Jean Dorion

[Securities Industry, September 14th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the National Assembly of Quebec voted unanimously in favour of demanding that the federal government respect Quebec's jurisdiction with regard to securities.

The parties also all unanimously voted to ask for the transfer of ownership of the federal land in front of the National Assembly, as well as financial compensation in connection with the harmonization of the Quebec sales tax and the GST.

Does the Conservative government plan to respond favourably to the National Assembly's unanimous votes, or does it plan to do as the Liberals did and ignore Quebec's legitimate requests?

[Commemoration of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, June 19th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, September 13 will mark the 250th anniversary of the battle of the Plains of Abraham and of the defeat that holds sad memories for Quebeckers.

General Wolfe had warned our people. He wrote that if they resisted, their homes would be pillaged, their churches exposed to mobs of angry soldiers, and their crops completely destroyed. Wolfe took action, and burned the entire lower St. Lawrence.

Quebec was bombarded for two months. More than half of its population was lost between 1758 and 1762. Its main teaching institution was shut down to house the occupying troops. Our nation experienced a real social breakdown.

Despite the defeat, Quebeckers defended their language. The members of the Bloc are carrying on that battle here in this very House.

Our compatriots can now boast of expertise in all disciplines, a network of institutions and an advanced democracy in many respects. Today, they are ready to become a free country.

[Sri Lanka, June 15th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the UN Secretary General is insisting, in order to prevent history from repeating itself, that reconciliation between Sri Lanka and the Tamil people begin immediately.

Does the government intend to act on the report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, which recommends, in a unanimous report, that Canada begin a dialogue with the Sri Lankan government in an effort to lay the foundations for the political reconciliation of these communities?

[Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, June 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, 265 members of Parliament, including the man who is now the Liberal leader, rose in this House on November 27, 2006 in formal recognition of the Quebec nation. Nothing at all has come of it since.

Last week, Liberals and Conservatives alike opposed the Bloc Québécois bill to apply the Charter of the French language to all businesses everywhere in Quebec, including banks, ports and airports. Not only was the Liberal leader absent during that fateful vote, but he has gone one step further from abstention to a slap in the face. On June 5, the office of the Leader of the Opposition sent an English-only reply to a person in my riding, despite the fact that the incoming letter was in French.

This is a perfect illustration of the who-cares attitude of the federal Liberals and their new leader toward the Quebec nation and the language of its people. May we soon celebrate a free and francophone Quebec.

[Extension of Sitting Hours, June 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to add to what was said by the House Leader of the Bloc Québécois. I do not wish to talk about the thin agenda and all the bills that have been passed but I believe, on the contrary, that we must save the House some time. However, there are good reasons for proposing a case-by-case approach and not giving a blank cheque to the government to extend the sitting hours of the House every evening.

I would also like to mention a fairly important argument, that of the cost of these extensions. A rather large number of people provide security for Parliament and MPs, as we can see from the number of RCMP vehicles around Parliament. What they do not know is that there are also many security guards inside. There are the interpreters who interpret our debates and the people who prepare Hansard. When the House sits late, those who put together Hansard and translate it must work very late, into the early morning hours.

During an economic crisis, when the projected deficit is $50 billion, these debates may not add much to that total, but the House, as the nation's highest government institution, should demonstrate frugality. If we are disciplined, we can easily cover what remains of the legislative agenda in the time we have left.

[Taxation, June 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question about harmonizing the GST. I could ask the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, but she is clearly not in the loop, so I will ask the Minister of Finance.

The government has harmonized the tax with the Maritimes and Ontario. Why has it not yet reached an agreement with Quebec?

[Quebec Nation, June 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite clear that, for the federalist parties in Ottawa, the recognition of the Quebec nation means little. They would not let the Charter of the French Language apply to federally regulated businesses in Quebec and refuse to address the $8.8 billion owed to Quebec in outstanding issues.

If the recognition of the Quebec nation means anything to the federal government, when will it take concrete action aimed at treating Quebec fairly?

[Sri Lanka, June 3rd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Tamil diaspora in Quebec and Canada is worried and with just cause. The UN must be allowed to conduct a real investigation into human rights violations committed by both sides in the Sri Lankan conflict.

Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs intend to increase pressure on the Sri Lankan government to allow the UN to do its job and conduct a credible investigation?

[Nuclear Waste Management, June 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs should know that there is a unanimous motion of the National Assembly to prohibit the burial on Quebec territory of nuclear waste from outside Quebec.

Will the minister for once mind her own business, respect the decision of the National Assembly and ensure that Quebec is taken off the list of potential sites for burial of Ontario's nuclear waste?

[Fiftieth Anniversary of the Boucherville Daughters of Isabella, May 28th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Mgr Poissant Circle of the Order of the Daughters of Isabella in Boucherville, which will celebrate this event on May 30 with the book launch of L'Ordre des Filles d'Isabelle, d'hier à aujourd'hui, 1959-2009 and a banquet dinner.

The circle's 108 members provide assistance to society's least fortunate using the money they raise through their second-hand clothing store for disadvantaged families, and their civic and charitable activities.

On behalf of those whom I have the honour of representing, I would like to highlight the community spirit, engagement and dedication of these women. I also wish to thank them for their involvement in this organization, especially their young regent, Diane de Champlain, who has served in this role for the past four years.