House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2025, with 35% of the vote.
Business of Supply February 10th, 2022
Madam Speaker, this morning, we got some good news from the leader of the official opposition. She is finally asking the protesters to leave. Will she also ask her MPs to stop taking thumbs-up selfies in support of the truckers? I do not know.
My question is simple. What will she do if the protesters do not leave?
Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act February 7th, 2022
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-239, An Act to amend An Act to authorize the making of certain fiscal payments to provinces, and to authorize the entry into tax collection agreements with provinces.
Mr. Speaker, it is well known that Quebeckers are the only ones who have to file two income tax returns come tax time. The desire for a single tax return administered by one specific government, in this case the Government of Quebec, is gaining traction. With this change, Quebeckers would only have to file one tax return, and one government would be responsible for collecting the other government's taxes.
The idea of moving to a single tax collection system reached a pivotal point on May 15, 2018, when the Parti Québécois MNA for Sanguinet introduced a motion calling for a single tax return in the Quebec National Assembly. This motion was unanimously adopted.
Subsequent polls showed that more than 70% of Quebeckers were in favour of a single tax return administered by the Government of Quebec.
Lastly, the Research Institute on Self-Determination of Peoples and National Independence conducted a study in 2020 that showed that a single tax return in Quebec would save more than $425 million a year.
This bill would finally allow Quebeckers to file a single return, which would be administered by the Government of Quebec.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
COVID-19 Protests February 7th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, the problem with this government is that it is incapable of being proactive.
This has been dragging on for 10 days. The City of Ottawa asks the government to intervene and it does nothing. The Ottawa police chief asks the government to intervene and it does nothing. The public asks the government to intervene and it does nothing. The Bloc Québécois makes proposals to the government and it does nothing.
It took Mark Carney, the future leader of the Liberal Party, to write an op-ed in The Globe and Mail for the government to wake up and decide it was time to do something. That was enough for the government.
Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that this whole thing is resolved by the end of the week?
COVID-19 Protests February 7th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, Ottawa has been under siege for 10 days. For five days, the Bloc Québécois has been proposing a crisis task force made up of the different levels of government and police forces. Now, five days later, the minister is finally announcing that he will create this task force. That is good news, but we have been waiting for it for a long time. Five days is a long time for the residents who are being bullied. I applaud the creation of this task force.
Now, when will it meet? What is the deadline for the game plan?
The clock is ticking.
COVID-19 Protests February 3rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I heard the Prime Minister say again this morning that the Ottawa police need to do their job against these occupiers, but the police have been doing their job since day one. It is the feds who are hiding.
From day one, the Prime Minister has been adding fuel to the fire and then hiding behind the police, like a little boy in a schoolyard. The Ottawa police are exhausted. Yesterday the police chief said that this is a national problem, not a City of Ottawa problem, and he is right.
When will the federal government take responsibility? Where is the Minister of Public Safety in this whole mess?
Health February 3rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister is not capable of being clear. We are talking about health transfers.
I will show her what it means to be clear. A total of 85% of Canadians and 86% of Quebeckers agree with the provinces and Quebec, which are calling for the federal government to increase health transfers from 22% to 35%. That is clear: 85%.
It is not just the Bloc Québécois, Quebec, the provinces or the government who are calling for this. It is everyone.
Will the minister respond positively to everyone's request and increase health transfers to 35%?
Health February 3rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, according to a Leger poll that came out yesterday, Quebeckers and Canadians have made it clear that health is their priority.
They have made it clear that the health care system is getting worse, the pandemic has had a negative impact on health care, Ottawa is not contributing its fair share of funding, and Ottawa needs to do more. They have been clear about all of this.
Can the Deputy Prime Minister also be clear and tell us whether she will increase health transfers to 35%?
Privilege February 1st, 2022
Madam Speaker, I would like to mention that the Bloc Québécois wishes to invoke our right of reply to the question of privilege raised by my worthy colleague, the House leader of the official opposition.
Health January 31st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, protesters are not the only ones who are fed up. People, in general, have had it. Health care workers are exhausted. People who spent yet another holiday season alone are fed up. The economic sectors that see no end in sight are fed up.
People are at the end of their rope, and the anger and frustration we are seeing is understandable. Everyone acknowledges that hate is not the solution, but none of this is getting us anywhere. How, exactly, is the government going to get us out of this crisis?
COVID-19 Protests January 31st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, you would have to be wilfully blind to not see that the situation is deteriorating. Ottawa's downtown is paralyzed, bridges are closed, members who have been elected by millions of people are having trouble getting to Parliament.
Thousands of people, mainly truckers, but also others with other concerns, are protesting against these measures. There is one problem: They are protesting against the measures that will end this pandemic.
This is an impasse, and we cannot afford this kind of impasse in these times. What will the government do to deal with this crisis?