House of Commons photo

Crucial Fact

  • Her favourite word was autism.

Last in Parliament October 2015, as Independent MP for Verchères—Les Patriotes (Québec)

Won her last election, in 2011, with 43% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Democratic Reform June 19th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I asked a question that I never got an answer to, so I would like to ask it again today.

Does this government know that people who were adopted and are not aware that they are not Canadian citizens in the eyes of the law can add themselves to the voters list since no proof of citizenship is required? This loophole in the legislation can lead to fraud and allow people who do not have the right to vote to vote anyway.

The last time I asked this question, the government avoided answering it by telling me all about the process for becoming a Canadian citizen. That was not what my question was about.

Does the government know how many people vote who do not have the right to do so, and does it plan to tighten up the process to ensure that it takes more than just answering a yes or no question to exercise one's right to vote?

Citizenship and Immigration June 1st, 2015

Mr. Speaker, I understand what my hon. colleague is trying to say, but I brought up one of my constituents as an example of the general issue with wait times, not to address the specific case.

In the case of an urgent application, the website for Citizenship and Immigration Canada clearly states that it will contact applicants within two business days to inform them of whether it can speed up the application. It can be worrisome to not have heard anything after more than eight days when you have an upcoming business trip.

How can this taxpayer do his job?

This urgent processing system is clearly not working. When will this government take people's requests seriously, especially urgent ones? Will we have to create a second, third or fourth system to process urgent applications that have not yet been processed?

Citizenship and Immigration June 1st, 2015

Mr. Speaker, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website indicates that the average processing time for the renewal of a permanent resident card is 65 days. Why is it that 100 working days after submitting an application, it still has not been processed?

The work of a permanent resident in my riding requires him to travel outside Canada. This person could lose his job because Citizenship and Immigration Canada's processing times are too long and their procedures are interminable.

When he had still not obtained his card after five months, he had to submit an urgent application, but he heard nothing for eight days. That is unacceptable. Can this government explain what good this urgent processing service is?

Citizenship and Immigration May 29th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that permanent residents in my riding who were adopted and thought they received Canadian citizenship on their arrival in Canada have voted before. It was only when applying for a passport that they realized that they were not Canadians.

No proof of citizenship is required for getting added to the voter list. Applicants are simply asked whether they are Canadian citizens.

Does the government have any idea how many people who are on the voter list should not be? Does the government plan to tighten up the process to ensure that it takes more than just answering a yes or no question to exercise one's right to vote?

Taxation May 14th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, I was surprised to learn from the papers yesterday morning that the Canada Revenue Agency had refused to co-operate with a Montreal police service investigation into contraband wine, even though the agency was among the victims of this fraudulent trade.

In fact, all the wine sold illegally did not produce the usual taxes that flow into the government's coffers. The Canadian and Quebec governments were deprived of about $14 million. In the end, Canadian taxpayers were fleeced.

How can the government justify this lack of co-operation and such arrogance on the part of the Canada Revenue Agency, which was even prepared to go to the Supreme Court to avoid co-operating?

Foreign Affairs May 8th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, two young women from my riding were in Dhunche, Nepal, in the Langtang Valley, during the earthquake. Family members back home saw how disorganized Canada was. The government had no plan to go get Canadians trapped in Langtang. The families were told that the girls would have to find their own way to Kathmandu.

How can the Canadian government care so little about the safety of its own citizens? Does Canada have no emergency response plan for this kind of situation? What concrete measures will be implemented to ensure that this kind of chaos does not arise when the next international disaster strikes?

Taxation April 23rd, 2015

Mr. Speaker, it being autism awareness month, I will repeat a question that remains unanswered.

Although there is a disability tax credit in place, there are no real tax deductions for people with autism. The government must not understand autism specifically since only 2 of the 17 products and services listed by CRA that are eligible for a tax deduction apply to people with autism. As far as medical fees are concerned, only 4 out of 117 fees could be used.

Although Tuesday's budget announced the establishment of a Canadian autism partnership, does the government still intend to change the lists of eligible fees in order to help people with autism?

Taxation March 11th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, the government likes to brag about being there for families by lowering taxes, but it is neglecting families who have a child with an intellectual disability.

Families in my riding who are in that situation have pointed out to me that the CRA regulations governing tax credits and deductions were drafted without taking into account the condition of people with intellectual disabilities. For instance, of the 117 eligible medical expenses listed by CRA, only four apply to individuals with autism. As for the disability tax credit, the eligible expenses do not really apply to their situation.

When will the government finally recognize the complexity of intellectual disabilities and cover the real needs of those families?

Aboriginal Affairs February 27th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, first there was the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, and now Amnesty International in its annual report is condemning Canada for how it treats aboriginal people.

The report criticizes the government's refusal to hold a public inquiry into the many murdered and missing aboriginal women and condemns the deplorable living conditions of first nations.

Will the government finally hold a public inquiry to shed light on these murders and disappearances? Will it finally do something tangible to improve the living conditions of first nations, or will it continue to turn a deaf ear?

Foreign Affairs February 23rd, 2015

Mr. Speaker, I have to say that I did not hear a very clear answer.

On January 27, I asked a question in the House about the inhumane situation that blogger Raif Badawi has been subjected to for far too long. I know the government has already said several times that it has called for clemency and has asked the Saudi government to set aside the sentence, but the government must see that that is not enough and that it is time to get serious.

The blogger's health is deteriorating by the day, and his wife and children fear for his life. We cannot continue to sit idly by as he continues to suffer.

Will this government commit to taking real action? Will it tell us in concrete terms what it plans to do to liberate Mr. Badawi and reunite him with his family in Canada?