Lost his last election, in 2004, with 43% of the vote.
Canada Labour Code February 24th, 1998
I rise on a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
I stood up to ask a question but, you will notice that, on your left, two members of the Reform Party were given the floor. I would have liked to ask a question, but time is running out. I would have liked to talk about strike-breakers.
Quebec Minister Of Intergovernmental Affairs February 23rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome Mr. Brassard to the club of the misquoted.
Over the weekend, the Quebec intergovernmental affairs minister finally admitted chaos could result if the Quebec government were to unilaterally declare Quebec's independence.
This is quite an admission, especially since the sovereignists and the Bloc have been trying for weeks to make us believe they could ignore the law of the land with complete impunity.
Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard quickly distanced himself from his minister's comments on the chaos that could result from a unilateral declaration of independence by Quebec, emphasizing that Mr. Brassard had been misquoted.
If Mr. Brassard keeps it up, I bet he will be part of the next Bouchard government shuffle, just because he is starting to aggravate the separatist troops.
Questions On The Order Paper February 16th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, early in December 1997, I had three questions placed in the Order Paper and Notice Paper, namely Questions Nos. 53, 62 and 63, about the construction of some RCMP detachments in Rouyn-Noranda that would cost more than $1 million to accommodate only one secretary.
The 45-day period has expired. When can the people of Abitibi—Témiscamingue expect answers to my questions?
Quebec Premier February 16th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, when was Premier Bouchard's last speech on the importance of education for Quebec?
When was Premier Bouchard's last speech on paying the men and women who stay at home?
When was Premier Bouchard's last speech on the Quebec mining fund promised by the Parti Quebecois?
If you cannot remember, do not blame a failing memory; it did not fail you, as Lise Bissonnette wrote last week in Le Devoir .
Canada-Quebec Relations February 12th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, yesterday a group of political science experts released a working document which attempted to identify some potential solutions for settling the problem of Canada-Quebec relations.
Those experts included Prof. Guy Laforest, well-known across Canada and a staunch member of the Yes side during the last referendum campaign. According to him, one of the weakness of the Government of Quebec was its inability to demonstrate the validity of the sovereignist project.
Such an expert opinion is worth its weight in gold. It confirms that the people of Quebec made the right choice in the two Quebec referendums in 1980 and 1995, namely to opt in favour of keeping Quebec within Canada.
Quebec's Rural Development February 10th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, from now on, new federal policies and programs will be closely scrutinized to determine their impact on rural areas.
This announcement was made yesterday in Rimouski by the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, who was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Agri-Food and Fisheries and Oceans, and by the Liberal member for Bellechasse—Etchemins—Montmagny—L'Islet, at the conference held by Quebec's Solidarité rurale.
The president of Solidarité rurale, Jacques Proulx, called the plan a “great victory for rural Quebec”. This decision will make the Canadian government a special partner in ensuring the future of rural development in Quebec.
It will enable the Canadian government to promote local development within a global vision.
Sixty Minutes February 9th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, on the weekend we were subjected to an attack by an American network, CBS, in its report on Quebec's language policies on
Sixty Minutes
It is one thing to agree or disagree with Quebec's decisions which are aimed at protecting and promoting the French language, but it is quite another to show so much subjectivity in denouncing bodies and regulations, the underlying principle of which is to reaffirm the position of francophones within the vast expanse of North America.
Contrary to what was said throughout that report, we do not believe that Quebec wishes to be a francophone enclave within North America, for the simple reason that it has, for decades, been working in every possible way to promote the French language and culture.
In a desire for objectivity, the people responsible for the program should have shown the other side of the coin, giving a complete picture of the collective efforts focussed on promoting the French culture in America.
Supply February 5th, 1998
Immediately.
Ice Storm 1998 February 4th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, true, we in northern Quebec, in Abitibi, were not affected by the ice storm, but I must tell you that when I got back to my Val-d'Or residence last Saturday, January 10, around 11 p.m., after an evening that my wife and I spent with the people of Barraute and Senneterre, I noted several phone calls on the device next to my telephone.
In fact, I took note of all the calls I received Saturday night, and on Sunday morning, January 11, around 8:30 a.m., I was back at my rigding office in Val-d'Or. I took the time to immediately call back some numbers and after dialling the first one, that is, 824-3326, I recognized the voice of somebody I know very well, that is, Réginald Béland, from Val-Senneville, who is a fabulous volunteer of the Val-d'Or area and who told me of his concern to help the ice storm victims.
Together with him and on his advice, I immediately took action, Sunday morning, around 9 a.m., I called Jean-Marc Lavoie, of Domtar Corporation, at his Val-d'Or residence. Further to our discussions and at my request, Mr. Lavoie called me back to confirm that Domtar in Val-d'Or was giving the people of the south 8 to 10 vans filled with 2 by 4s, that is, dry wood for the people of the south—some kind of firewood. These vans were 46 feet long.
So, on Sunday morning, thanks to quick decision making by Domtar executives in Val-d'Or, we were ready to help the people affected by the storm.
It is true that we live in the North and that we were spared, but we made it a priority to ensure the security and protection of the people in southern Quebec. As we know, in an emergency situation, municipal governments are on the front lines and we immediately noticed the work done by the Vallée-de-l'Or and Abitibi RCMs.
Many Abitibians were part of the solidarity movement. They may live far from Montreal and the St. Lawrence River, but they nonetheless felt affected by the disaster that hit further south. In no time, people from the Abitibi came out in droves to help their fellow citizens.
Several municipalities and organizations released their employees and sent volunteers to help collect and ship non-perishable food, firewood, generators and other essential items. Besides municipalities and community organizations, several companies from Abitibi also did their part by providing services, sharing their expertise, transporting goods, making donations, etc.
The Val-d'Or ham radio club launched its Operation Chaleur to collect funds in collaboration with area firefighters. Hydro-Québec sent 57 people, or almost all its linemen from Abitibi and James Bay, to areas without power.
Techno Lignes Abitibi of Sullivan sent eight work crews in the Laurentian region to assist Hydro-Québec. Eighteen workers from Barraute, Amos and Val-d'Or worked on the construction and maintenance of power and telephone lines.
The people of the federal riding of Abitibi answered massively to the ice storm operation launched throughout Quebec by the government of Quebec and Premier Lucien Bouchard. There is one fact that must not be kept unknown in Quebec: it is the agreement passed with the management of various companies.
I wish to mention in particular the general manager of Kepa Transport, Mr. Gilles Lapointe. It must be mentioned that, in cooperation with the Chisasibi Crees, this company owned by the James Bay Crees sent a 46-foot trailer loaded with 45 cords of firewood to the Saint-Hyacinthe area, over 4,000 kilometres there and back—2,000 kilometres each way—, free of charge, just to help the people.
I would like to thank the James Bay Crees as well as the Chisasibi, Mistissini, Waswanipi and Oujé-Bougoumou Crees for the help they gave the people in the south.
As for the sponsoring by the Vallée-de-l'Or regional municipality, the firewood blitz started immediately on January 12. Loading points were set up in Val-d'Or, Senneterre, Malartic, Rivière-Héva, Dubuisson, Vassan and Val-Senneville, thanks to the excellent co-operation of Louis Bourget, director general of the Vallée-de-l'Or RCM, and Yvon Frenette, member of the Val-d'Or city council. We can report tonight on the results of Operation Ice Storm in Abitibi.
The Val-d'Or area of the Vallée-de-l'Or RCM sent more than 80 volunteers, 39 46-foot trailers full of firewood, one ten-wheeler and one other truck. Domtar, which had told me on Sunday morning that it would provide eight to ten trailers, ended up providing 19 46-foot trailers to help people in the southern part of the province. It was all good, dry firewood. From the Senneterre area, 12 trailers; from another area of the region, eight trailers; and from Val-Senneville, one trailer.
According to the reports from the municipalities served by the RCM and from Domtar, that firewood was delivered to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Venise-en-Québec, Hudson, Rougemont, Granby, Vaudreuil, Dorion, Saint-Polycarpe, Carignan, Beloeil, Chambly, Mont-Saint-Grégoire, Farnham, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Athanase and Iberville.
We can also mention that, throughout Operation Ice Storm, we had extraordinary companies who gave volunteers free meals all week long, namely Rôtisserie Saint-Hubert, Val-d'Or Pizzeria, Métro Supermarché Pelletier Inc., Cafétéria chez Vic, Tim Horton, PizzaBella and Brasserie Le Pub.
We also received donations from everywhere. The volunteer work that was done and the help that was provided are also worth mentioning. A trailer cannot go anywhere without a tractor. The following companies provided trailers and a driver, free of charge, to deliver firewood to the areas affected by the storm further south. There was Cabano Kingsway, Papineau Transport, Kepa Transport, Transport Maybois, Transport du Nord-Ouest, Transport Bergeron, and R.S. Métal. Tractors were provided by the following companies: Entreprises René Paré et fils, Excavation Émilien Fournier, Transport René Hardy de La Morandière, Construction Val-d'Or, and Alain Guillemette.
Chapter 2218 of the Knights of Columbus from Amos, a town in the Abitibi regional county municipality, also participated in Operation Ice Storm. They sent some 900 cords of firewood to the southern part of the province. Four generators were provided. Donations totalling $20,850 were made. A whole trailer and 169 boxes of non-perishable food were sent. That is 65,000 pounds or 33 tons of food.
I also wish to thank the media, both print and electronic, for their unconditional support. Without them, the relief effort resulting from all this publicity would not have been possible.
Citizens, along with several organizations and businesses from the Abitibi regional county municipality, were actively involved and many donations were made.
It is an honour for me to thank the people of Abitibi, those from the municipalities, the health sector, the regional county municipalities, the Crees of James Bay, Air Creebec, Transport Canada, who throughout the ice storm and its terrible aftermath, worked relentlessly to help with wood, lodgings, donations, food and equipment.
A big thank you to all the volunteers, transport companies, Hydro-Quebec and Télébec workers, and all those who unselfishly gave their time and efforts. I thank the people of Abitibi whose generosity reminds us of the strength and beauty of the solidarity of Canadians in Quebec.
The people of Abitibi are sending a message to their neighbours to the south. They want to tell them: “Congratulations for your courage, we are thinking of you, all our best”.
Ice Storm February 4th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to stand in this House to thank the people of Abitibi at the municipal level, in the health sector and the RCMs, the James Bay Cree and the Air Creebec airline, Transport Canada and community organizations.
During the ice storm and its disastrous aftermath, they provided unending support by gathering wood and donating funds, food and equipment for the storm victims in the southern part of Quebec.
I thank the volunteers, carriers, Hydro-Quebec and Telebec workers and others who did not spare time or effort.
I also thank the people of Abitibi whose generosity brings home to Quebec the strength and beauty of Canadian solidarity.