Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was quebec.

Last in Parliament April 1997, as Bloc MP for Lotbinière (Québec)

Lost his last election, in 2008, with 1% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Referendum Campaign October 23rd, 1995

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs belittled Quebecers on the weekend by intimating that Quebec would be too small to penetrate world markets. Quebecers will simply not stand for such belittlement and will continue to maintain a steady course for sovereignty, despite the waves created and the flotsam strewn in their way by the advocates of the status quo.

In response to the minister, who claimed that voting yes was like trading an ocean liner for a rowboat, we offer the remarks of the Mayor of Granby, who said: "And I say this to you: the Titanic is listing dangerously. The time has come for us to get off the luxury liner in a calm and orderly fashion and board the Quebec flagship''.

And this is exactly what Quebecers will do on October 30.

Patriation Of The Constitution October 20th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Marc Lalonde, a former Liberal minister and an old fellow traveller of the Prime Minister's, stated that the federalists did not have to apologize for unilaterally patriating the constitution in 1982.

Is it Quebecers' fault that the federalists patriated the Canadian constitution without Quebec's agreement and despite the opposition of all parties in the National Assembly? Is it Quebecers' fault

that all efforts to bring Quebec back into the Canadian family fold failed, that the rest of Canada rejected the Meech Lake accord, that they felt too much was given to Quebec in the Charlottetown accord?

Now that they have shown they could shove the country's fundamental law down our throats with impunity, the only alternative left for Quebecers is to leave with honour and dignity, their heads held high, and to take their destiny into their own hands.

National Co-Operative Week October 18th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect for all those who have contributed to the development of co-operatives that I want to emphasize the importance of National Co-Operative Week and of International Credit Union Day.

The co-op movement reflects the values of mutual help and solidarity which are dear to Quebecers and Canadians. In many regions, the co-op movement provided the solution to ensure an harmonious development geared to the needs of the local community. Agricultural co-operatives were among the first to support the economic development of our regions. They provided an efficient and economical tool to ensure that the required services were available for agricultural production. Co-operatives have played, and continue to play, an important role in job creation. They provide over 133,000 jobs to Canadians and Quebecers.

The co-op system has fully shown its usefulness. It is an important component of Quebec's economy. Just think of the strength of the caisses populaires Desjardins and of the dairy co-operatives. The co-op movement is based on a local community taking charge; by pooling its resources and working as a team, it can be very successful.

This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the International Co-operative Alliance. It is an opportunity to reflect on the

fact that, for decades now, people all over the world have believed in the virtues of the co-op movement and have worked hard to make these known to others.

I congratulate these people, I encourage them to keep up the good work, and I wish them the best of success in their future endeavours.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation October 16th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is inundating us with subliminal advertising in the midst of the referendum campaign, which is not a problem for Radio-Canada. The no side's messages state that the sovereignist leaders are claiming to the be only real Quebecers, when in fact they have never said such a thing. And yet, Radio-Canada is airing this message.

However, the message of the yes side showing how the federal government has systematically refused to listen to Quebec's demands is not acceptable. Radio-Canada suddenly remembers its advertising standards and refuses to air this message. This decision is incomprehensible and surprises even the Telecaster Committee, which approves its broadcast.

The truth is that the yes side's message was so effective government officials demanded it be rejected. This is the behaviour of a side in a panic and with nothing to offer Quebec.

Bovine Somatotropin June 14th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture.

Last year, the Minister of Agriculture declared a moratorium on the use of bovine somatotropin, or BST, to allow the dairy industry to adjust and to give the public the information it needs. Although these two requirements have still not been met, the minister indicated in this House yesterday that he had no intention of extending his moratorium.

Does the minister recognize that the public still does not have the information it needs on BST and that the dairy industry is in no position to meet consumers' demands for a way to distinguish dairy products with BST from those without?

Bovine Somatotropin June 13th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, less than 19 days before the moratorium expires, the Minister of Agriculture must admit that both the public and the dairy industry expect him to act quickly. Does the minister undertake today in this House to extend the moratorium on the use of BST?

Bovine Somatotropin June 13th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture.

According to an Angus Reid survey, three out of four consumers are concerned about the use of BST. Even the dairy industry is against it. The Dairy Council, which represents processors, rejects this product, deeming it unnecessary and undesirable, while dairy producers have demanded that the minister extend the moratorium.

Does the minister admit that neither the dairy industry nor consumers want BST on the market and that they all want the moratorium to be extended?

Canadian Occupational Health And Safety Week June 12th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in this House today on this first day of the Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Week, the theme of which this year is "Reach Out and Communicate".

It is extremely important to celebrate this week in order to make all stakeholders in the work force aware of the importance of a safe and healthy work environment.

Some fatal or serious accidents could have been avoided. Every day, two workers are killed and, every 38 seconds, an accident happens which could require compensation to be paid. The time has come to tackle vigorously what must not be regarded as inevitable.

Quebec has adopted very strict measures to limit occupational hazards, and the Bloc Quebecois applauds such determination. It is now up to the work force in Canada to clearly give priority to this fundamental aspect of work.

Budget Implementation Act, 1995 June 5th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, it is my duty today to denounce one of the worst incursions in the history of federalism into provincial jurisdiction. Bill C-76, an act to implement certain provisions of the last federal budget, opens the door to all kinds of federal interventionism in jurisdictions belonging to Quebec and the other provinces, and also widens the scope of its incursions.

As far as deficit-fighting measures go, we have seen better. All that the federal government could dream up was a merger of all of its transfer payments for health, social services and post-secondary eduction into one payment: the Canada social transfer. They hope to take on the deficit by offloading to the provinces.

For 1995-96, the transfer to the provinces will effectively be reduced by $2.5 billion; for 1997-98, it will be cut by $4.5 billion. If this transpires, Quebec's shortfall could be in the neighbourhood of $1.9 billion, if the distribution of the Canada social transfer is determined by the criterion of population. That, at least, is the criterion which would be most favourable to the government, as it would result in Quebec having to shoulder close to 42 per cent of the cuts in transfer payments for 1997-98. If the federal government were to continue using the current distribution method, Quebec's shortfall would still be approximately $1.2 billion.

The federal government would use these centralizing measures to relegate Quebec and the other provinces to a purely consultative role. At first glance it seemed as though the Canada social transfer would give the provinces the transfer money they needed to carry out their responsibilities, since the federal government would be withdrawing from areas of provincial jurisdiction, or so the government wanted us to believe.

In reality, the bill maintains the national health standards and provides for the addition of new standards in the areas of social welfare and post-secondary education. What happens if the provinces do not meet these standards? The government hits where it hurts, in the wallet. It will cut off their rations, like it did for our society's most disadvantaged: the unemployed and welfare recipients.

This is the point we have reached in this country. The government wants to impose national standards unilaterally in areas of provincial jurisdiction. The provinces-imagine that-will be consulted. Nothing in this bill requires provincial approval for the implementation of standards imposed by the federal government. This means that, in areas as sensitive as health and education, the federal government will be entitled to say to the provinces: "Your program does not meet national standards. If you do not arrange it the way we want, we will cut off funding". Not only is this government making unprecedented cuts to social programs, but it is imposing national standards in areas of provincial jurisdiction. I wonder whether Pierre Elliott Trudeau ever went so far? And this is no compliment to the current government.

Bill C-76 will enable the federal government to tell Quebec and the other provinces, at the end of unsuccessful negotiations, for example, that it is cutting them off if they do not accept its standards. It is just that subtle. In Quebec, the message will be understood as: "Toe the line or you are dead". Quebecers will choose this fall to suffer such humiliation or to form a country. Elsewhere in the country, people are not thrilled about the bill either.

Take for instance the Canadian Council which criticized Bill C-76 in these terms when it appeared before the finance committee: "If the federal government tries to impose national standards without giving the money that goes with it, it will simply get negative responses from the provinces".

This bill will have numerous deplorable effects. Let us take manpower development in Quebec for example. Bill C-76 will allow the Minister of Human Resources Development to go forward with his intention to grab the savings coming from his unemployment insurance reform in order to create a human resources investment fund.

And this fund will be used, among other things, for manpower training programs, a jurisdiction that Quebec has been claiming for many years under governments from all political allegiances. Students also will be hit. Since their grants will be reduced, universities will have no other choice but to increase tuition fees, which will force students to borrow even more.

I suggest that this government is a past master in the art of getting into debt. Yet, as far as I know, the federal government can no longer afford to interfere in provincial jurisdictions. Following the last budget, the government has made it clear that it intends to reduce its participation in the funding of Quebec social programs to about 28 per cent.

While footing only 28 per cent of the bill, the government still wants to assume the right to interfere in our business by imposing its national standards. Fortunately, by 1998, Quebec will have taken its own destiny into its hands. The Bloc Quebecois knows exactly what the Minister of Finance and this government are up to.

The bill has two objectives: first, to obliterate Quebec's claims in its own jurisdictions and, second, to hide from the people the truth about transfer cuts to the provinces and the effects that these cuts will have, especially two years from now.

Federal transfers to Quebec, and I want to specify here that this is Quebecers' money, taken from the $30 billion in taxes they sent to Ottawa, will be reduced by 32 per cent between 1994-95 and 1997-98.

The bill is a perfect example of what motivates us to want to become sovereign; this is plain interference, except that this time the government is going further than any other centralizing government has ever gone. We denounce that and the people will hear us.

Francophone And Acadian Communities June 5th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, francophone minorities outside Quebec still face multiple frustrations ranging from the violation of their education rights to the lack of adequate government services in French at both the provincial and federal levels. Yet, instead of helping Acadian and other francophone communities, the Liberals prefer to lend a hand to their gravediggers.

This weekend, the leader of the Liberal Party in Ontario confirmed her opposition to any plan to establish a French language university in Ontario. Mrs. McLeod did not hesitate to violate the constitutional rights of francophones in her province by delaying the creation of a French school board. At the same time, the Government of the Northwest Territories is following in the footsteps of the Ontario Liberals by refusing to recognize the education rights of the French speaking minority in its new education law. In the meantime, the federal Liberals are greeting this infringement of francophones' rights with silence.