Denis Paradis

[Committees of the House, February 27th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 15th report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, entitled “Making the Most of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023: Investing in Our Future”.

As we know, the Government of Canada launched the action plan for official languages in late March 2018. It is the Government of Canada's fourth five-year strategy for official languages. This $2.7-billion action plan is critical for our official language minority communities.

I want to thank my fellow committee members for their work, for staunchly defending the language rights of all Canadians, and for helping to promote linguistic duality in Canada.

I also want to thank our clerk, Christine Holke, and our analyst, Lucie Lecomte.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

[Seniors in Brome—Missisquoi, February 20th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, February 1, I participated in the launch of the senior-friendly municipality policy at Centre Georges-Perron in Bedford.

This policy is supported by an action plan that seeks to improve the quality of services offered to seniors in the following eight municipalities in my riding: the Bedford Township, Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge, Pike River, Saint-Armand, Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge, Stanbridge East, Stanbridge Station and the Town of Bedford.

The success of a project like this strongly depends on the involvement of community members. At the launch, I had the opportunity to meet Lucie Hébert and Monique Lacroix, who care about our seniors' well-being.

I also had the opportunity to tour my riding and meet the extraordinary leaders of eight organizations who are also committed to improving seniors' quality of life.

I commend them for their involvement and thank them for contributing to the vitality of Brome—Missisquoi.

[Albert Santerre, February 6th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, on February 3, we lost a man who dedicated 40 years of his life to municipal politics.

Albert Santerre was the longest-serving mayor in Brome—Missisquoi. He was in his ninth term as mayor of Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge, a position he held for a total of 30 years. Albert was also the deputy reeve of the Brome-Missisquoi RCM from 2005 to 2009 and from 2012 to 2015. He died of cancer on Sunday morning at Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital.

Albert was a genuine and committed man who knew a lot of people and managed to advance some important issues. I want to thank him for everything he did for Brome—Missisquoi and offer my sincere condolences to his family, his friends and his colleagues. We have just lost a dear friend.

[Lake Memphremagog, January 31st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, protecting Lake Memphremagog remains a top priority for me.

On January 22, a public hearing was held in Newport, Vermont, concerning the expansion of the Coventry landfill. This landfill is located upstream of Lake Memphremagog, and 175,000 people in Magog and Sherbrooke are very worried because their drinking water comes from the lake.

The main thing I want people to know about the hearing is that it showed that more and more people in both Canada and the U.S. are worried about the situation. Municipal and provincial elected officials, organizations, the media, and Canadian and American citizens have shown that they care about preserving the water quality of Lake Memphremagog.

I just want to thank Robert Benoit, president of Memphremagog Conservation. Let us continue our efforts to ensure that future generations have clean water.

[High-Speed Internet, December 12th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the rapid deployment of high-speed Internet is essential to the people of Brome—Missisquoi. This is an essential service that many of my constituents have been waiting for for a long time.

On November 28, I met Patrick Bonvouloir, the president and CEO of IHR Télécom, a company that rolled out fibre optics across my riding. My colleague, the member for Saint-Jean was there, and we discussed what needs to be done to move forward quickly, including the involvement of the CRTC.

I want to point out that IHR Télécom was among the first to receive federal and provincial government approval. It has done exemplary work, and the first homes in Pike River and Saint-Sébastien will be connected as of January 2019. Everyone involved in this file must work together to get all of Brome—Missisquoi connected as quickly as possible.

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone happy holidays and to thank my team for their excellent work.

[Tourism Industry, December 10th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, tourism is an important economic driver for our communities from coast to coast to coast, and especially for Brome—Missisquoi, where our landscapes, our environment and our lakes serve as a standing invitation for people to come and visit.

The tourism sector employs more than 1.8 million Canadians and is booming around the world, generating over $8,000 billion in economic benefits and growing by 4% every year.

Can the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie inform the House of the measures our government is taking to ensure that Canada is reaping its fair share of this growing global market?

[Diabetic Retinopathy, December 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, this morning I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Isabelle Hardy and Dr. Marie-Carole Boucher to discuss Dr. Boucher's project on artificial intelligence and diabetic retinopathy.

Over time, diabetes can damage the blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive layer of nerve cells at the back of the eye that transmits images to the brain. Diabetic retinopathy is the main cause of blindness in working-age individuals. More than 500,000 Canadians suffer from this condition.

Last year, the Université de Montréal's opthalmology research fund and Diabetes Action Canada, which is part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, supported the development of an artificial intelligence platform. This project is a real step forward for Canada's diabetic population. I congratulate and thank Dr. Boucher and Dr. Hardy for their contribution.

[Boréas Technologies, November 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, on November 9, I visited Boréas Technologies, a company in Bromont, to announce a $2-million investment through Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

This investment will be used to adapt new haptic technology, which use the sense of touch to recognize objects that appear on cellphones and other electronic devices.

I met Simon Chaput, the 30-year-old founder and CEO of Boréas Technologies, who really impressed me with his ambition and vision. Simon, who graduated from Harvard in 2017, could have settled anywhere, but he decided to start his company in Bromont.

Bromont is fortunate to have a high-tech park that is attracting innovation and entrepreneurs. Businesses like Boréas Technologies, IBM, General Electric, Fabritec and CGP Expal are extremely important to the vitality of Brome—Missisquoi. I want to thank them for what they are doing for our region.

[Committees of the House, November 21st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages entitled, “Issues Related to French-Language Training in the Field of Nursing”.

I want to thank Christine Holke, our clerk, Lucie Lecomte, our analyst, and all my colleagues from all parties for the extraordinary chemistry within our committee, which seeks to support minority language communities across Canada. I also want to commend my colleague from Yukon on getting involved with minority communities in Whitehorse.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

[Riding of Brome—Missisquoi, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, on October 10, 2018, I announced that Canadian Heritage is investing $210,000 to renovate the round barn in Mansonville, a village at the eastern edge of Brome—Missisquoi. This barn, one of only six or seven of its kind left in the Eastern Townships, was built in 1912 and truly is one of our heritage jewels. The funding will help renovate the structure and make it safer, so it is better suited to welcoming visitors who wish to reconnect with their history.

While I was in Mansonville, I also visited the Missisquoi North Volunteer Centre. At the centre, which offers support and coordination services to over 191 registered volunteers, I met a team of very passionate people who help bring this wonderful community to life. I would especially like to thank Mable Hastings, the executive director, for her warm welcome.

She is also inviting the Prime Minister to visit the centre in Potton.

Great job, Mable.