Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the people of Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine for putting their trust in me. I will endeavour, at every opportunity, to be worthy of them and stand up for the interests of Quebec and its regions.
The Speech from the Throne in no way prioritizes the interests of our regions. We have just come out of an election campaign that was entirely focused on the importance of protecting our economy against Donald Trump, but the Speech from the Throne makes no mention of Quebec's forestry industry and its needs in the softwood lumber dispute. It makes no mention of aluminum, which is one of the sectors hit by the U.S. tariffs. It makes no mention of the fishery, an important and fragile sector whose exports rely far too heavily on the Americans.
This text was read by a British monarch and it is so disconnected from the needs of Quebeckers that it could just as easily have been written in London. Where are Quebec's interests in that document?