House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 26% of the vote.
Canada Post March 27th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the City of Terrebonne wants a moratorium on the installation of community mailboxes. Residents are outraged by the lack of public consultation.
Canada Post is ignoring the diversity of municipalities. More than 200 cities are shocked by Canada Post's attitude.
Will the government honour Terrebonne's request or will it plough ahead with the installation of community boxes without cities' consent?
CBC/Radio-Canada March 27th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that Radio-Canada will have to cut another 100 French-language positions because of the government's decision to slash its budget. That is a total of 535 jobs cut from the French-language service in less than a year. I do not think anyone can say that society is okay with these huge budget cuts despite what the minister would like to believe.
People in my riding, like thousands of Quebeckers and French Canadians, want our public broadcaster to remain a cultural beacon and continue to flourish in an increasingly digital cultural space.
The Théàtre du Vieux-Terrebonne even passed a resolution condemning the Conservatives' cuts to Radio-Canada. The message is clear: people love Radio-Canada.
The government must guarantee stable, predictable, multi-year funding, and that is what we will do when we become the first New Democratic government on October 19.
Petitions March 25th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, today it is my honour to present a petition signed by hundreds of people from my riding and neighbouring ridings.
They are calling on the government to guarantee stable, adequate, multi-year financing for our public broadcaster to allow the CBC to live up to its mandate from coast to coast to coast. They are very disappointed by the cuts the Conservatives have made and are asking the government to restore the funding.
Canada Revenue Agency March 25th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, when the Canada Revenue Agency is not wasting its time going after environmental groups, it gets mailing addresses mixed up and sends personal information to the wrong people.
In 2014, CRA employees used the wrong mailing address 3,800 times. In other words, more than 1 million Canadians' personal information has been compromised since the Conservatives came to power.
When will this government fix this problem?
Privacy Protection March 24th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, Bill C-51 will also make it easy for information to be shared between 17 government agencies, when the Conservatives cannot even protect the personal information of Canadians from being attacked. Indeed, in 2014, the security of nearly 44,000 Canadians' personal information was compromised by government agencies. That is 35,000 more people than the previous year and an all-time high.
What is the Conservatives' plan to correct the situation and better protect Canadians' personal information?
Rail Transportation March 13th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, there has been another train derailment resulting in an oil spill, this time in Manitoba. That is on top of the three accidents that occurred in northern Ontario in just one month.
With the Lac-Mégantic tragedy still fresh in our minds, the government is telling us that the tank cars that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada does not feel are safe enough will not be phased out until 2023.
How does the minister intend to reassure Canadians when we will have to live with unsafe tank cars for another eight years?
International Day of La Francophonie March 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, on March 20 I will celebrate the International Day of La Francophonie with my constituents. We can expect a full week of activities celebrating the language of Molière.
I invite everyone in Terrebonne to mark the International Day of La Francophonie by participating in one of the many events of the Le Mot festival in Vieux-Terrebonne, which will be held all next week. They can participate by way of song, historic storytelling or writing competitions. The Le Mot festival will give everyone an opportunity to celebrate La Francophonie.
I want to congratulate the organizers of this festival, as well as all of the organizations, businesses and artists in the Les Moulins area, who are always promoting the French language and francophone culture. I specifically want to congratulate Maison des Mots, ABC des Manoirs, the Maison-Théâtre Côte à Côte, SODECT, the Théâtre des Ventrebleus, “Un café, une chanson” L'Atelier, the Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne, Éclipse, Music-O-Choeur, the Orchestre symphonique de Terrebonne, the Quatuor des Moulins, as well as all of the other wonderful artists and authors in the region whom I am not able to list in this short statement.
Next week, let us show our pride in our language and our culture. I wish everyone a wonderful Semaine de la Francophonie.
Telecommunications February 23rd, 2015
Mr. Speaker, they have had four years to act and protect consumers, and they have failed.
All of the major Internet service providers now use usage-based billing.
The Conservatives' empty rhetoric against this kind of billing remains just that: empty rhetoric. Canadians, who keep paying more and more for their Internet service want more than just talk; they want action.
What is the minister doing to protect consumers and to ensure that the Internet remains accessible at a reasonable price?
Petitions February 16th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, today I present a petition on behalf of many people in my own riding and nearby ridings. These people are calling on the Government of Canada to do more in the Middle East. They are calling on the government to provide emergency care and reconstruction assistance and to make it easier for refugees to come to Canada.
Privacy January 29th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that every day the Communications Security Establishment Canada examines up to 15 million documents shared online without a warrant or the consent of Internet users. Even though the government refuses to admit it, yesterday's revelations show that, since 2012, the surveillance program has spied on Canadians. That is clearly prohibited by law.
However in 2013, the Minister of National Defence said, here in the House, “I would point him, again, to the fact that CSE does not target the communications of Canadians.”
The minister mislead Canadians. The NDP believes that tighter security and safety should not impinge on the right to privacy. We must find the right balance and security agencies must be accountable to Canadians.
One thing is clear: Canadians can trust the NDP to protect their country while protecting their right to privacy.