Alain Therrien

[Guests in the House of Commons, September 25th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, what happened in the House on Friday is having serious consequences. The media around the world are talking about it, and the Russian media are already using it as propaganda. In wartime, this type of propaganda could help recruit Russian soldiers to go fight Ukraine.

An incident like this one can also have a negative impact on our efforts to seek international support. It is tragic, because this is a time of war. The repercussions are real.

What does the government intend to do to fix the damage caused by what happened on Friday?

[Apology by the Speaker, September 25th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, today, before I speak about the situation at hand, I would like to say that my thoughts are with those who suffered the horrors of the Second World War, which claimed 70 million lives. It was one of the darkest periods in history, particularly for the Jewish community, which at the time bore the full brunt of a ruthless invader's unspeakable aggression.

As you well know, I have always thought you have done an exceptional job, Mr. Speaker. I have always made a point of telling you so. I rise today with a great deal of emotion.

For us, you have always been a beacon. We have never doubted your actions or suggestions, so much so that, on Friday, when you proposed that we recognize this individual, who turned out to be someone who helped the Nazis, we would never have thought that he was anything but a person who deserved to be recognized in the House.

Afterwards, we realized that he did not deserve it, that he was someone with a dark and grim past. It came as a shock to us to learn that you were somehow responsible for his recognition in the House.

That being said, you have apologized to us and I do not question the sincerity of your apology. I am appealing to your wisdom. It is up to you and your conscience to decide whether this apology is enough. I want to rise above partisanship because what we are talking about today needs to be free of partisanship. This is serious. There will be consequences for the Ukrainian people, for the leader of Ukraine, who will likely be caught up in this situation.

Quebeckers and Canadians, who are wholeheartedly behind the people of Ukraine and their leader, did not want this. Ukrainians are fighting for freedom. Their leader is a Ukrainian liberation hero. Unfortunately, he will end up being tainted by a mistake he did not make.

[Housing, September 19th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I find it very difficult to understand why this has not been resolved yet. With the exception of Quebeckers who are struggling to find housing, no one needs good news about housing nearly as much as this Prime Minister does. It would be a win-win, especially for him.

He has $900 million worth of good news on his hands, yet he is the one who is dawdling.

What is he waiting for? He should pay out the money and finally make an announcement that is good for Quebeckers.

[Housing, September 19th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, in the midst of a housing crisis, $900 million earmarked for housing in Quebec is being held hostage in Ottawa's coffers. Why? The reason is that this Prime Minister says that he will not give Quebec the money unless he can impose conditions on it.

Simply put, the only thing the Prime Minister should be asking Quebec is into which account he should transfer the money. We are in a crisis and the Prime Minister is delaying $900 million in housing starts. I am appealing to his sense of responsibility.

Will he finally transfer the money?

[Foreign Affairs, September 18th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we have just learned what happened. We are stunned and shocked. This is unacceptable; I am sure we all agree.

First and foremost, I would like to offer my condolences to all the family and friends who are suffering through this unacceptable ordeal.

Foreign countries must respect our borders. Our law enforcement agencies are responsible for intervening on our territory, in compliance with our laws. We are a country governed by the rule of law. Everyone must respect that, at all times, without exception. Parliament must make that message clear to the perpetrators, to those to whom we are addressing our remarks today. We must remain calm. We must watch carefully and see how the case develops.

In the meantime, the Bloc Québécois is offering the Prime Minister its full co-operation, because this situation is unacceptable.

[Housing, September 18th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, if housing is a priority for the Liberals, they should free up the $900 million that is rightfully ours to build housing. It cannot get much simpler than that.

However, the Liberals are doing the opposite. They are withholding the $900 million for housing. What message does that send to Quebeckers who are struggling to find decent housing? It says that they not the government's priority. They come second to jurisdictional squabbles. It is irresponsible. It is not what Quebeckers expect from the federal government.

When is the government going to pay out the $900 million for housing?

[Housing, September 18th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, in the midst of a housing crisis, Quebeckers want elected officials to find solutions. So far, elected officials in Ottawa have not found solutions; they have found scapegoats. They blame Quebec's cities for Ottawa's failures.

In a surprise move, the municipalities pointed out that the federal government is withholding $900 million earmarked for housing in the midst of a housing crisis. Ottawa has been depriving Quebec of $900 million in housing for the past six months.

Now is not the time for squabbling; now is the time for construction projects. It is time to be responsible. Will the government release our $900 million immediately?

[Business of Supply, June 21st, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I certainly do not support cryptocurrency, which creates inflation.

I would like to highlight an important point that I did not previously mention. Introducing a plan to return to balanced budgets will have an impact on the economy and inflation by changing expectations about inflation. Inflation feeds itself. Forecasting inflation is enough to create it and to throw us in an inflationary spiral. Proposing a plan to balance the budget will lower expectations of inflation occurring. This curbs salary increases, which in turn limits inflation.

[Business of Supply, June 21st, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I commend the work of my colleague.

People often say it is a question of supply and demand. Often, the people who talk about supply and demand do not understand the concept. I am not throwing stones at anyone, but that is what it comes down to.

What is happening now is that, with the higher salaries and the growing population, the demand for housing has increased significantly. If we allow the price of homes to go up, at some point there will not be housing for everyone because the population is growing. What is more, there are people who now have the means to go live in an apartment who may not have had the means before. We need to work on supply.

If we do not work on supply, we are doomed to have shortages because we will not have enough housing to offer to people as demand keeps growing. Demographics are important and they are not being taken into consideration right now. Let us work on supply. That is the best way to ensure that people can have housing, but also that they can afford it.

[Business of Supply, June 21st, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague, and I thank him for his question and his compliments, as well. We have the right to accept them. I am not criticizing. I am answering my colleague's question. I think that the hallmark of this government is that it is short-sighted. We saw it with the Chinese interference. The government is going along, but it is not always easy to get on the best path to improve the situation of the community in Quebec and Canada.

That is what we are also seeing with the policies that this government adopts. It chooses the easy way out. There is a reason for the dental care plan. Tax credits and subsidies for oil companies are easy. People want them. There is no problem. That is the old way of doing things. When I suggest ways of motivating retirees to return to the labour market, it is not a short-sighted policy. Social and affordable housing are not short-term policies. In economics, we call working on productivity a long-term policy. It takes vision.

This government often makes me think of a pirate that has a patch over both eyes, not just one.