- Member of Parliament
- Member of Parliament
- Bloc Québécois
- Shefford
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 66%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $81,135.43
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- Nov/1/23 2:07:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for many people, “Granby” means “zoo”. Founded in 1953, we owe the non-profit Société zoologique de Granby to the mayor at the time, Pierre-Horace Boivin, a visionary and animal lover.
In 2023, the Zoo de Granby is celebrating its seventieth year. Over the decades the zoo has thrived, modernized, and created moments of wonder and family memories for young and old alike. Besides being a major economic driver and tourist attraction for the region and for Quebec, it has a critical mission to protect species and promote conservation and biodiversity. These efforts have earned it an international reputation.
All of Granby proudly celebrates the zoo: giant statues of exotic species have been placed around the city, including a pink elephant near Lac Boivin, a blue gorilla and a yellow meerkat.
Let us take advantage of this anniversary year to visit, or go back to visit, the Zoo de Granby.
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- Feb/6/23 2:04:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from February 10 to 12, we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Ski-doo grand prix in Valcourt.
The snowmobile, a bona fide Quebec invention, is a strong symbol of pride and ingenuity for our entire region. It has contributed to Quebec's small business-driven business model, which has flourished over the years. Given that it has long been a part of our history, the vintage version of this invention will be showcased this year, allowing us to see its evolution.
For 40 years, this event has been a flagship moment for tourism in the region and even internationally. In the depths of winter, it is an important economic driver that makes the entire Valcourt region vibrate and hum. It represents 40 years of history where different categories of racers fly around the oval, much to the delight of spectators, young and old.
That is why this year the organization is encouraging families to come out and enjoy the show. They are hoping to open the doors to the next generation of competitors. In Quebec, Ski-doo is how we roll.
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- Dec/6/22 10:15:06 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, 33 years ago, on December 6, 1989, a man entered the École Polytechnique in Montreal and murdered 14 women simply because they were women.
We have not forgotten Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte.
All of us who are old enough remember where we were, who we were with and what we were doing when we heard of the massacre. In our hearts remain those feelings of confusion, horror, incomprehension, incredulity, sadness and shame that we felt after the events of December 6.
We carry in our hearts the memory of these women who died needlessly. The tragedy of the Polytechnique now carries a duty of remembrance. We must be aware of the mistakes and tragedies of the past in order to prevent them from happening again. The duty of remembrance requires words, because we must name misogyny, femicide, mass murder, armed violence. These are ugly, dark and dirty words. Unfortunately, though, they are words we continue to hear.
They continue to strike, humiliate and destroy. I would like new words to associate with the women at the Polytechnique. We need new words: love, hope, solidarity, determination.
The duty of remembrance requires us to name things, take action and live in hope. Equality is making headway, we are becoming more and more aware of misogyny, and we can win. We will never entirely win the battle against violence. There will always be tragedies.
However, I am convinced, and I want to be convinced, that we are moving in the right direction. We have no other choice. We owe it to all those who lost their lives because they were women. We owe it to the young women of the Polytechnique, to our sisters recently murdered in Manitoba and to all those who have disappeared or been murdered across Canada, to the hundreds and thousands of women killed in the past 33 years because they were women.
We need to move in the right direction. The duty of remembrance also comes with the duty to act. Better gun control laws, the prohibition of assault weapons and the firearms registry in Quebec are steps in the right direction.
I will not say that Bill C‑21 is perfect, or that the government is doing things the way it should, but I will say that we need to limit access to assault weapons and that that is also a step in the right direction.
Raising the collective awareness of sexual assault cases and of sexual crimes in general is a step in the right direction. It gives us hope.
The École Polytechnique women might have been mothers and even grandmothers today.
For 33 years, some of the survivors have gone to candlelight vigils on their own, then they brought their sons and daughters, and, this evening, we may see some grandchildren. These successive generations that share the memory of those who were lost demonstrate that we have not forgotten this tragedy, the loss, the responsibility to take action, and that we have not lost hope.
Geneviève, Hélène, Nathalie, Barbara Daigneault, Anne‑Marie Edward, Maud, Barbara Klucznik‑Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne‑Marie Lemay, Sonia, Michèle, Annie St‑Arneault and Annie Turcotte. We acknowledge our debt and we shall not forget.
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- Dec/6/21 3:30:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what goes through a man's mind when he pulls out a gun to kill a woman simply because she is a woman? What goes through a man's mind when he orders young women who are strangers to him to line up against the wall, simply because they are women?
We have been asking the same questions for the past 32 years. The questions pile up, but we still have no answers. What goes through a man's mind today when he puts his hands around the neck of a woman he once loved? What is going on in his head? How did he get to the point of killing a woman? I do not understand. What goes through the minds of all these men when they read a newspaper or watch television and see that there have been 18 femicides in 2021? Do they feel the same fear, shame and anger that I do, that we do? Do they also feel like screaming, crying and vomiting? I think so. I do not understand.
A total of 14 women were killed by one man at Polytechnique in 1989. In 2021, 18 women have been killed by men. Are things getting any better? Does anyone think things are better? What lessons have we learned from Polytechnique? Honestly, what have we learned?
Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte: how many times will we have to name these young women before things change? Nothing changes. The tragedies continue, and the deaths, the candlelight vigils, the commemorations and the lists keep growing. Elisapee, Marly, Nancy, Myriam, Carolyne, Nadège, Rebekah, Kataluk, Dyann, Zoleikha, Lisette, Nathalie, Elle, Andréanne, Anna, Romane and Elle: every name is a tragedy, every name reminds us of pain, suffering, and our responsibility.
When a person, an individual, does something once, then it is their personal responsibility and we do not need to shoulder the burden of a one-time incident. However, when that thing keeps happening over and over, once, twice, 10 times, 18 times, ad infinitum, and we anticipate the inevitable next occurrence that will come every year, without fail, then the responsibility for these hundreds or thousands of individual acts is no longer individual, but collective. We owe it to these women to do something about this. We have an obligation.
As parliamentarians, we all have individual responsibility. We have a duty to take action, because we are in a position to take action.
Not many people have this power, but we do. I do not believe in unicorns, and I am not saying that if the House took action, that would be the end of violence against women. I am not naive. However, if we restrict access to guns, if we better protect victims from their assailants, if we take the situation of women in the army and indigenous women seriously, if we put our minds to it, maybe we could save one woman, then two, then 10, then 18, or maybe not, but we will have really tried.
I do not know what goes through a man's mind when he takes out a gun to shoot women because they are women, but I do know that we need to limit access to guns.
I do not know what goes on in a violent man's mind, but I do know that we must do everything we can to help a woman who feels threatened by him get away from him. I know that there are millions of men who read the papers or watch the news and feel ashamed. They fear that men will kill, hurt or break women simply because they are women. There are men who want to scream, cry and vomit out of fear for their sisters, their daughters, their mothers, out of fear for all women.
All of us, men and women, must come together to take action on behalf of the young women of École Polytechnique and all of the women who have died since. We can and must do something.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois and, I would think, all members in this House, I want to say to the young women of École Polytechnique: “We will not forget you. We will not forget our obligation and our responsibility to you.”
Now is the time for action.
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