Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Don Valley North .
In response to the Speech from the Throne, allow me to begin with a few words about the messenger.
On September 5, 1755, in Nova Scotia, the King of England's instructions were read aloud by Lieutenant Colonel John Winslow, in English, to 418 men and boys called to the Saint-Charles-des-Mines church in Grand-Pré. The royal proclamation of Acadian deportation ordered that all of their lands, homes, livestock and herds of all kinds be confiscated on behalf of the Crown, along with other goods, not including money and personal items, and that they be expelled from the province. The King's imperial orders led to the deportation of all French inhabitants of these districts. The soldiers then gathered up the terrified population, expelled them from their lands, and burned their homes and crops to the ground. Acadian families were deported on 16 ships, mostly to lands in New England, France, Louisiana and England. Of a population amounting to about 13,500 Acadians, an estimated 12,600 or more were deported. Others managed to escape to Quebec and Acadia, that remained French. On the Gaspé peninsula, where I live today, and on Île Royale and Île Saint‑Jean, exiled Acadians established a number of villages. Historians estimate that more than half of the 12,600 deported Acadians perished from disease, epidemics, hardship, malnutrition or shipwreck.
On February 15, 1839, at 9 a.m., five patriots climbed the scaffold to be hanged at the Pied-du-Courant prison in Montreal. Of the 99 patriots who were sentenced to death, a total of 12 were hanged. The rest were sentenced to hard labour in Australia.
The Patriotes movement was a push for democracy. The patriots demanded that decisions be made by their elected representatives, not the governor general, who was controlled by the King of England. This fair and legitimate demand for responsible government was harshly suppressed by the British Crown. Quebeckers had their rights and freedoms suspended for four years during the unrest surrounding the Patriotes rebellion.
Perhaps these historical reminders will help the House better understand why having King Charles III visit and deliver the Speech from the Throne did not generate much enthusiasm from me and many of my fellow Quebeckers. Some will say that these events happened a long time ago. I would respond that yes, they did, but as we say in Quebec, je me souviens—never forget.
Perhaps the fact that Quebeckers never forget is also the reason that 87% of respondents to a Leger poll this week said they felt no attachment to the British monarchy. Perhaps this is also why a majority of Quebeckers, 52%, would vote to end the monarchy and create a republic. Perhaps this is also why the Quebec National Assembly unanimously passed a motion this week to sever all ties with the monarchy. In short, in Quebec, we have a problem with the messenger, the person who delivered the Speech from the Throne.
The Bloc Québécois has a plan for independence for the Quebec nation, a plan that will enable Quebeckers to adopt their own meaningful symbols and enjoy the freedom to shape their own future. In the meantime, the Bloc Québécois will introduce a bill during this session to allow elected members of this House to opt out of swearing an oath to the King. Our proposal is to make the oath to the King optional and allow elected officials to take an oath of office instead. This would be a step forward and would show some respect for the freedom of conscience of elected officials. I invite my colleagues to reflect on our motivations and recognize that this bill is legitimate and deserves their support.
Enough about the messenger. Now I want to talk about the message. I will start with something positive and then move on to the things that disappointed me.
On a positive note, I was pleased that the government mentioned that it wants to protect supply management. This is important for Quebec's farmers, our dairy, egg and poultry farmers. In my riding, the farmers under the supply management system are faring the best in the income crisis facing the agricultural sector right now, because supply management provides them with a stable income. We know that when CUSMA is renegotiated, the Americans will again try to get a bigger share of the dairy, egg and poultry markets. That is why the leader of the Bloc Québécois introduced a bill yesterday that would prohibit Canadian negotiators from making any concessions on supply management. The Liberal government's response has been fairly positive. I invite the Liberals to support our bill in order to provide our farmers with protective legislation as quickly as possible.
As for the things that disappointed me, for starters, the throne speech seems light on detail about the government's plan to build the best economy in the G7. The focus is more on eliminating federal barriers to trade and less on diversifying the economy. There is not one word in the speech about fisheries, for example. More than 80% of the seafood produced in the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands is exported to the United States. The past few months have driven home the importance of diversifying our export markets. We need to reduce our dependence on the U.S. market because it is so unstable right now. I was surprised to learn that there is no federal funding allocated to trade missions for Quebec's fisheries sector. The federal government must support the fisheries sector with multi-year funding so it can find new markets. That is crucial to building a strong economy.
The fact that the forestry sector has been overlooked is another disappointment. I would like to remind the government that the U.S. Department of Commerce announced in March that it planned to nearly triple the duties on Canadian softwood lumber, bringing total levies to nearly 27%. Let us not forget that the Canadian softwood lumber industry is already subject to a 14.4% levy on its exports to the United States. The additional tariffs could come into effect as early as August. If they are implemented, they will have a significant negative impact on Quebec's forestry industry, because 50% of Quebec's softwood lumber is exported to the United States. We need to support our forestry companies, and I made a commitment during the last election campaign to guide them through the coming crisis and to call for assistance programs that are adapted to the reality of the Gaspé and Quebec. The forestry industry must also diversify its export markets and focus on developing the domestic market. In that regard, the Bloc Québécois's proposal to promote local purchasing in federal government contracts could increase market opportunities for Quebec softwood lumber.
That brings me to my final point. Where are the infrastructure investments we were promised? Building a strong economy requires adequate infrastructure, and I am going to try to fill the gap in the Speech from the Throne with two suggestions that would strengthen my region's economy.
First, if the Liberal government wants to build the best economy in the G7, it seems to me that this requires an adequate rail transportation system across the country. The Gaspé rail line will be operational to New Carlisle by September 2025. However, VIA Rail refuses to resume service from Matapédia to New Carlisle, even though regional connections are at the heart of its mandate. Through their tax dollars, the people of the Gaspé contributed more than $400 million in federal funding to VIA Rail in 2024 so that it could provide service in the regions. It should also be noted that when VIA Rail suspended service in 2013, it was because the rail line was no longer safe. I therefore call on the Liberal government to intervene with VIA Rail and compel it to reverse its decision and commit to resuming passenger rail service in the coming weeks. It is an essential service that allows people in my region to travel to other regions. This is a legitimate demand and would help strengthen our economy by improving people's productivity.
My final suggestion is this. If we want adequate infrastructure, the runway at the Magdalen Islands airport needs to be extended.