House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 49% of the vote.
Employment Insurance October 2nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, once again, I would remind the House that yesterday, the Bloc supported the Liberals in an attempt to bring down the government and plunge the country into an election no one wants. Let us look at the facts. There is a bill before the House to help long-tenured workers who are in distress.
Employment Insurance October 2nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, all that is coming from the other side is hot air. We have proposed real reform: extended benefits for long-tenured workers, which they have been waiting for for a long time. It is incredible to hear that.
We have also increased access to training for long-tenured workers, and we are continuing along those lines. What are those people doing? They are supporting the Liberals' attempt to trigger a needless election no one wants. It is shameful. It is time to take care of our economy and our own people. That is what we are doing, while they just blow hot air.
Employment Insurance October 2nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, clearly it is the Bloc members who are engaging in a public relations exercise. We have a bill before this House to extend the benefit period for long-tenured workers. Having added five weeks of benefits, now we want to extend the benefit period by 20 weeks. This is good news for workers in Quebec, but the Bloc is voting against that.
Intergovernmental Relations October 1st, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I would again point out that the government of Quebec itself said that the tax was not fully harmonized and that there were still adjustments to be made. So the other side of the House should stop engaging in disinformation.
As well, the Premier of Quebec himself said again this morning that transfers to Quebec had risen by 60%. Can anything be more tangible, more concrete, than that? Those are numbers, not just smoke.
Intergovernmental Relations October 1st, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I would remind this House that the fiscal imbalance arose under a Liberal government, when the Bloc’s parent company, the PQ, was in power in Quebec.
Since we came to power, we have resolved the fiscal imbalance and transfers to Quebec have increased substantially.
If the Bloc still wants to minimize that to cause trouble, it can go ahead, but one thing is certain: we will be building a better federation for Quebeckers.
Taxation September 28th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, it is clear. We are negotiating with Quebec , negotiating in good faith. The Premier of Quebec said that some things needed to be tweaked and the Minister of Finance agreed. That is what is happening now. We want this to work. We have an open federalism and we want it to work with Quebec. We will continue to work toward that. It is that simple.
Forestry Industry September 28th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the economic action plan is in effect. Over 90% of the funds have been committed. Of the 5,500 projects announced, the shovels are in the ground for 4,000 that have been tendered. On this side of the House, we are taking action. Economic recovery is on the horizon although it is still fragile. We must continue to focus on the economy. Canadians and Quebeckers can count on this government to do so.
Immigration September 18th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, this demagoguery needs to stop. My colleagues know very well—and if they do not know, we will repeat it—that this type of fraud is handled on a case-by-case basis. The Canada Border Services Agency is involved, as is the RCMP. These situations are taken very seriously. The government is taking action, and does not need any lectures from the Bloc on how to enforce the law.
Immigration September 18th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, obviously such situations are unacceptable. The department is very aware of these cases. As my colleague knows, investigations are under way. We cannot comment on an ongoing investigation. This is a case by case issue. People can be sure that the minister is dealing with this type of thing. It is unacceptable. Unscrupulous consultants will be punished to the full extent of the law. We will do everything in our power to address these unfortunate situations.
Harmonized Sales Tax September 17th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the federal government and the Government of Quebec made a commitment to negotiate in good faith on this issue. The Government of Quebec itself acknowledged that there were still some adjustments to be made. We are currently negotiating in good faith. If the member wants to ask the same question 15 more times, he will get the same answer every time, because negotiations are being conducted in good faith.