- Member of Parliament
- Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
- Liberal
- Saint-Maurice—Champlain
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 62%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $108,626.98
- Government Page
- Feb/29/24 2:56:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope the Conservatives will listen.
On January 16, we banned research work in sensitive areas with approximately 100 entities around the world. We have worked with our allies to protect science, intellectual property and the work done by our universities.
We will always be there to defend national security.
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- Feb/29/24 2:38:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, instead of talking about the facts, what the opposition Conservatives are trying to do today is politicize national security. I think Canadians' health and safety is the primary responsibility of every MP here.
As I said in January, we have published a list of entities that Canadian research centres should avoid doing business with in the interest of protecting national security and intellectual property. Everyone watching knows that we will always be there to protect Canada's national security.
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- Feb/29/24 2:36:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians watching at home are seeing today is deplorable. National security should not be a partisan issue.
We have no lessons to learn from the Conservatives when it comes to protecting national security in research and science in Canada. Our government has done more than any other to protect science, to protect intellectual property, to help our universities and our research centres by identifying security risks.
In January, we published a list that tells research institutes not to do business with entities that might act to the detriment of the Government of Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, there is a time to think, a time to debate and a time to act. I am pleased to report to Canadians watching at home, and I am sure there are many on this Monday morning, that not only the bill but also the amendments have received unanimous support from all parties in this House.
I am a bit surprised to see, even today, the hidden agenda of the Conservatives to block this bill from going forward, because, as we can see from the record, all parties have agreed to it and all the amendments have been agreed to. We should be in a place today where we can say to Canadians that we take national security seriously and that we want to act in the interests of Canadians.
That is exactly what we are proposing today. We want to move to a vote so we can better protect Canadians by having more tools in the tool box. I would say that my colleagues on both sides, and my respected colleague, would agree with that because the whole purpose of this bill is to have more tools in the tool box. We live in a time of a lot of uncertainty and geopolitical challenges. We welcome foreign investment, but obviously we want to make sure we have the tools in the tool box to protect Canadians.
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- Mar/30/23 2:50:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich for my colleague to criticize this government when, at the time, what we did was the responsible thing. The responsible thing we did at the time was to invest in a different family of vaccines. Why? It was to protect the lives of Canadians.
Since that moment, we have invested a record amount of money in Canada to make sure that we have onshore biomanufacturing. Do members know why? We did not choose to have a pandemic and we are not going to choose to have another one, but we choose to be better prepared to save the lives of Canadians.
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- Feb/13/23 2:29:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I will not take lessons from colleagues when it comes to fighting for Canadians. We do that every day on this side of the House. We understand that the best way we can do that is by making sure that we lower the price of cellphone bills in Canada, that we have more competition and that we have a fourth national player.
It is Monday today. Canadians watching at home know we stand on their side and will do everything to protect their rights by making sure the cellphone bill prices come down in Canada.
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- Feb/7/23 2:24:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we invested to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Canadians watching today should just watch this guy again. Everyone in the country understood at the time that we needed to invest in all types of vaccines.
Today, we are in solution mode. We want to protect the jobs, manufacturing facility and IP of Medicago.
Canadians learned something from COVID. We have their backs. We will continue to invest in the Canadian economy.
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Madam Speaker, as I was listening to the hon. member very carefully, I think he gave all the reasons we need to modernize the law on investment in Canada. A number of examples he mentioned would be addressed by this revamping of a law that was crafted in 2009, the last time we did that. I think I like it, because in a way he listed all the reasons we should be doing that. By providing more agility to the minister, we would be able to answer these questions.
Canadians are watching because it is Friday morning. Will the member and his party support our bill to protect the national security of Canadians? Will he support the bill?
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Madam Speaker, my colleague and I have worked together for a number of years now.
We need agility. My colleague is very knowledgeable and he knows that we live in a world where a number of companies are trying to use different schemes to go around the law so they will not be subject to a national security review.
What we want is additional powers for the minister to make sure that we better protect our national security. This bill would achieve what the member just said: having more agility, for example, to make sure that, during the review, we protect intellectual property. Today, there is not even, in the law, a possibility for the minister to prevent the exchange of information while we do the review. When it comes to intangible assets, irreparable harm can be done.
I hope the member will support this bill, because we need more agility.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate my hon. colleague a lot and I think we can work together in making sure that this bill would better protect Canada.
When we make decisions in matters of national security, I think it would be comforting to the members and the public that is with us today that these decisions are made on the basis of advice from our intelligence agencies and experts. Obviously, my role as Minister of Industry, as well as the role of my colleague, the Minister of Public Safety, is to make sure that we act on the basis of intelligence that we receive.
I would remind my colleague, and he will know very well, because he knows me quite well, that I never hesitate to take action. I blocked three transactions recently, where Chinese companies were trying to take equity interests in mining companies in Canada.
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- Dec/8/22 2:58:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question.
I think we all agree, as parliamentarians and as Canadians, that this contract should never have been signed. We all agree that national security is everyone's responsibility.
We on this side of the House have always taken steps to deal with foreign interference. My hon. colleague will recall that just a few months ago we blocked three transactions, precisely to protect critical minerals in this country.
When it comes to national security, we will always be there to defend the interests of Canadians.
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- Dec/7/22 3:07:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is one thing I would like to say. There is nothing more important than protecting the health and safety of Canadians, and that is what we did as a government. When we started in government, the fill-finish capacity at the beginning of COVID was around 30 million doses. Thanks to the investments we have attracted in this country, now we can produce and fill and finish more than 600 million doses, in case anything happens.
We did not choose the pandemic; we will not choose it if there is another one, but we choose to be better prepared on behalf of Canadians.
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- Nov/17/22 2:48:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. This hon. colleague and everyone in the House should stand up for democracy. That is what we do every day by answering their questions.
Politics have no place in a discussion about national security, protecting democracy and protecting our institutions. Every member of the House has the same responsibility to defend Canadian democracy every day.
That is what we will continue to do on our side of the House.
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- Nov/15/22 2:49:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his important question.
National security concerns all parliamentarians. It is not a political matter, it is a matter of national interest. That is why we recently implemented restrictions to protect our scientists and research in Canada and, more recently, we blocked three transactions to protect Canada's critical minerals. We take national security very seriously, as all parliamentarians in the House should.
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- Nov/14/22 2:55:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for raising such an important question. Nothing matters more to all parliamentarians than national security.
My colleague wants to know what action we took. I can tell him that we recently strengthened the rules governing critical minerals across the country. In addition, I recently blocked three transactions to protect Canada's national security. I think all parliamentarians can stand up and say to Canadians that members on this side of the House take national security very seriously. We will always act in Canadians' best interest.
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Mr. Speaker, I am always willing to listen. We have listened to a lot of people. This is about Canadians. It is not about us. It is about making sure that we have the best privacy laws that are fit for purpose in the 21st century. I invite my colleague and all members to send this to committee as quickly as we can, so that the real work can start.
Parents are watching us as we speak this morning. They want the House and every member to help protect their children. That is what we are trying to achieve.
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- Jun/2/22 2:22:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think that all Canadians watching today understand that our government has always been transparent, but as I was explaining to my colleagues on the other side, we also have a responsibility as a government to protect national security. That is why, in certain circumstances, when it is in the national interest, we will continue to be transparent on every level. However, there are certain occasions when we must maintain confidentiality, in the national interest.
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