House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2006, with 50% of the vote.
Business of Supply December 2nd, 2004
Mr. Speaker, discussions have taken place between all parties and I believe that you will find consent for the following motion:
That the member for Laurier--Sainte-Marie be authorized to speak first on the motion, and that the author of the motion speak later today during the debate.
Arts and Culture November 26th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, in November 2003, the Minister of Canadian Heritage said in my riding that discussions would be conducted with the executives of the Légendes fantastiques and the problem resolved, because this production is very important to Drummondville. And she added that the federal government has many envelopes and many subsidies unknown to the public in general.
One year later, in spite of repeated requests by the executives of the Légendes fantastiques, the problem remains unresolved and the subsidies remain unknown.
When does the minister plan to resolve this problem?
Léa Jobin November 24th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, we cannot let winning seven Quebec titles in athletics go unheralded, and that is exactly what Léa Jobin, a young track and field athlete from Drummondville has just done. Léa was recently named athlete of the year at the Athlétas gala.
This tiny and self-effacing dynamo really made a name for herself over one summer. Among her achievements: a javelin record, with an amazing 28.86 metre throw, and a prodigious long jump of 4.40 metres.
Like her fellow athletes, Léa needs considerable financial support to advance in her career. Quality equipment, training and competing in the various meets all run up huge bills.
It is therefore important for the government to make a commitment to support developmental athletes.
Congratulations to Drummondville's Léa Jobin, Quebec athlete of the year.
Aerospace Industry November 19th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the president of the FTQ, Henri Massé, has confirmed that, in his opinion, Montreal was the only logical place in Canada to build the factory to produce Bombardier's new aircraft.
In view of the unanimity of the stakeholders that action is urgently needed, what is the government waiting for before revealing its conditions and putting its offer on the table right now?
Aerospace Industry November 19th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, management and unions agree that there is an urgent need for action in the Bombardier case and that the federal government must disclose the conditions for its support. The president of the Conseil du patronat, Mr. Taillon, said that Bombardier was not asking for a blank cheque and that it was up to the government to set its conditions. In the past, Bombardier has always adhered to any conditions imposed.
Does the government intend to accept the arguments from all stakeholders, both union and management, restating the urgent need for the government to put its offer on the table and make its conditions known, so that Bombardier can respond appropriately?
Jean-Philippe Bourgeois November 17th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, Jean-Philippe Bourgeois, a resident of the Centre-du-Québec region, is making preparations for his fifth international mission under hostile conditions. This is a man who has spent more than 18 months in Afghanistan since 2001.
He has worked in Chad. During his time in Afghanistan, he was twice landed in the mountainous area in order to keep the routes for humanitarian aid open by any makeshift means possible. This year, the UN recruited him as a regional logistics coordinator for the Afghan election.
He has gone to Haiti to prepare for his next mission, which will be looking after the logistics for the forthcoming election in that country.
In Afghanistan, he was responsible for overseeing some 22,000 people, but in Haiti it is estimated that there will be 4.8 million eligible voters. His task will be to see to preparations for the voting and to ensure that everything goes well on election day.
The Bloc Québécois congratulates Jean-Philippe Bourgeois on all his accomplishments and on his invaluable contribution to humanitarian aid.
Textile and Clothing Industry November 5th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the American owners of textile companies operating in Canada have been roundly criticizing the finance minister's behaviour. In May, John Heldrich of Swift Denim wrote to him, saying that the lifting of tariff barriers would have an impact on the market and a direct negative impact on the factory in Drummondville. Six hundred jobs have already been lost there. Sixty more people were let go last week.
How does the minister respond to John Heldrich? What does he have to say to the workers at Swift Denim?
Textile and Clothing Industry November 5th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, for months now, the representatives of the textile industry have been denouncing the federal government's wait and see attitude and asking for strong intervention to help the industry get through this crisis. The affected jobs in this sector number in the thousands, and that has an impact on the economy of several regions of Quebec.
What is the government waiting for to introduce the safeguards proposed by the Bloc Québécois among others?
Jean Lemire November 2nd, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society will be presenting Jean Lemire from Drummondville with its gold medal for his mission and his five documentaries on the impact of climate change on the wildlife and the inhabitants of the Arctic. Since their first screening in 2003, these documentaries have been seen by more than 10 million people.
Trained as a biologist, Jean Lemire makes us realize that the thawing permafrost is distressing proof that the Arctic is suffering the effects of global warming.
In September 2005, he will head out for the Antarctic, one of regions most seriously affected by climate change. He and his team will spend one year aboard their sailboat and produce a series of movies for the International Polar Year, in 2007.
Congratulations to Jean Lemire and all his team. May his movies encourage us all to take aggressive action to save our planet.
GalArt 2004 October 26th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, to reward the work and involvement of artists in our region, the cultural development council for central Quebec will be holding its GalArt 2004 this evening.
For this second edition of the gala, the council received 65 nominations from the five RCMs in the region, 17 as compared to 24 in 2003.
To add to the festive atmosphere, guest artists will be performing on stage, including the Sylvain Marcotte jazz trio from Drummondville, Carolane Doyon from Warwick, the regional winner of the Cégeps en spectacle 2004 competition, and a wind trio from the Drummondville symphonic orchestra.
Finally, the evening will be topped off by a showing of a video documentary by Productions Benoît Jean. The documentary will showcase the cultural wealth of our region, featuring some 25 artists and cultural stakeholders visited by the film crew.
On behalf of my colleagues, the hon. members for Richmond—Arthabaska, for Mégantic—L'Érable and for Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, I wish the best of luck to all our artists.