SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Rhéal Éloi Fortin

  • Member of Parliament
  • Member of Parliament
  • Bloc Québécois
  • Rivière-du-Nord
  • Quebec
  • Voting Attendance: 68%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $105,330.31

  • Government Page
  • Oct/26/22 3:26:06 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, I too am looking forward to the Prime Minister's testimony. Today, Inspector Robert Bernier of the Ottawa police confirmed that it was not the emergency measures that helped end the siege. The police operation was developed the day before, on February 13, by police officers who, at the time, were unaware of the federal government's intentions. Mr. Bernier confirmed that police forces carried out the operation as planned regardless of the emergency measures, because they already had all the necessary powers to act. Once again, can the Prime Minister explain why he invoked the Emergencies Act if there was no need for it? Was he just trying to follow in his father's footsteps?
119 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Oct/20/22 2:40:16 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to be a Bloc MP. It was not just a lack of coordination between governments that allowed the trucker convoy to stay in Ottawa for 24 days, it was a lack of leadership. The request from the City of Ottawa was simple: It wanted 1,800 police officers, from anywhere possible. How many did the federal government send? It sent 250 RCMP officers out of the 1,800 that had been requested. The majority of those officers were deployed not to the streets of Ottawa, but in front of the Prime Minister's house and Parliament. If the Prime Minister truly believed that the situation was serious enough to warrant protecting his home, did he not think that it was equally justified to protect the public?
132 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Oct/18/22 2:57:45 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, the problem is that they did not manage the crisis. The total lack of leadership on the part of this government is telling. That is what the mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, showed the commission today. He personally spoke with the Prime Minister on January 31, day three of the crisis, to ask for police reinforcements. He then spoke with the Minister of Public Safety on February 3. It took three more weeks for Ottawa to take action, three weeks. If the situation was so urgent that the Emergencies Act needed to be invoked, then why did it take three weeks to deploy police officers? It is urgent, but there is no rush?
115 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • May/19/22 2:55:06 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, with the rise in shootings, the Bloc is calling for the creation of registry of organized crime, a registry that would allow police officers to immediately question any known member of a criminal group. Yesterday, true to himself, the Prime Minister dismissed the idea. He said it was simplistic and that different approaches need to be taken. Of course they do, but one such approach, and it is essential, is to facilitate the work of police officers. Gang wars will not stop on their own. We have to act. Why are the Prime Minister and his ministers stubbornly rejecting the evidence?
103 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • May/13/22 11:38:33 a.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, by all means, let us talk about what the federal government is doing at the border. By mid-April of last year, there had been 21 shootings in Montreal. By mid-April of this year, there had already been 44. That is more than twice as many. Where are the RCMP officers? They are at the border, not to stop illegal arms trafficking, not to crack down on organized crime, but to deal with the irregular migrant situation at Roxham Road. Does the minister think the RCMP could be put to better use fighting arms trafficking than trying to make up for his government's incompetence and neglect?
110 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Feb/21/22 2:15:39 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, 25 days after the first trucks of the convoy of occupiers arrived, the streets of Ottawa are finally free. It is all thanks to the exceptionally well coordinated work of seven police forces, including the Sûreté du Québec. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to thank all the officers who helped put an end to the siege of Ottawa and Parliament Hill. They showed impressive professionalism and unfailing patience. Three days ago, it seemed almost impossible to imagine a peaceful resolution to this occupation without confrontation, but that is the scenario that literally materialized before our eyes while we could watch the operation from our office windows. In closing, a special acknowledgment goes to the impeccable work of the Parliamentary Protective Service, thanks to which members could continue to work safely in the name of democracy, despite circumstances that could have been dangerous. I thank every one of them for their professionalism and effectiveness.
167 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border