Louis Plamondon

[Transportation, October 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the minister does not seem to have read the report. The Transportation Safety Board was clear. The government is managing safety very poorly, and the oversight regime for federally regulated transportation companies falls short.

In addition, the department is falling unbelievably behind on regulating companies. In short, the transportation safety problem is the department's fault.

When will the Liberals stop playing with the safety of Quebeckers and Canadians?

[Transportation, October 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am quoting the report of the Transportation Safety Board. It says that the slow pace of implementing recommendations perpetuates safety risks. More than 60 recommendations are still outstanding, and a third are more than 20 years old. Ottawa is asleep at the wheel.

What will it take to get the Minister of Transportation to stop playing with Canadians' safety?

[Global Warming, October 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised at what the hon. member is saying. She proposed that we wait for other countries to take action before we do because we have already done too much. I think that the oil sands are one of the biggest polluters in the world. We have some work ahead of us if we want to work with other countries. Many countries in Europe are doing better than we are here in Canada and Quebec.

We have to make an effort. To hear her speak I cannot help but think that if I lived in a small village and I told myself that I would not do any volunteer work unless everyone else did, then nothing would get done. We have to take initiative. That is the strength of a nation. I hope that the Conservative Party will switch gears quickly.

[Élaine Zakaib, October 15th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it is under sad circumstances that I rise today to speak about Élaine Zakaib, who was laid to rest this weekend. A former MNA for Richelieu, Ms. Zakaib had deep roots in the Sorel-Tracy region. She got involved in politics first and foremost to boost our local economy. As Quebec’s minister of industrial policy, she made supporting small businesses and start-ups her main focus.

I had the opportunity to campaign and work regularly with Ms. Zakaib. As an MNA, she was engaged, dedicated and always available to serve her constituents. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to thank her for her dedication. Her passing reminds us that the fight against cancer is far from over and that we must continue to actively support research to find a cure.

I offer my condolences to her entire family.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, September 25th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, in April, the government promised Quebec that it would have a migrant triage plan within a week. In May, it told us that we would have to wait a few more weeks. At the end of July, it told us that the plan was almost ready. Today, there is still no plan, and Quebec is still waiting to be reimbursed nearly $100 million for social services expenses for last year alone.

I will repeat my colleague's question: does anyone really have the authority to do anything on the immigration file?

[Public Services and Procurement, September 18th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, what we are asking for is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the historic misappropriation of funds. Under the Conservatives, the federal government awarded $100 billion in shipbuilding and maintenance contracts. Quebec was granted barely 1% of those contracts.

The vice-president of Davie shipyard said that if Quebec had been awarded its fair share of contracts, at least $20 billion, the shipyard would be at full employment for years, at least a decade.

Will the Liberals rise above the Conservatives and give Quebec its fair share of contracts?

[Gasoline Prices, June 11th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing rising faster than gas prices in Quebec is the blood pressure of consumers, who are being forced to pay abnormally high retail markups. That is not without consequences.

A survey showed that one in three Quebeckers are reconsidering their summer vacation plans because of gas prices. That is bad news for families, and even worse news for remote regions like the Gaspé, whose economies depend on summer tourism.

We asked the Minister of Innovation to order the Competition Bureau to look into the possibility of a gas cartel, but he did not respond. Even the Government of Quebec asked him whether he was going to take steps to ensure that the gasoline market is fair and equitable, but again he did not respond.

With the price of gas as high as it is, only a Liberal minister would allow himself the luxury of falling asleep at the wheel.

[The Economy, June 5th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, last Sunday on NBC, the Prime Minister said that he was ready to show some flexibility on supply management.

With last week's news that he had hired an adviser who is in favour of abolishing supply management, dairy producers are extremely worried. I have two questions for the minister.

What does showing flexibility on supply management mean, exactly?

Can the government confirm that an adviser who is in favour of abolishing supply management was hired?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 1st, 2018]

With regard to federal spending in the riding of Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, for each fiscal year since 2010–11, inclusively: what are the details of all grants and contributions and all loans to every organization, group, business or municipality, broken down by the (i) name of the recipient, (ii) municipality of the recipient, (iii) date on which the funding was received, (iv) amount received, (v) department or agency that provided the funding, (vi) program under which the grant, contribution or loan was made, (vii) nature or purpose?

[Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, May 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Immigration was so busy preparing for his sightseeing trip to Nigeria that he did not even know that asylum seekers in Plattsburgh were being given instructions on how to cross the border illegally.

Rather than playing tourist, can the minister ensure that the safe third country agreement applies to all of our borders?

The safe third country agreement needs to be enforced at Roxham Road and everywhere else along our border.