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Results: 106 - 120 of 261
View Kevin Lamoureux Profile
Lib. (MB)
View Kevin Lamoureux Profile
2020-10-06 12:18 [p.605]
Mr. Speaker, the member made reference to the fact that there was a different expectation after the last federal election and I concur. Canadians do have a very different expectation and the government has risen to that, which is to work more with opposition parties. In fact, anything and everything that passes through the House now requires that support and we continuously reach out for it. Even the throne speech will have the support of at least one other political party in the House, otherwise it would not pass. It is the same thing with legislation. Canadians also sent a message to the Conservative Party, one of co-operation. What we have witnessed over the last couple of months from the opposition party is anything but co-operation. Those members seem to want a dysfunctional House of Commons.
Last Friday, we debated Bill C-3, the Judges Act. The Conservative Party is completely in support of it. Their former leader Rona Ambrose wanted that bill. At one point, the Conservatives wanted unanimous consent, yet they continued to talk out the bill to prevent it from passing.
Why is that the case? Why this destructive force in the House of Commons?
View Cathy McLeod Profile
CPC (BC)
Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that the Liberals have very few willing to defend their position. The hon. member has had a lot of say, but we do have Liberal members doing their maiden speech in the House.
It is time for us to take our jobs as parliamentarians seriously. When bills are introduced in the House, there is a process. There is a committee process with expert witnesses and that is what prevents mistakes. When the Liberal government keeps introducing legislation and wanting to ram it through without proper scrutiny or a committee process, that is when we end up in trouble. Why would we have a Parliament if all the government wants is unanimous consent to ram every piece of legislation through at its will?
View Julie Vignola Profile
BQ (QC)
View Julie Vignola Profile
2020-10-06 12:20 [p.605]
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on her brilliant speech.
I would like to hear her thoughts on how the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government just replied to her, claiming that the opposition parties are continually opposing and blocking the government. However, it was the Liberal Party that imposed a gag order, thereby preventing the opposition parties from making any amendments that would have improved certain bills.
I would like to hear my colleague's opinion on that.
View Cathy McLeod Profile
CPC (BC)
Mr. Speaker, that is a great point. I look again at landlords' support for our small businesses and the rent program for which landlords needed to apply. That program has been a disaster. It has created huge issues throughout the country. It was a much-needed support for small businesses, but it was designed improperly.
We need to have conversations in the House. The Liberals are not going to get everything right and that is what Parliament is for, that is what committees are for. Certainly, it is very inappropriate for the parliamentary secretary to say that the opposition has been obstructing when the Liberals have had important bills go through the House in record time. In fact, last week a bill worth almost $50 billion was approved without proper scrutiny. That is not right. The Liberals should reflect on that.
View Bob Bratina Profile
Lib. (ON)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my friend from Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis why we cannot accomplish the things he mentioned would be desirable by the continuation of Parliament. How would Canadians be served by collapsing the House and forcing another election, with as much as a month or more perhaps of no parliamentary activity?
View Steven Blaney Profile
CPC (QC)
Mr. Speaker, Conservatives certainly are champions of maintaining Parliament and having committee debates. Unfortunately, as we know, my colleague's government shut down Parliament. We feel that only four hours of debate for $50 billion of investment in the Canadian economy is not sufficient. We want a full and effective Parliament with all of its procedures, so that we can create effective measures that will sustain and support Canadians through the pandemic.
View Kevin Lamoureux Profile
Lib. (MB)
View Kevin Lamoureux Profile
2020-10-05 11:47 [p.518]
Mr. Speaker, I have a point and a question.
This government has been very proactive on the seniors file. In fact, there has been hundreds of millions of dollars, whether directly through increases in the GIS and the OAS, through the support to the many hundreds of non-profit organizations, through the GST rebate or through support to the military for long-term care facilities. This government has been there in a very real and tangible way, no matter what the Conservatives might say.
The member opposite seems to be hung up, just as many of her Conservative colleagues are, on the prorogation of the session. I wonder if the member could provide her thoughts on the province of Manitoba. The premier, in a majority Conservative government, prorogued the Manitoba legislature. Was he wrong to do so?
View Rosemarie Falk Profile
CPC (SK)
Mr. Speaker, it was the Liberal government that threw out PPE, if not sent it away. When we talk to our long-term caregivers, we hear this is what they need to provide safe places to work in our long-term care facilities.
Before the member starts lecturing me, he should look at what his own government is doing and the ethical scandals it is plagued with.
View Kevin Lamoureux Profile
Lib. (MB)
View Kevin Lamoureux Profile
2020-10-05 13:56 [p.536]
Mr. Speaker, I want to address a point the member made in terms of unity, and recognize that through this pandemic we have witnessed Canadians coming together from all regions. Whether it is individuals or the government, we have seen people and governments coming together in order to minimize the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has actually been very encouraging.
The member makes reference to the prorogation of the session. His good friend, and mine, Premier Brian Pallister has prorogued the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. I am sure that an annual contract with the WE organization is not why the premier prorogued. I suspect, much like in Ottawa, it is important to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and what government can do to minimize the negative impact. Would the member agree?
View James Bezan Profile
CPC (MB)
Mr. Speaker, as a former MLA, the member for Winnipeg North knows full well that the Province of Manitoba prorogues its legislature every fall. It is an annual occurrence, and it has an annual throne speech because of it. There is nothing new to report here.
What is new is that the Liberals had to cover up the WE scandal, and that is why they prorogued. They wanted to try to reset the agenda, filling the throne speech with more Liberal ideology, as we move forward into the session.
The member mentioned national unity and working alongside the provinces. If the Liberal government was working with the provinces, why did it not address the provinces' demands for more equalization? They asked for more health care transfers so that they could deliver health care during this pandemic in a timely manner and have the equipment required, especially as hospitalizations continue to increase. Ignored by—
View Garnett Genuis Profile
CPC (AB)
Mr. Speaker, petition number four is with respect to the rights of firearms owners. The petitioners note that the vast majority of gun crime involves illegal guns, often smuggled into Canada. They point out that the order in council brought in by the government on May 1 is really an act of misdirection that does not focus on the real problem. The petition proposes that the order in council be reversed and that instead the government bring forward necessary measures to address the real cause of gun crime, which is illegal guns, and in particular smuggled guns.
View Michael Barrett Profile
CPC (ON)
Mr. Speaker, my question for the hon. member after his presentation has less to do with communications advice for members of the opposition and more to do with how he believes the government spent a very vital time this year. Parliament was prorogued for nearly six weeks.
We recognize that we are in unprecedented times. We recognize that we are in a health crisis emergency, but Parliament was shut down. The only coherent reason we know of is so the Prime Minister, under investigation for a third time for breaking ethics laws, could hide from his ethical scandals. When the House could have been taking care of so many things and getting ready for providing support for Canadians, instead of now rushing measures through to assist Canadians, why shut down Canada's Parliament?
View Chris Bittle Profile
Lib. (ON)
View Chris Bittle Profile
2020-10-05 16:39 [p.564]
Mr. Speaker, after prorogation, instead of starting debate on Monday, we started debate on Wednesday.
With respect to communication, I am glad the hon. member brought that up, and anti-science rhetoric I have heard. I was doing the late show once, and the hon. member had a question for me. He was criticizing the price of pollution on the one hand, but on the other hand was asking for money to help a flooded area of his region. That pollution has consequences, so I hope the hon. member takes the advice that science matters and we should be listening to our scientists. This crisis is not the only issue. The looming crisis of climate change is coming in fast and we should be prepared.
View Luc Berthold Profile
CPC (QC)
View Luc Berthold Profile
2020-10-05 16:59 [p.567]
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by congratulating the people of Mégantic—L'Érable on their extraordinary resilience in response to the situation we have been dealing with since March.
Quebec has to pull back in several regions, once again closing bars and restaurants, suspending cultural and sports activities, and strictly enforcing rules in schools because of a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases. Clearly, we are not done sacrificing and will have to cope with this virus much longer than we would have liked.
As we kick off Mental Illness Awareness Week, we must keep in mind that every decision made by Parliament, by the government, by all levels of government and by public health authorities will impact not only the fight against COVID-19 but also the economy and the well-being or loss thereof of people across the country.
The virus did not make bullying or racism go away. It exacerbated domestic violence, and loneliness has become an even heavier burden for the most vulnerable members of society to bear. Our masks must not prevent us from speaking up and sharing our problems. Our ears and our hearts must remain open to those who need to be listened to and heard.
I would now like to come back to the subject we are discussing today. The Liberal government's throne speech was followed, that same evening, by a free national advertisement for the Liberal Prime Minister. I would remind members that the throne speech was needed because of the Prime Minister's decision to prorogue Parliament in the midst of a pandemic. At a time when millions of Canadians are depending on their elected officials to make sure they are safe, from a health and economic standpoint, the Prime Minister deliberately chose to shut down Parliament and put us in a position where we could no longer act quickly.
The throne speech was supposed to refocus the government's efforts on helping Canadians deal with and recover from the COVID-19 crisis, or at least that is what the Prime Minister, his ministers and Liberal members claimed. In the end, we got an interminable speech read by the Governor General that basically reiterated the unkept promises of the Liberals under the direction of the Prime Minister. As everyone knows, the Prime Minister does not like to share the stage, so he thought it would be a good idea to make all the media outlets give him some free air time. That gave him a few minutes to summarize the long list of Liberal failures and unkept promises while clearly demonstrating that he had no plan to get the country through the pandemic and that he had learned absolutely nothing from the first wave of COVID-19.
Everyone knew the deal: The prorogation of Parliament, the Speech from the Throne and the PM's televised speech later that evening had but one objective, and it was not to help Canadians. I will paraphrase a journalist from La Presse who, like us, saw right through the Liberals' smoke and mirrors. He basically said that what the Prime Minister presented was more like a preview of his election platform than a Speech from the Throne.
The best was yet to come in that article. He went on to talk about how, in the middle of the speech he thought to himself, “quick, someone snap your fingers, he's trying to hypnotize us. We are going to forget how we got here. The Prime Minister prorogued Parliament last month to put an end to the inquiries into the WE Charity scandal. That is what led to the Speech from the Throne.”
Feedback on the throne speech from across the country was not any more flattering. I would like to share some reactions. “It was a disappointing speech that offered no reassurance.” “[The Prime Minister] lives on another planet. He needs to go.” “The Speech from the Throne can be summed up in three words: spending, interference, arrogance. Nothing new from this government”. “I'm very worried. All of this spending shows that [the Prime Minister] has never made a budget in his life.” Many similar comments can be found in the media and on social media.
Parliament was prorogued by a Prime Minister who promised never to prorogue Parliament to avoid scrutiny. I remind members that he made this promise himself. All of this came just as thousands of redacted documents were being handed over to the opposition. The throne speech enabled the government to sweep the finance minister's resignation under the rug. The throne speech did nothing to address the problems with the work-sharing program for businesses in Mégantic—L'Érable. It did not address the extremely long waiting periods for citizens dealing with immigration issues.
He offered nothing to small businesses, which were left out of the assistance measures even though they are integral to the very vitality of our regions. He did not allow Canadians to have access to rapid tests, which would have helped my region and countless others escape such an aggressive second wave. This Speech from the Throne was a purely partisan exercise to protect just one person: the Prime Minister himself.
However, I am known to be an optimist. I always try to see the good in everything. I told myself that surely something good would come out of the Speech from the Throne. My colleagues may find it hard to believe, but I found something positive, very positive even. What did I find in the Speech from the Throne that was so good?
You seem skeptical, Mr. Speaker. I will end the suspense. The only positive thing about the Speech from the Throne was the response in reply by the new leader of the official opposition, the hon. member for Durham. What a great reply worthy of a head of state.
Allow me to thank him for the trust he placed in me by giving me the role of Treasury Board critic. I am proud to serve on his team in the official opposition, the team of the government in waiting.
The Conservative leader's reply to the Speech from the Throne laid bare the major difference between the leaders of the two main parties in Canada. One is there to be served by Canadians. The other is there to serve Canadians. Although that may not seem like a big difference, in the context of the current crisis, it is vitally important.
The Leader of the Opposition has shown that putting Canadians, all Canadians, at the centre of a future Conservative government is the only thing to do. I look forward to Quebeckers and Canadians getting to know him for who he is: a hard worker, born in Montreal, a navigator in the Canadian Armed Forces, a lawyer and a father. His career path is like that of many of us who were not born with a silver spoon in our mouths.
I will quote part of the opposition leader's speech.
Who is going to make sure Canada is better prepared next time? Who is going to make sure that Canada learns the lessons from the first wave and fixes the gaps and some of the problems that have put our citizens at risk? Who is going to make sure that working Canadian families stop getting left behind by the government?
Who? Let me continue.
We are a government in waiting, and we do not accept the poor response and the lack of lessons learned by the current government in a time of crisis. Canadians will also get to know that I have tried to spend my entire life standing up for this country. I was not born with a sense of entitlement to lead the country, but I have worked hard for my entire life to serve Canada and its people, to earn the chance to lead. That is what we need in public life when we face a national unity crisis, a pandemic, economic rebuilding and uncertainty on the global stage: someone who will fight to ensure that no Canadian family gets left behind; someone who understands the importance of service and community.
That is an attitude befitting a future prime minister. That is what we need in a time of crisis: a leader who understands the importance of work, who loves his country, and who will always place his country's interests above his own.
His agenda for Quebec is clear. I clearly remember his promise to Quebec during the party leadership race: He will not interfere in Quebec's internal affairs and, under his leadership, the Conservative Party will be more open than ever before. He said, “As long as I am your leader, Quebec nationalists, like Conservatives from all walks of life, will be welcome in our party.”
Unlike the current Prime Minister, whose words are rarely followed by action except when it comes to shutting down ethics inquiries, the Conservative leader walks the talk.
The hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent was appointed opposition House leader. He is the first Quebecker to hold this position in the Conservative Party of Canada. The Conservative leader's inner circle is made up of many Quebeckers, including the former member for Beauport—Limoilou, who I look forward to seeing again with us here in the House.
Our new leader's first meeting with a provincial premier was with Quebec Premier, François Legault. During that meeting, he was very clear about his intention to increase health care funding to the provinces in a stable, predictable and unconditional manner, as a matter of respect.
The leader of the Conservative Party and the official opposition is a leader who worked hard to get where he is and who will deliver on his commitments, unlike the leader of the Liberal Party.
In closing, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to take these few minutes to introduce our leader to Quebeckers because, unlike the Bloc Québécois, which will never be able to keep its promises and will always be an armchair quarterback, we will be able to keep our promises and get to the bottom of things.
It is time we had something besides an armchair critic. It is time we had a real player on the ice, someone like a Guy Lafleur, Mario Lemieux or Phillip Danault. We want a party leader who can score goals, not someone who is going to watch from the sidelines.
View Gérard Deltell Profile
CPC (QC)
View Gérard Deltell Profile
2020-09-29 10:51 [p.226]
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent speech and salute his remarkable parliamentary experience. He has been here for nearly five years and was also a member of the National Assembly, which is what I wanted to ask him about.
In his vast parliamentary political experience, has the member ever seen a government display such arrogance towards one of the fundamental principles of any parliament, in other words, the opportunity to debate?
Results: 106 - 120 of 261 | Page: 8 of 18

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