Madam Speaker, it is always great to hear someone talk about the economy when it comes to a bill like this one. I agree with my colleague that it would have been a good idea to split it.
Beyond that, I would like to address the bigger picture. Parliament has been sitting for three weeks, yet the government stubbornly refuses to table a budget while projecting astronomical deficits. As for the opposition, it promises to be the official opposition, but it is in disarray and has no leader. It says that it will support this bill, which provides that this Prime Minister will not only govern without a budget, but will also define issues of national interest to which no laws or rules apply. What is more, the government is doing all this under a gag order.
Am I right to be concerned about a shift toward authoritarianism, or whatever this may be, where all the power is given to the government and there is no longer an official opposition? We in the Bloc Québécois are the ones who need to play that role.