House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 43% of the vote.
Consumer Protection March 26th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the number of credit card purchases is growing, but small businesses are still paying the highest fees in the world with rates ranging from 1.5% to 3%. This is costing many small retailers in my region and Quebec a lot of money.
Will the Minister of Finance use the next budget to regulate these excessive fees at last, as Australia and England have done by setting rates at 0.5% and 0.3%?
Public Works and Government Services February 26th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the minister and member for Lévis—Bellechasse said that the Davie shipyard should prove itself in order to get federal contracts. The Davie company just won the Lloyd's List North American Shipyard of the Year award.
The workers made major concessions to save the company. Will the government commit to ensuring that Quebec gets its fair share of future contracts, including the contracts for the Diefenbaker icebreaker and the Canadian navy's supply ships?
Intergovernmental Relations February 20th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, while the current Quebec government is hurting the regions by making ill-advised decisions to supposedly improve public finances, the fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and the provinces continues to grow. Between 2009 and 2013, Quebec lost $6.5 billion in federal transfers.
Will the government stop lining its own pockets at the expense of Quebec and the provinces, and will it restore transfers based on people's needs?
Intergovernmental Affairs February 5th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, in January, the city of Saguenay's unemployment rate, at 9.6%, was the highest of all large Canadian cities. It is more urgent than ever that the government support resource regions like mine.
Will the government implement measures in its next budget to promote secondary and tertiary resource processing in the regions for industries like Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean's wood and aluminum industries?
Housing January 30th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the fact that the federal government is withdrawing its funding for social and affordable housing is shameful.
Agencies in my region are concerned about the end of federal assistance for underprivileged families. The waiting list with the Office municipal d'habitation de Saguenay may well get longer.
Will the government renew investments in social housing, or will it continue to make those less fortunate pay for its ideological budget cuts?
Forestry Industry December 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, Greenpeace is lobbying for a review of the FSC certification standards.
Nevertheless, Quebec has some of the best forestry practices in the world. The Government of Quebec has been talking to industry clients, particularly in Europe and the United States, to show how exemplary the industry's practices are.
Does the federal government plan on joining the Government of Quebec in supporting Quebec's forestry industry?
Forestry Industry December 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, this week, north shore mayors sounded the alarm about the terrible plight of Quebec's forestry industry. Today, more plant closures are being announced.
Rather than standing idly by and rejecting measures to develop new products and markets, why does the government not take action to support this important sector of Quebec's economy?
Violence Against Women December 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, for 25 years now, Quebec has been coping with a wound that will not heal, grief that will not end, and unease that will not go away: 14 female students were killed because they were women.
We must always speak out against all forms of violence against women and never let our guard down. We need to work constantly to promote gender equality. We also have a duty to reflect and take action to ensure that all men and women can live in safety and free from violence.
This House needs to do everything in its power to ensure that such events never happen again. Out of respect for the victims and our children, let us work together to ensure that there will never be another incident like the one that occurred at École Polytechnique.
Violence Against Women December 4th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, for 25 years Quebec has been nursing a wound that will not heal and has been in perpetual mourning.
Today, we grieve for the 14 victims of the École Polytechnique massacre as though the tragedy just happened. We feel the same sadness and shame that we felt 25 years ago for letting such a tragedy take place in Canada.
That is why, since that day, Quebeckers have been staunch advocates for gender equality. That is also why there is strong support among Quebeckers for gun control.
Let us work together to prevent a tragedy like the December 6, 1989, massacre from ever happening again. Let there never be another École Polytechnique.
Employment Insurance November 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, over the next three years, the government will help itself to $14.2 billion from the employment insurance fund. That is over $4.5 billion a year.
Rather than imposing a tax on jobs, why does the government not want to help unemployed workers with the money that belongs to them?