Madam Speaker, thousands of businesses in Quebec have had a terrible time qualifying for federal assistance or never received any in the first place, yet all parties in the House except the Bloc Québécois pocketed cash from the wage subsidy.
All parties but the Bloc diverted money meant for businesses and charities to protect their campaign coffers. The Liberals collected handouts, siphoning off taxpayers' dollars, while raising $15 million in donations in 2020. The Conservatives raised $22 million and the NDP $6 million, yet none of them had the decency to pay back a penny of the public money they pocketed.
During the next campaign, every time we see one of their ads, we should remember that we unintentionally paid for part of it. Every time they talk about the sacrifices everyone made during the pandemic, we should remember that they made no sacrifices and even exploited the situation for partisan gain.
Shame on them.