Madam Speaker, for me, September 20 is a day to celebrate. On September 20, 2021, the voters of Laurentides—Labelle renewed my mandate. They reaffirmed their trust in me for a second time. Today, I must thank them once again. I want them to know that I will always strive to respect and honour the trust they have placed in me. This is my 11th time coming back to the House after a break. Since this is the first time I have addressed the House since our return, I would like to take this opportunity to say how proud I am to represent the people of Laurentides—Labelle. I strive to approach this exceptional role with the modesty, respect and resolve it deserves.
This summer, I travelled all over my riding. I went from Mont-Laurier to Sainte-Adèle, passing through La Minerve, Nominingue, Rivière-Rouge and Montcalm. I cannot name all of the municipalities because there are 43, but I met with people who showed me how much hope they have and especially what a vibrant part of the country this is. There is no lack of initiatives, ideas and solutions on the ground. People in my riding are proactive. We just have to take the time to listen to them. That is what I did all summer. We cannot get bogged down in our assumptions and dogma. That is how I think about it, because my work as an MP did not come with an instruction manual.
Whether we are talking about Maison de l'entrepreneur, which offers one-stop solutions for SMEs, La Mèreveille, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last week and provides services to mothers and children, or organizations like Bouffe Dépannage, L'Ombre-Elle and Prévoyance envers les aînés, there is no shortage of generosity and courage in Laurentides—Labelle.
I say that because there is talent in our regions and we need to recognize it. The needs are known. I have to say again that the federal government is too fond of interfering in areas that do not fall under its jurisdiction. That is the case with Motion No. 110. I am not surprised that a Liberal MP from Ontario moved this motion. It is in Ontario's DNA to ask the federal government to help the province and its people.
The political culture is very different in Quebec. We do not turn to Ottawa for a shoulder to cry on; we do not turn to Ottawa when we are unhappy with the National Assembly; nor do we turn to Ottawa to oppose national, unilateral, rigid standards that are not rooted in Quebec's realities. In Quebec, we roll up our sleeves, get to work and move forward, to paraphrase Jacques Parizeau. In Quebec, we make do, just as our ancestors made do with almost nothing yet cleared the land, fed their children and built a modern, open, welcoming, dynamic, social, secular and distinct society. Quebeckers do not want to be told what to do and what to think by a foreign government. Quebeckers do not want policies imposed on us, especially when Quebec is already ahead of the federal government. Everyone has heard the examples: day care, pharmacare and even dental insurance. Then there is our pension plan. It is the legacy of the Quiet Revolution. It is who we are. It is intrinsic, it is our identity.
The current government is basing its policies on Quebec's policies, inherited from the Quiet Revolution and from the concept on which Quebeckers have built of their society and modelled the role of their government.
It is happening again with this motion on food waste. I want be clear: This is a noble cause, but the Quebec government has already implemented initiatives in this area. As for food waste itself, waste management and many food donation and sharing projects fall under municipal jurisdiction. That makes this a matter for Quebec and the provinces. While Quebec is responsible for environmental and food safety legislation, the federal government has a more general role to play in food labelling and, of course, food safety in relation to imports and exports. It has no role to play in the context of the more global issue of waste.
Quebec's department of agriculture, fisheries and food, or MAPAQ, oversees all waste-related initiatives in conjunction with the department of municipal affairs and housing. There are also several groups involved in managing this issue, including Quebec's public health agency, Recyc-Québec, community groups and municipalities.
Quebec also has a 2018-25 bio-food policy that includes two suggested courses of action, one aimed at reducing food waste and food loss, and one aimed at encouraging donations and encouraging the circular economy. We are very avant-garde in Quebec, especially when it comes to recovering co-products.
Food waste was one of the themes identified as requiring further reflection and work at a 2019 meeting of bio-food policy partners and in the 2018-25 bio-food policy action plan, which was released not too long ago in January 2020.
Starting in 2015, the government introduced tax measures to encourage donations to food banks in an effort to combat food waste and food insecurity, including a tax credit for food donations. Agri-food businesses that donate food could be eligible for a tax credit. There are roughly 100 initiatives of this kind.
Since I have barely two minutes left, I would also like to say that Quebec is very active when it comes to prevention and awareness.
I invite the legislative assemblies of all the other provinces to follow Quebec's lead like they did last year. I also invite the federal government to mind its own business. The federal government is acting like a neighbour who tells other people what to do with their property when their own is falling apart. It also likes to judge others. When someone else has nice things, it wants that too and takes it for itself. The federal government is acting like that neighbour.
It is not by trading four quarters for a dollar that things are going to change. It is not because a government is red, blue or orange that things are going to change. The only way to change things is for Quebec to become an independent state and for the Quebec republic to be born.