Alain Therrien

[Small Business, November 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is the economic update. The finance minister has to understand that fiscal restraint does not mean austerity at the expense of small businesses. More than 220,000 SMEs face bankruptcy if the minister refuses to extend by one year the deadline for the CEBA loan repayment with no loss of the grant portion. The Quebec National Assembly demanded this extension. The Premier of Quebec and the other premiers demanded this extension. Everyone is demanding more flexibility for SMEs from the federal government. It is unanimous.

Will the minister finally give businesses the extension they so desperately need tomorrow?

[Contribution of Bernard Lemaire, November 9th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion:

That the House salutes Bernard Lemaire's immense contribution to the development of the Quebec business community and the green economy in Quebec, Canada and around the world, and offer its condolences to his family and loved ones.

[Public Services and Procurement, November 9th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, Bombardier is not asking for charity; it simply wants to be allowed to compete. Even that is too much for the Liberals. For the oil companies out west or the auto industry in Ontario, the Liberals are there. For Quebec and the aerospace industry, they are there too, but only to get in the way. They generously hand out taxpayer money to the Americans, to keep Americans working, but not Quebeckers.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry is a Quebecker. When will he stand up for Quebec, bang his fist on the table and launch a competition?

[Public Services and Procurement, November 9th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, premiers François Legault and Doug Ford released a public statement calling for an open competition to replace the Aurora aircraft. That is all they are asking for, an open competition. The Liberals need to end their policies that are hurting Quebec and the aerospace industry. They have no business offering $9 billion without a bidding process to Boeing instead of Bombardier. They have no business giving Quebeckers' money to the Americans without a competition. Liberal policies are harmful for Quebec, period.

When will the Liberals launch a competition?

[Canadian Heritage, November 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, our television is the medium through which information is shared with the people. It is the medium through which our culture is shared. Our television reminds us who we are, what we can create and what makes us unique, things that the streaming services of this world like YouTube, Netflix and Disney+ will never be able to do. Our television is produced by us and for us. It is in grave danger. As we watch it slowly fade to black, we are waiting for Ottawa to wake up. Time is running out.

What will it take for the government to wake up?

[Canadian Heritage, November 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, last week, TVA had to lay off a third of its employees. That means that 547 people who work in Quebec television are losing their jobs just like that. This is a disaster. If it happened at TVA, it is going to happen elsewhere too. This is definitely going to happen again. We will not turn a blind eye and say that the new Broadcasting Act or Bill C‑18 is going to fix everything.

The question is simple. Will the government stand by while our television slowly dies or will it review everything to save conventional television?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, November 1st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, there has to be a limit to spouting nonsense. Quebec was not consulted about the federal government's immigration targets. Quebec has said as much. This means that the targets the federal government is going to announce do not take into account Quebec's integration capacity.

Does the minister know how many additional classrooms will have to be opened to accommodate the children of families immigrating here in 2024? Does he know how many teachers, psychotherapists, speech therapists and special educators will need to be hired?

If the minister does not have those answers, will he at least cancel his press conference and look for the answers with Quebec and the provinces?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, November 1st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois motion we are voting on shortly calls on the government to review its immigration targets starting in 2024, after consulting with Quebec and the provinces about their integration capacity.

The minister, however, is preparing to unveil his immigration targets even though no one has been consulted. During a scrum today, Quebec's immigration minister confirmed that there had been no consultation.

Instead of doing one thing and voting the opposite, will the minister cancel his press conference and consult Quebec before announcing his immigration targets?

[Points of Order, October 31st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, you often mention the need to improve the tone in the House, and it is with that in mind that I rise on a point of order.

In answer to the second question of my hon. colleague from Saint-Jean, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said that “on the Bloc Québécois side, there is a foolish refusal to understand”.

I think you will agree that these remarks are unparliamentary. I therefore demand that the minister withdraw those comments and apologize.

[Business of Supply, October 31st, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I commend the work and speech of my colleague, the leader of the Bloc Québécois.

We often simplify things, and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship did so by saying that immigrants arrive here and build their own homes. I have a problem with that, because the issue of integration capacity goes further than that. It is not simply a matter of labour.

There is a town in my riding that has no more water. There is a moratorium in place, and not a single new home can be built there. Yes, there is a need to build more housing, but there is also infrastructure that cannot be neglected either. That is part of integration capacity.

Another town in my riding is a farming community. This town has protected farmland where housing cannot be built. This is called green zoning. The town has no more lots where housing can be built, which we call white zoning. What can we do if we want to build housing to accommodate more people?

My question is simple. When talking about integration capacity, are we also talking about infrastructure or land that is managed, in the case of Quebec, by the Quebec government?