Denis Trudel

[Online News Act, December 13th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague to enlighten us a little.

It is our understanding that with Bill C‑18, major content providers, major news outlets, will have the power to negotiate with major platforms. That might work.

However, there are also the small media outlets to consider. In my riding, one newspaper has lost all of its journalists over the past few years, mainly during the pandemic, because advertisers shifted to the major platforms. One small radio station is also struggling to survive because advertisers have left. These people are worried because they belong to small groups, not major groups. I am talking about a small newspaper and a small radio station.

How does Bill C‑18 ensure that our small regional advertisers, our small regional newspapers, will be able to hold their own in the kind of high-stakes bargaining that will take place under Bill C‑18?

[Committees of the House, December 13th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech. Her comments are always insightful.

I would like to get back to China and Tibet. This morning, we are talking about protecting the religious and language rights of Tibetans, who are facing the People’s Republic of China, a vast empire. We are still wondering how to deal with China. What can Canada do to influence China?

It feels that the opposite is happening, that China is interfering in our affairs. Recently, we heard that in Toronto there were police service stations controlled by China. That is something. A Chinese spy who worked for Hydro-Québec, an immense Quebec infrastructure, was exposed. That is significant.

The Prime Minister of Canada had dinner with members of the Chinese community in Toronto and, a few days later, certain members of that community were granted approval to operate a new bank. It seems that China has a lot of influence on Canada, but what can we do to turn the tables, especially in the case of Tibet, which we are currently discussing?

[Committees of the House, December 13th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, last spring, I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, when he was in Ottawa. Since I was sitting on the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, a few MPs and I were able to talk to him for an hour. He raised a very important point.

We are talking about human rights. He agreed that we were focusing narrowly on the war in Ukraine when there are numerous crises going on in the world. For example, there are crises in Tigray, Ethiopia, as well as in Haiti and Yemen. There is also a crisis in Tibet, which we are currently discussing, and, obviously, the Uighur genocide. That was a problem, in his opinion. Generally speaking, when its interests are at stake, the west raises concerns about human rights to intervene in certain crises, when there are many more crises elsewhere in the world.

What does my colleague have to say about western countries’ tendency to react only when their interests are at stake by raising concerns about human rights when that is not really what they are talking about?

[Fisheries and Oceans, December 9th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, protecting fishery resources is very important. Fishers would be the first to agree.

However, the Minister of Fisheries never thinks of fishers. She has no compensation plan, and no plan to redirect them toward other fisheries. Her only plan, until this week, was to tell fishers to apply for EI. However, they are ineligible because the minister has prohibited them from working. The minister must not improvise like that when it comes to people's livelihoods.

Will the minister come to her senses and announce compensation for fishers before the holidays?

[Fisheries and Oceans, December 9th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, Ottawa imposed a moratorium on the herring and mackerel fisheries two days before the season opened.

In committee, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard offered a solution for fishers deprived of income. She suggested they change jobs. The minister gave people two days' notice that they would not be allowed to work. When they asked for help, she told them to change jobs.

When the government decides to prevent people from earning a living, it owes them something. When will the minister drop the condescension and announce compensation for pelagic fishers?

[Business of Supply, December 8th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, my colleague is truly the champion of slamming Conservatives in the House. He is the all-around champion. Every time he gets up, he slams the Conservatives for 10, 15 or 20 minutes. It is stunning.

He talked about the Conservatives' climate change plan, but let us talk about the Liberals' plan. Let us talk about their record. Since the Liberals have been in power, greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise. Canada is ranked 58th out of 60 countries, as was said at COP27. Canada is the second-largest investor in fossil fuels in the G20. The government has said that we are investing $8.5 billion U.S. per year. It said that in 2023—that is, in 24 days—that investment will drop to zero. Is that really going to happen?

What is the Liberal government's plan to combat one of the greatest crises of our time?

[Business of Supply, December 8th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, the problem with the Conservatives is that they say that we need to cut spending, but we never really know how they are going to solve the problems.

Last week, someone in my riding slit his throat open in front of a homeless shelter because he was dealing with mental health problems. He had applied to enter a facility to address his problems, but he had just found out that he could not get the spot that had been reserved for him. There was not enough room.

There were two issues at play in this incident: the issue of housing and the issue of health.

To take care of this person's problems, we need to invest in both health and housing. The health transfers we are asking for are the government's responsibility. The Liberals, on the other side of the House, do not want to invest in health.

Should the Conservatives come to power in a few years, not that we necessarily want that, but if it happens, will they provide the health transfers that every province from one end of Canada to the other is asking for?

[Business of Supply, December 8th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I also commend my colleague for his French. He has really made a lot more effort than some. He spoke more in French than many of the Liberal members from Quebec that we have heard speak recently in the House. I commend him and thank him for that.

He spoke a lot about housing. Today, the federal housing advocate released a report on homelessness that is rather critical of what is currently happening in Canada. I will read an excerpt from her press release, which states, and I quote: “Today, the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate released a series of research reports on homeless encampments that confirm a human rights crisis is unfolding in cities across Canada”.

Here, in a G7 country, we are experiencing a human rights crisis when it comes to housing and homelessness. How will the government respond to that report?

[Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2022, December 7th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, more money is needed for housing.

I spoke about housing, but there is also the problem of homelessness itself, as we know. The anecdotes that I told are stories, but these things do happen. These are people I met with on Monday. I went to meet with them at one of the centres in my riding. These are stories I was told.

If we do not invest money now in addressing homelessness, people will be sleeping on the street. The outreach workers live alongside these people, so they know what they are going through. It is already getting cold out, so imagine what it will be like in January. People will be turned away, and they will have to find somewhere to sleep, like the entrance to a subway station.

It is appalling that a G7 country is letting people sleep on the street at ‑20°C, period.

[Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2022, December 7th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the planet is on fire, yet he is talking about money. That is insane. Canada is the worst country in the world when it comes to fighting climate change, yet my colleague is talking about investments, health transfers and equalization. The planet is already burning. We are the worst country in the G7.

Since the Liberals came to power in 2015, greenhouse gas emissions have increased steadily. We are a disgrace. The Liberals continue to invest year after year. We have learned that we rank second in the G20 in terms of average public investments in fossil fuels. That alone is a disgrace.

Companies like Suncor are making obscene profits. The CEO's pocket change alone could pay for the Bay du Nord development project. I seriously do not understand what my colleague is on about right now.