Alain Therrien

[Health, November 30th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, in a few hours, the government will be delivering its economic update.

Perhaps we will find out at that time how the government plans to jump-start the recovery. Regardless of the measures it takes, it is impossible to jump-start the recovery if we are still in the midst of a pandemic.

It is not complicated. No vaccines mean no economic recovery. To date, the government has still not presented a vaccination plan. Perhaps it is keeping the plan a secret, but that is worrisome. My question is simple. When will the government present its vaccination plan?

[Health, November 26th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, Émile de Girardin once said, “Governing means looking ahead.” I believe the government members have no idea what that means. We have been waiting for months.

The federal government should have closed the borders quickly to halt the spread of the virus. It did not. It should have approved rapid testing to prevent the second wave. It did not. It should have increased health transfers so that Quebec could take care of sick Quebeckers. It did not. It should have obtained vaccines as a priority. It did not. This government deserves a big fat “F” for this monumental failure.

Will it at least have the decency to answer the Government of Quebec? When will we have a vaccine?

[Health, November 26th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, while the Government of Quebec is trying to plan for the COVID-19 vaccine, it has yet to hear anything from Ottawa. It was not until this week, in November, that the federal government said that we would not have a vaccine before or after Christmas. Come on. Quebeckers have been making huge sacrifices for eight months now. They are anxiously awaiting the vaccine, and they deserve to get information.

When, exactly, will they have the vaccine? Will it be in March, in July or in 2028? When?

[Child Care, November 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I believe you will find that there is unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House of Commons urge the government to ensure that the obligations of online undertakings to invest in Canadian creation and production in the new Broadcasting Act set a minimum investment threshold for creation and production of no less than 40% for original French-language production and no less than 5% for original Indigenous-language production.

[Intergovernmental Affairs, November 24th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, today the appeal court began hearing the challenge to Quebec's Bill 99 on its right to self-determination.

The Bloc Québécois would like to reiterate that the Quebec people have an inalienable right to self-determination. We want to reiterate that democracy means 50% of the votes plus one vote. We want to reiterate that the Quebec people are the only masters of their future, which will be decided in the National Assembly and not here. We strongly condemn the federal government's participation in this attack on Quebeckers' freedom of choice. We denounce the Government of Canada for participating in a course of action that is tantamount to authoritarianism. We denounce the fact that, once again, Ottawa is using Quebec taxpayers' money to fund its bid to violate their rights.

I will close by quoting staunch federalist Robert Bourassa, who said that no matter what anyone says or does, Quebec is and always will be a distinct and free society capable of taking charge of its own destiny.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, November 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, when the government extended the Canada emergency wage subsidy until next summer, the Bloc Québécois proposed an amendment to cut off access for political parties. The government voted against that, supposedly because it did not like how we worded the amendment. I gave the Liberals two weeks to get back to me with wording that would suit them, but I have had no response.

Was it really the wording they did not like, or was it actually the idea that they would have to pay back the $800,000 they have taken out of the money intended for charities and SMEs?

[Official Languages, November 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, that is an exception in the Liberal Party.

The Liberals' culture has long been hostile toward the French language. One half hour after apologizing for underestimating the decline of French, the member for Saint-Laurent liked a tweet stating that this decline is greatly exaggerated. That is just unbelievable.

When the Bloc wanted to apply Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses, the member for Mount Royal rose in the House and stated that it was shameful. Today, the Bloc has returned with an actual bill to protect the French language.

Which Liberal camp will win: the one that says it wants to take action or, as usual, the one that shows contempt for the French language?

[Official Languages, November 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, on the weekend, the Minister of Official Languages declared that we are on the verge of a linguistic crisis.

I have news for her. French has been in decline in Quebec for a long time, and much of the blame for that lies with the federal government, whether Liberal or Conservative. She is like a pyromaniac who yells “fire!”. Ottawa has been gutting Bill 101 since 1977. Ottawa funds organizations that challenge Quebec laws. Ottawa opposes the application of Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses.

Will the government admit that the linguistic crisis is largely Ottawa's doing?

[Official Languages, November 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say they want to defend French in Quebec, but they do not walk the talk.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister said that he supported Bill 101, but the federal government has been gutting it since 1977. This government has refused to apply Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses. The Liberals even said at the time that it was a disgrace.

Today, the Bloc is proposing a bill to make an adequate knowledge of French a condition for becoming a citizen in Quebec. The Liberals do not want that, and they will be voting against it.

At the end of the day, is the Liberal Party’s real position on French in Quebec the same as the position of the member for Saint-Laurent?

[Public Services and Procurement, November 18th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, last month, the government pushed for the creation of a special committee to study all COVID-19-related spending.

Since then we have learned that $371 million was awarded to just one man for medical gowns for twice the price, a man who was selling protein drinks out of his basement, not medical supplies. We also learned that the government had given $237 million, which is $100 million too much, to former MP Frank Baylis, who just a year ago was still a Liberal MP.

Can the Prime Minister explain to us why he does not want us to have this committee to study COVID-19 spending?