Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the people of Montmorency—Charlevoix. I did so yesterday in my first question in the House, but I want to take the time to do it again today. They elected a Conservative Party that has their interests at heart, and I will represent their interests with great honour and respect. I want them to know that I care a lot about this work.
I am proud to rise in the House to speak to the Speech from the Throne in this 45th Parliament and to defend the interests of Montmorency—Charlevoix here in Ottawa. My riding is one of the founding ridings of Quebec and Canada. It is made up of 29 municipalities and certain parts of the greater Quebec City area, including the Beauport and Charlesbourg regions. There is much at stake. Every region has its own realities, as important and as different as they may be. I am committed to being a voice for the workers in my region. I am also committed to working hard to represent them to the best of my abilities.
One of the primary issues I raised is access to home ownership, which we have talked about today. I think being able to buy a first home is a major issue, especially for young people. The prices keep going up. For last year alone, in Quebec, the purchase price of homes increased by 10%, 9.2% to be exact. The Speech from the Throne, which is ultimately the Liberal plan for the next few years, proposes eliminating taxes on the purchase of a first home. Although the Conservatives fully agree with cutting taxes, this is still not enough in my opinion. If a young couple that bought a first condo now wants to buy a first home, that tax credit will not help them very much.
Here is another situation that is very common in my riding. Companies find that they have to buy houses or housing units to house the workers who come to help them operate their businesses. This measure will be of no use to such businesses in Île d'Orléans, Baie-Saint-Paul or La Malbaie, which are trying to attract workers and families. Unfortunately, these families cannot find a place to live at a reasonable price. Today, I would like to talk about organizations like Maison Mère Baie-Saint-Paul, which turned a former religious convent into a public space and a place for local businesses to set up shop. The organization also turned a significant portion of the convent into housing to attract foreign workers to support local businesses. The Coopérative de développement immobilier de Charlevoix was created to build affordable rental housing to help employers attract workers. We see the same thing in Côte-de-Beaupré, which has a special development program to build affordable housing in partnership with the Côte-de-Beaupré municipal housing and development offices. This kind of innovation helps attract workers and supports our businesses.
The topic of worker housing brings me to another debate, the debate around immigration. Canada is a welcoming, inspiring country and it is definitely respected around the world. It is a great place to live. We have a great quality of life and we are happy to be here. We are an inspiration, the envy of the world. This reality attracts people from all over the world for different reasons. However, we know that we can no longer take in everyone. We need to set priorities and hold on to the foreign workers who come to support our economy. In Charlevoix—Montmorency, this is vital. The Conservatives were clear throughout the campaign: In many regions, foreign workers are essential. For many businesses, their survival depends on it. The Conservatives will always stand up in the House to protect foreign workers and ensure that their businesses receive the support they need for solid economic development.
Supply management was also briefly mentioned. I look forward to seeing whether the government will walk the talk in the years ahead. It has to move beyond words and on to action. For the Conservatives and for me, supply management is non-negotiable.
There is another glaring problem, especially at the tip of Montmorency and throughout Charlevoix, and that is cell coverage. It is unacceptable that, in 2025, people are unable to have a conversation with someone without constantly being cut off for lack of cell coverage.
Let us be clear: Cell coverage helps local economies grow and helps businesses. However, it is also a matter of public safety. I am therefore committed to working actively on this file and supporting the development of the cell network in Montmorency—Charlevoix. I will represent that interest, because it is an extremely important one.
Yesterday, I asked the Prime Minister a question about the French language, because in the throne speech, there is a vague mention, a brief and rather hollow sentence. I think it is extremely important that we go beyond simply recognizing that the French language needs to be protected. It also needs to be promoted. Château-Richer, in my riding, is where the first French colony was founded. That led to the development of Quebec and Canada as we know them today. Our French language is the founding language of Canada. It is important that we not only protect it, but that we promote it so that it can thrive and be spoken across the country.
Health is another issue that I believe was the elephant in the room when the Speech from the Throne was read. Physical health, mental health, and the health of a society require concrete action. That means working to improve the health of Canadians, promoting physical activity and taking action to promote health. We need to make sure that people understand that they can take charge of their health and take action to prevent illness.
We are experiencing the biggest crisis of inactivity in human history. It seems to me that today very little importance is given to this truly crucial issue. There is growing scientific evidence demonstrating the importance of physical activity. I do not understand why no concrete action has been taken and why massive investments are not being made to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. I do not understand why the government does not invest in prevention instead of always waiting for disease to strike, which ultimately costs more.
Recent studies show that 50% of cancer cases are directly linked to obesity. As we know, one in three Canadians will be obese by 2030. It is the leading cause of death in this country. Studies also show that we could reduce that number by nearly half. However, no action is being taken to promote sport and physical activity in our beautiful country.
Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada. Once again, all the foundations tell us that physical activity is the best way to prevent this type of disease, which, in recent years, has been the second leading cause of death among Canadians.
When we look at the top 10 causes of death in this country, it is pretty straightforward. When we consult medical associations and associations that deal with diseases, they always say that physical activity is the first or second solution to solve most problems. However, muscle strength exercises, VO2 training and healthy lifestyle habits are rarely promoted.
In a world where sedentary lifestyles are increasingly common and our hospitals are buckling under the strain, I would have expected the throne speech to include at least a brief mention of this issue. It is not complicated: Things are getting worse. Sports are consistently underfunded, and this year the department was scrapped. Sports are now represented by a secretary of state. If we want to help the provinces support their hospitals, giving them money is fine. However, I think it is high time we take the adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” to heart and find other ways to promote healthy lifestyles.
I could spend all day talking about Montmorency—Charlevoix and my intentions and interests, especially those that affect my constituents and are important to them. However, I think I will end my speech by inviting everyone to come and experience Montmorency—Charlevoix, to come and experience it and, most importantly, to come and see our region's bounty and the great potential it holds.
I will end my speech today by inviting Canadians to come visit me and share in the rich experiences that tourism has to offer, including cultural tourism, sport tourism and our incredible festivals. I invite my colleagues to come and enjoy the legendary festival Le Festif!, an international music festival, and stay at Club Med or Manoir Richelieu. I invite them to come enjoy the beautiful colours of our region. I promise they will want to pick up a paintbrush. For an outstanding rodeo experience, they can check out the Rodéo Mont-Sainte-Anne, or the Rallye de Charlevoix, the world's only green, zero-emission rally. If they want to explore local products, Île d'Orléans is the place to go. Ste-Brigitte-de-Laval has the youngest population in Quebec.
I invite everyone to come experience history, and I want all of my colleagues to join me in being part of it.