House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 29% of the vote.
The Budget January 30th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the President of the Treasury Board gave a convoluted answer yesterday when he was asked for clarifications about the government's intentions regarding public sector compensation.
Are we to understand that, from what is stated in the budget, the government intends not only to force new salary conditions on the public sector in the future, but also to reopen collective agreements that have already been signed, as clearly indicated in last November's economic statement?
The Budget January 29th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, in this Liberal-supported budget, the Conservative government has announced that it will introduce legislation to ensure the predictability of federal public sector compensation during this difficult economic period.
Does this mean that the government intends to tear up the collective agreements it signed with its employees and force them to accept new, non-negotiated salary conditions?
The Economy November 28th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and his government decided to attack public servants by taking away their right to strike. Instead of reaching out to workers, they decided to go after their rights. In the hope of imposing their right-wing ideology more easily, they are shamefully going after what thousands of workers have fought hard for decades to achieve: the right to negotiate a collective agreement and the right to strike.
Why does the government want to silence workers, when a settlement was reached with many unionized public service employees, if not to—
Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply November 27th, 2008
Madam Speaker, in none of the speeches I heard this morning from the Conservatives was there any indication of urgency, nor was there mention of a contingency plan to face the major crisis we are experiencing.
Since 2002, 400,000 jobs have been lost, including 150,000 in Quebec. Workers are losing their jobs and their homes, and are then faced with insecurity when it comes to their pension plans. They no longer know what they will have at the end of this crisis, and the government is showing no sense of urgency.
The throne speech implicitly mentions the crisis, but will the government do something to protect retirees and those who will eventually be retiring? Will it protect pension plans as other countries have done?
Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply November 27th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, this morning, we learned that two more parts plants in Ontario will be closing. We are all well aware that hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in Quebec and in Canada over the past few years in key sectors: forestry, communications, and automobile and parts manufacturing.
Today, the government is waking up and saying that it plans to do something, but everyone knows that once the parts plants close, we will keep getting parts from other countries to continue manufacturing things here.
What is the government prepared to do to stop these closures and ensure that the parts used to manufacture products here are made here?
Resumption of debate on Address in Reply November 21st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, one of the most important things this throne speech revealed was the Conservative government's disregard for the effects of the crisis on people and the economy.
Another significant announcement was made today: layoffs at Rolls-Royce will affect over 2,000 workers. That could have a serious impact on the industry in Quebec. Kenworth, a truck manufacturer in Quebec, has announced layoffs and major restructuring.
That raises a question. We know that the throne speech had nothing to say about the unemployed, nothing about improving programs, and nothing about poverty. Given the magnitude of the current crisis, something will have to be done to help the people who were left out of the throne speech: the unemployed and the poor.
What will the government do to help these workers and the poor in our society?
Official Languages November 21st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, in November 2007, the Bloc Québécois introduced Bill C-482 to amend the Official Languages Act and the Canada Labour Code. The amendments proposed by the Bloc Québécois would have forced the federal government to recognize the primacy of Bill 101 in Quebec and required private companies under federal jurisdiction to respect French as the language of work. This would have allowed the workers of such businesses to work in French in Quebec.
Quebeckers form a nation; this House has recognized that fact. It is time to put those words into action. So that all workers in Quebec may work in French, the Bloc Québécois will introduce another bill to ensure that the Charter of the French Language applies to all businesses in Quebec, including those under federal jurisdiction.
Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply November 21st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the voters of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles for electing me to this House for the first time, and for trusting me to represent them. I would also like to thank the team of volunteers and activists who worked on my election campaign.
My question is of course for the member who spoke in this House about the same old measures just packaged a little differently. In the throne speech there was a list of important objectives, but there were no big surprises.
Unfortunately, Canada and Quebec are currently experiencing huge job losses. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in the past few years, and unfortunately, the Conservative government, with its laissez-faire attitude, has done nothing.
Now, it is waking up and saying it will do something for the automotive and aerospace industries. The Conservatives boasted about giving $80 million to Ford. But everyone knows that in the automotive industry, $80 million is peanuts. It takes money to move this type of industry forward.
My question is about what the Conservative government plans on doing in the present dire situation to help workers who are affected by major lay-offs. What will the government do to help them?