single morning and having a conference call with all the elected officials in my region. All the decisions we made were based on the information that we were getting from Environment Canada and the forecasts from the Government of Quebec. We needed more information to make better decisions. That came to light very poignantly when the Trans-Canada Highway started to flood right before the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge in my community. This bridge sees 90,000 cars and trucks a day pass over it. That was not included in the provisions that we saw and the predictions that had been given to us by Environment Canada, the Government of Quebec and all their resources. It did not happen, thankfully. We did not have to shut down the Trans-Canada Highway, but we were within six to 10 feet of doing so.
I wholeheartedly support this piece of legislation. I hope that all members of the House will do so. I think it will do great things to help better equip members of Parliament and our elected officials at the provincial and municipal levels to better respond to the needs of our communities and make sure that we can do better at keeping them safe. That is one of our primary responsibilities here in this House.
I look forward to voting in favour of Bill C-317 when the time comes.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in relation to BillC-33, An Act to amend the Customs Act, the Railway Safety Act, the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992, the Marine Transportation Security Act, the Canada Transportation Act and the Canada Marine Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.
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- Dec/13/23 2:09:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my sincere gratitude to the dedicated individuals and organizations that support the Vaudreuil—Soulanges food banks. I want to thank them for their outstanding service to our community, especially during this holiday season.
The holidays are a time of joy and celebration for many, but they can also be challenging for those experiencing economic hardship. It is during these difficult times that food banks in Vaudreuil—Soulanges rise to the challenge.
I want to thank the teams at L'Actuel, Source d'Entraide, Meals on Wheels, Café de la Débrouille and Moisson Sud-Ouest.
To the dedicated teams and volunteers at Le Pont Bridging, Meals on Wheels and The Dream Centre, I express my sincere gratitude on behalf of all members of our community for their tireless work in extending a helping hand to those in need. Because of them, the holidays will be a little brighter for our neighbours, families and friends. For that, on behalf of this entire House, I say thanks.
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- Nov/22/23 2:10:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 968 finger pricks, 3,178 insulin injections and 256 hours of sleep lost is what nine-year-old Paloma from my community of Vaudreuil—Soulanges has already experienced since being diagnosed just 454 days ago with type 1 diabetes.
People would think that would make her tired and frustrated, but not Paloma. Instead, she and her mother, Leana, have been taking action. She walked into my office last Tuesday and shared that, because of advancements in research of type 1 diabetes, nine-year-olds like her can live fulfilling lives, experience all the joys their classmates experience and, yes, lace up and take to the ice with their fellow Storm teammates.
She came to ask us, as parliamentarians, to learn more about type 1 diabetes and commit to providing more support for the advanced research efforts of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Paloma, together, one day we will find a cure.
When we do, Paloma will have played a big role in getting us there.
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- Nov/1/23 4:03:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 15th report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities entitled “Building a More Climate Resilient Canada”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
I want to thank our clerk, our analysts, the interpreters and the committee members for their usual amazing work.
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- Oct/23/23 2:07:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the steadfast and dedicated team at Creek 53, a conservancy trust based in my community of Vaudreuil—Soulanges. Made up of landowners, trustees, academics and environmental stewards, the team at Creek 53 is working toward the environmental preservation of the Hudson escarpment and the creek 53 watershed, an area rich in biodiversity that is located in Hudson.
This initiative was made possible through the vision and hard work of administrators Richard Adler, Bernard Blouin, Christoper Buddle, Lindsay D'Aoust and Brian Grubert. Thanks to them and the generosity of donors who share their vision, Creek 53 is ensuring that this magnificent ecosystem supports research, education and awareness initiatives and that future generations can benefit from it.
On behalf of everyone who calls Vaudreuil—Soulanges home, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the volunteers, supporters and trustees at Creek 53. They are pioneers not just in conservation but in truly living the ethos of environmental harmony and preservation.
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- Oct/4/23 2:18:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I extend my congratulations to you once again.
When conversations are held in my community of Vaudreuil—Soulanges and in every corner of our beautiful country about the giants of Canadian rock, April Wine's unmistakable rhythm and sound reverberate powerfully. April Wine has woven itself into the fabric of our identity, capturing hearts across generations, with unforgettable tracks such as Roller, Sign Of The Gypsy Queen and I Like To Rock. April Wine's story, marked by the sale of millions of albums, is not only one of chart-topping achievements but also one of tenacity, longevity, passion and, of course, Canadian pride.
Central to that sound is the unparalleled talent of Music Hall of Fame guitarist and vocalist Brian Greenway. A proud resident of my riding of Vaudreuil—Soulanges, he has been an integral part of the iconic rock band since 1977. For their decades of contribution to the tapestry of Canadian music, Brian and the members of April Wine received their star on Canada's Walk of Fame this past Thursday, September 28. To April Wine and to Brian, whom I have the honour of hosting today in Ottawa, with his wife, I extend my heartfelt congratulations.
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- Oct/3/23 10:39:17 a.m.
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Mr. Chair, right hon. Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, leader of the Bloc Québécois, leader of the NDP, leader of the Green Party, hon. colleagues, hon. candidates, dear friends, it is a privilege for me to rise in the House today as an official candidate for Speaker of the House of Commons.
Colleagues, I am running for this position because I want to follow in the footsteps of the extraordinary men and women who came before me in service of us all. Two of those extraordinary men are here in the chamber with us: the hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle and the hon. member for Nipissing—Timiskaming.
Honourable colleagues, to stand here as a candidate for Speaker means to stand for the candidacy of the custodian and the guardian of this sacred democratic chamber. It is not lost on me that I do so 71 years after my grandfather, Luis Gonzalez, fled Spain under dictatorial rule, boarding a ship called the Anna Salen in search of a place where he could speak freely, where he could send a representative to speak on his behalf, arriving on the shores of Halifax on December 29, 1952.
This past weekend, my daughter Ellie, who just turned seven, asked me what I was doing. I told her that I was running for speakership of this place. She is too young to understand what that means. She is too young to fully grasp the significance of the work that we do here every single day, but she will understand it one day. Colleagues, if you are asking me for my two reasons for running to be the 38th Speaker, there they are: to be your servant as we honour those who sought this place out in generations past and to be your servant to help build an even stronger democratic institution for my children, your children and future generations of Canadians.
Colleagues, we are at a pivotal moment in Canadian history. I truly feel that. Through the conversations that I have had with so many of you over the weekend, I know that you feel that way, too. We have the work ahead of us of rebuilding trust in this place among members, of rebuilding trust that Canadians have in this place, of rebuilding trust that our allies and friends around the world have in us. As your Speaker, that will be my primary priority.
First and foremost, I seek to put in place a policy that will ensure due diligence, so that when I rise as your Speaker to ask hon. members to rise on behalf of somebody who is in the gallery, you can do so with trust and with confidence. I pledge to you that within one week of being elected your Speaker, I will invite Jewish community leaders from across the country, as well as veterans groups that are also affected by what happened that Friday, to this place, to apologize as your Speaker on behalf of all members of this House. I pledge that I will send a communiqué within one week of being elected Speaker to the hon. Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, informing him of my intentions to apologize to him and the members of the Ukrainian Parliament.
I believe these to be diligent measures and ones that are necessary if we seek to move on and truly reconcile with what occurred on September 22. Just as important will be my work to ensure that your right to speak freely in this place is defended. The story goes that the distance between the Right Hon. Prime Minister's desk and the desk of the leader of the official opposition was measured in such a way to be the distance of two duelling individuals, their swords drawn, with one inch added in the middle, that inch to symbolize that in this place we solve our differences not through violence but through discourse, dialogue and debate.
As your Speaker, I vow to do everything that I can within the powers and the tools available to me as Speaker, to ensure that when you come to this place every single day to do the hard work for Canadians, you are able to do that, to share your gift, the gift that your constituents saw in you and the reason they sent you here: to be able to share that gift unimpeded and without fear of intimidation.
Hon. colleagues, since 2015, I have had the privilege of working with you as the proud member for Vaudreuil—Soulanges, as the parliamentary secretary on four different portfolios and as the chair of a committee. I hope that those I have had the chance to work with could see that I am a fair and transparent person. I come here every day with the intention of working with you, regardless of which party you belong to, to find solutions for improving Canadians' quality of life.
Hon. colleagues, I sincerely thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you today.
Colleagues, I hope you will give me the grand honour of being the 38th Speaker of this House of Commons.
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- Sep/20/23 3:37:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities entitled “Addressing Port Infrastructure Expansion in Canada”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
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- Jun/15/23 2:07:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a message to all the dads who are celebrating their first Father's Day or their 50th, to the new dads who gaze at their infant son's face and know that their priorities will never be the same, to the dads who work overtime so their kids can go to summer camp for the first time, to the dads who rushed home after a long day to tell their children bedtime stories.
To the dads who just walked the daughter they used to carry on their shoulders down the aisle and are wondering where the time went; the dads who did not know if they would make it through the week and are still wondering if they will; the dads who walked into their first or their 100th AA or GA meeting, because they knew it was the only way; the dads who are not perfect but are trying to be better men, husbands and fathers, day in and day out; and all the dads, uncles, big brothers and mentors who know that fatherhood runs deeper than blood and who have opened their hearts and lives to children who no longer have a dad to call their own, I say happy Father’s Day.
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- Jun/1/23 2:01:38 p.m.
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Oyez, oyez, Mr. Speaker!
Lords, ladies, nobles and the good folk of Vaudreuil-Dorion will gather again on June 8, 9, 10 and 11 for the 2023 edition of the Seigneuriales. At this festival honouring the history of New France, they will eat, drink, play and sing as they celebrate the rich cultural heritage of our community, Vaudreuil-Soulanges.
In partnership with the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion and the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges and under the leadership of Christiane Levesque and her team, the people of Vaudreuil-Soulanges will have the opportunity to explore the local artisan fair and participate in the tall tales competition.
I therefore want to take this opportunity to invite all the lords and ladies of Vaudreuil-Soulanges to join me at this festival. There will be activities for the whole family, and, of course, everything our seigneury has to offer.
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- May/30/23 10:03:12 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, entitled “Improving Bus Connectivity in Canada”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
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- May/15/23 5:51:16 p.m.
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- Re: Bill S-5
Madam Speaker, I know my hon. colleague is a strong advocate, and I very much enjoy working with him and having discussions about how we can improve environmental protection in Canada.
I would be honest to say that I would like to have seen more robust inclusion of a right to a healthy environment in this piece of legislation. I would be lying if I said anything different, but this is a huge improvement. Every time we put forward a piece of legislation in this House, we need to be doing right by Canadians by moving the needle forward and always advancing. That is what we have done here. Hopefully, by working with the hon. member and other members in this House as this moves forward and is reviewed every couple of years, we will be able to do that in the years to come.
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