Alain Therrien

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers pay a lot of taxes to Ottawa. It only makes sense that we get our share.

If the Canadian federation was as successful as my colleague claims, the situation in the hospitals and long-term care facilities would not be as disastrous as it is today. Health care funding should be much higher, but the federal government's contribution has decreased over the years. The Government of Quebec was forced to assume some of the federal government's responsibilities in order to provide high quality services to Quebeckers. That goes to show that federalism does not work.

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we have focused on assistance for small and medium-sized businesses, because by and large, they are the ones that will be struggling through this difficult period and who will keep struggling in the future. The Bloc Québécois believes that the assistance we can provide must be increased.

We talked about 75% of payroll, which is fine. However, we must also help them by subsidizing part of their fixed costs. In the April 11 motion, the government stated that it must subsidize a portion of fixed costs and the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons knows that. We are still waiting. I hope they will take action on that fairly quickly.

I am impatiently waiting for more assistance for business. We have gotten off to a good start, but we must not let certain businesses fall through the cracks.

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we are in an extraordinary situation, one that was unimaginable just a few weeks ago and that has prompted us to take exceptional measures.

I would like to come back to what I talked about eight days ago and remind the House that the government came here with a bill to subsidize 75% of the payroll of certain businesses in trouble. The cost of this bill alone totalled $73 billion. Surprise! The situation is so exceptional that everyone here supported the government’s proposal, which goes to show how serious the crisis is.

This is $73 billion, and I am not even talking about the rest of the spending. The bad news is that the government is using public funds. Therefore, it has to go get these public funds from somewhere. How can a government function? It is very simple. Of course, it can go into debt. However, we dare hope that at some point it will use its revenues, namely taxes.

Who likes to pay taxes besides you and me, Mr. Speaker? Very few people like to pay taxes, even though we joke that there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes. Ironically, what do people generally try to avoid? Dying and paying taxes. That is the reality.

People are then forced to pay taxes. To have people pay taxes, however, there must be tax fairness. This means that everyone must be equal under tax laws. There is vertical equity and horizontal equity. Horizontal equity requires that individuals in the same financial situation—or simply the same situation—be subject to the same tax treatment. Vertical equity requires that people with different situations be subject to a different tax treatment, intelligently thought out.

Unfortunately, as is so often the case, there is a fly in the ointment, and that is tax havens. Some businesses, especially big ones like banks, use this strategy. Why? To avoid paying taxes. They call it “fiscal optimization” because they do not want to admit it is tax avoidance. These people look us straight in the eye and say it is legal, so nobody can come after them. Under the circumstances, why not take advantage? There is a problem though: every member of society pays taxes.

The reason those people do not pay taxes is not that they do not have money or do not make a profit. On the contrary, they make so much that they can use strategies to avoid contributing their fair share to keeping our society running.

Now those same people are asking us for help. Are we against the support the government has made available to businesses? No; everyone here voted in favour of that. However, is it morally right for a business to do whatever it takes to avoid paying taxes, use accounting strategies to avoid paying taxes, and use tax havens to avoid paying taxes, then ask the state for help and get it? Essentially, in addition to not paying their fair share, these people are taking our tax dollars and using or spending them however they please.

Are we supposed to be okay with that? No, we cannot. Is anyone here okay with that? If I asked each person here whether they are okay with that, I think everyone would say no, that is outrageous. However, that is what happens.

Does this happen because we do not have the choice, because it is already a done deal and the government cannot do anything? No. On the contrary, the government can do many different things, but that takes conviction and will.

With these massive financial measures, the Liberals have one more tool at their disposal and they can tell these people that, from now on, if they want government assistance, they will have to pay their taxes and bring their money back from tax havens.

Let them do their share and we will do ours. Why do they not do that? They are saying that it is legal, but it is not right. If they do not agree to use the lever they just created with their spending, then I am telling them that there is another lever, and it involves making that practice illegal.

A regulatory change to section 5907 would make the currently legal use of tax havens illegal. Let us look the members of the government in the eye. I cannot believe that these people would not agree with the idea of making the failure to pay one's fair share of taxes illegal.

We are told that we cannot deprive these people of money because they hire Quebeckers and Canadians. They need help so that these Canadians and Quebeckers do not find themselves unemployed. That is what the Prime Minister said earlier, but it is not true. If they have money in tax havens, perhaps it is because they have the means to get through the crisis. If the money they have in tax havens is not enough, then they should bring their money back to Canada and we will help them. That is true tax equity and fairness. It is not true to say that this is impossible and no one can do it. That is wrong-headed.

It can be done. Denmark and Poland are doing it. Denmark wants to go even further. Companies registered in tax havens get no assistance. Those paying themselves dividends get no assistance. Those buying up their stock and taking advantage of low prices and the stock market crash get no assistance. Is there anything illogical about that? All we need is the will.

There are several ways to make those people pay taxes. We could have taxed sales instead of profit. Some places do that. The OECD is on it. European countries do it. That is an important point. They are making faces. We are talking about this, and they are wondering what we are talking about, but it is very clear. I am sure you understand. You are a good man, Mr. Speaker. You know what I am talking about.

My second point concerns seniors. We are calling for immediate assistance for seniors amounting to $110 per month. It would cost $1 billion a year, but that is asking too much. The Liberals claim to be helping seniors by sprinkling aid here and there. They found $73 billion to help struggling businesses cover their payroll, yet they expect me to believe that they do not have $1 billion to help a group of people whose health is at risk, a group that is isolated and is having trouble coping with rising prices. They do not have $1 billion to spare, even though they wanted to spend that much before the crisis. My colleagues can bear witness. They proposed assistance for Canadians 75 and older. They were ready to do it. Now that the situation is critical, we are proposing assistance for Canadians 65 and older. Their response is to pout and stare at us blankly as if they have no idea what we are talking about.

I am talking about the main victims of this incredibly difficult situation, namely seniors. The Liberals need to wake up, because we have been telling them about this for over a week and they keep staring at us as if we were from outer space. We are not from outer space. We are in touch with our community. The Liberals know this because they have listened to us many times. They have listened, and they must continue listening.

We are asking for $1 billion to help our seniors who are having a hard time. That is one issue. If we examine the list of the other things we are proposing, there is nothing that is very difficult or onerous. We must listen to our elders, our builders, the people who contributed to a country as extraordinary as ours. I am talking about Quebec.

We must help these people and I want the government to understand the Bloc Québécois's message. We have hammered away at it. It is said that learning happens through repetition. I can say that we have repeated it often enough. It is time to take action. That is what I want for our seniors.

[COVID-19, April 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, there are several people I want to thank today.

First and foremost, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the health care professionals and caregivers in our hospitals and long-term care centres, as well as everyone on the front lines helping our seniors and those who are sick.

I want to thank our workers in essential services: truck drivers, farmers, and workers in grocery stores, pharmacies and public services, to name a few.

I want to thank our artists who are using their creativity to make a name for themselves and make our situation a little brighter.

I want to thank all Quebeckers for their daily sacrifices, whether they are workers or business owners pausing their employment or a business; parents who are trying to juggle telework with their little monsters, their kids who miss their friends and their activities; grandparents who, in some cases, have not been able to meet a newborn grandchild; or families who are grieving and were not able to say a proper goodbye to a loved one.

Thank you, everyone. We must not give up.

[Proceedings of the House and Committees, April 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I first want to commend my colleague for Shefford for her rather persuasive remarks.

We all know that, during the pandemic, various levels of government provided assistance to all economic stakeholders in our communities. What surprises me is that, even though seniors are likely the ones being hit the hardest by this pandemic, they are still waiting for help.

I would therefore like to ask my colleague the following question: Is she surprised to see that seniors have been completely forgotten in the crisis caused by this pandemic?

[Proceedings of the House and Committees, April 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, yesterday, Quebec reported 72 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing its total to 877. Quebec has hit its COVID-19 peak. In Montreal, there is no one on the streets and everyone, or almost everyone, is in lockdown, except for essential workers. People are making sacrifices to curtail the spread of the pandemic, and the regions are closed.

At first, the leader of the official opposition proposed that the House sit four times a week. He thought about it for a while and then proposed that it sit three times a week. This morning, he had dropped to twice a week. Perhaps by early afternoon he will be suggesting that we meet once a week.

My question is simple. When I listen to the Conservatives, it seems to me that they are out of touch with what is happening in Quebec. Does the leader of the official opposition realize that Quebec is in the midst of a full-blown pandemic?

[COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her comment and her question.

While negotiating this bill, we wanted to make things better for small businesses. Many of them are in a very precarious position, which is why we asked the federal government to subsidize some of their fixed costs. With help, these businesses will not be forced to take out loans that would compromise their future and their ability to survive the crisis. If they were to take out such loans, growth and economic prosperity would be out of the question. For all these reasons, we asked the government for help, and we got subsidies to cover a portion of small businesses' fixed costs.

Quebec has always spent money on small businesses because they are economic engines for our communities and our country.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, my area is known as the garden of Quebec, because it is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. At the very least, it is home to the best black soil in Quebec.

When we talk about agriculture, an essential need and an economic activity that is often overlooked and neglected, we are obviously talking about an essential service. This is an asset that we need to protect. That much is obvious.

I am not the only person who lives in an agricultural area. We can all agree that agriculture is essential.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I return the compliment.

Back home, when negotiations are going poorly, we like to say that negotiating is like trying to eat an apple through a tennis racket. Negotiating is hard, but we end up reaching an agreement because we are reasonable people living in exceptional circumstances.

As for the virtual Parliament, our leader had already suggested that idea, and you reacted very swiftly. We agree on that idea for the safety of the people around us. Rest assured that the Bloc Québécois will be your ally in implementing this measure.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the situation is critical. Everyone here knows it. We are facing an unprecedented crisis. We are literally making history. People will be talking about this for years to come, 10, 20, 30 years down the road. Maybe I will not do it myself, but when this crisis is talked about in 30 years and explained to future generations, they will have a hard time believing that the streets of Montreal were deserted, that the movie theatres and restaurants were empty because everything was closed, and that we all stayed home, self-isolating. Everyone made their own daily sacrifice.

Quebec has 12,292 cases of COVID-19, that silent, invisible killer. So far, there have been 289 deaths in Quebec. That number is not just a statistic. It represents 289 people whose families are grieving. That is important.

The situation is critical, and I am going to prove it in a simple way. Back when I was elected on October 21, if someone had told me that in six months, the House of Commons would be voting on a bill providing for a one-time expenditure of $73 billion and that the House would support it unanimously, I would never have believed them. Even the Conservatives are supporting it. It is unbelievable. No one would ever have believed it could happen. This goes to show just how unusual the situation is.

This situation is critical. This is no time to be partisan. That would be easy. The government makes decisions, reconsiders, adjusts. It is constantly looking for solutions. We can criticize, we can be partisan, and we can play the political game, but this is not the time for that. This is a time for vigilant collaboration, as my leader would say.

We have collaborated from the start, but that does not mean we went along with whatever they said. We put ideas forward and defended them. We discovered that, when facing an extreme emergency, the government listened. Had anyone told me on October 21 that the Liberals would listen to me, I would have said no way, but sometimes, when we come up with a good idea, the Liberals themselves acknowledge it.

This is a time for teamwork. We all have constituents to serve in our ridings. We need to think of their well-being. I want to thank the amazing team at my riding office, who are there to help when people call. We all have amazing teams on the ground. I am pleased to say that, yes, we have solutions and we have worked together.

Is the Bloc Québécois responsible for coming up with certain ideas? Obviously, yes, sometimes that is the case. However, the most important thing is ensuring the well-being of the population. That is where we are at. Now is not the time for the one-track neo-liberal thinking that we often hear and that claims that less government is better. That is not where we are at. As my leader said, the government is not necessarily a hindrance to the economy. If there were no government, we would have even bigger problems than we have today. The government has its uses.

I heard my colleague, the opposition leader, talking about the deficit, which will total approximately $180 billion. When faced with such a deficit, we need to work hard to find some good news, but at least we can say that this is not chronic or ongoing spending. At least there is that. It is not as bad as a $30-billion deficit with ongoing spending.

This is therefore not the time to reject everything the government is doing. Now is the time to say that the government has an important role to play and that it can resolve many problems. Now is not the time to look for a scapegoat. We could say that the government did not manage our borders properly in the beginning. We could have gotten into all that and brought that up. We are past that point.

Now is the time for solidarity, and when I talk about solidarity, I always think of our seniors. They are in a difficult situation. They are the ones who are suffering the most from our current situation.

That is why when I say we need to keep working, I mean we must not stop with this bill; further improvements can be made. The Bloc Québécois has already made some very clear suggestions to help seniors specifically.

When we talk about collaboration, that is what we mean. We make suggestions and hope they will be picked up. We must help our seniors; we must support them.

It is rare for me to quote the Prime Minister, but I want to take this opportunity because he said something that I thought was pretty good. He said we all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.

Well done, Prime Minister. That is great, so now it is time to think of them and take care of them.

In addition, some might consider the issue of seasonal workers to be of secondary importance, but I certainly do not, and many of my colleagues share my concerns. Indeed, there are foreign workers in my riding.

Imagine: we are working hard, remaining isolated, making sacrifices to forgo certain activities and to stay away from each other. We are putting our everyday lives on hold. If, by some misfortune, some of these people who come here in good faith end up carrying the disease because their health was not checked and they infect people here, lives could be lost. More people will be in mourning. Think about it. It is serious. Some people might die because of some flaws in the government's response that we could correct immediately.

We are not looking for political gains. We are looking to act in solidarity, in furtherance of the common good and in service to the public. That is what we have to stand up for. In every one of our actions we have to think of the repercussions that could be catastrophic for some people and some families.

That is why the leader of the Bloc Québécois mentioned earlier that it is important that we sit down together and find solutions quickly so that the people coming to our region are coming because we need them to and without jeopardizing the health and safety of our own. Once again, we are appealing to the government.

In conclusion, yes, the Bloc Québécois will collaborate, but we will be vigilant. Much like I told my children that I was watching them, we are watching the government because it has a job to do. The government has a huge job ahead of it, and we are here to help, because the Bloc Québécois cares about the whole. The Bloc Québécois cares about public service, in addition to social conscience. What is good for Quebec in these tough times is certainly good for the Bloc Québécois.