Denis Trudel

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his first speech. Despite the message his government is sending by appointing a Governor General who does not speak French, he made the effort to say a few words in French here in the House. I commend him for that. However, I do not entirely agree with him when he says that no one is being left behind by his government.

Take for example Pauline Gagnon, a woman in my riding. I am not sure how old she is exactly, but she is at least 75. She was appalled when she found out that the government had decided to send a $500 cheque to all seniors 75 and older, a cheque that arrived on the very day the election was called. Seniors' purchasing power has gone down, and drugs, housing and groceries are expensive. Ms. Gagnon has never understood why the government created two classes of seniors.

Does my colleague agree that it is time to commit to increasing old age security for all seniors starting at 65, as the Bloc Québécois has been calling for?

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 2nd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I was bothered by something in my colleague's speech, in which he admits that rents in his riding have doubled and people are having a hard time finding housing. That is a widespread problem throughout Quebec and Canada.

Then again, my colleague believes that the solution is to build more houses. However, we do not need houses. At present, 500,000 households in Quebec have an urgent need for housing because they spend 30% or more of their income on housing or because their home is often unhealthy, too large or too small. That is the current problem.

Building more houses is not in itself a bad idea. In the last Parliament, we worked on improving certain Liberal programs that were inadequate. However, there is still more to do. For example, there is a first-time homebuyer program that, while not a bad program, is too restrictive and has seen no uptake from buyers.

What is missing is the massive investment required to house the poor, the most vulnerable, women who are victims of domestic violence, people with mental health and addiction problems and those who are homeless. The Bloc Québécois is proposing that the government immediately invest 1% of its budget to house people. There are 40,000 households—

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 2nd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I found everything he said about reconciliation and the first nations very interesting. I think Canada still has a long way to go in that regard.

I was, however, a bit bothered by a comment that my colleague made. He said that the appointment of the new Governor General, Mary Simon, was a date to remember in Canadian history. That might be a good thing for reconciliation with indigenous peoples, but it is a big problem for francization in Canada and Quebec.

By appointing this woman who does not speak French to the position of Governor General, the government insulted eight million francophones across Canada. She really struggled with the French in the throne speech.

Would my colleague agree that a bill should be passed in the House to require Prime Minister Trudeau to appoint a Governor General who speaks both of Canada's official languages?

[Longueuil Help Centre for Victims of Sexual Assault, December 1st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to highlight two organizations that are doing incredible work: the Comité d’actions féministes de l’agglomération in Longueuil and La Traversée.

The two organizations have joined forces to create the very first help centre for victims of sexual assault, or CALACS, in Longueuil. These centres take a feminist approach to providing direct help and support to victims of sexual and domestic violence and their loved ones. Their work includes prevention, awareness, training, activism and rights advocacy.

Before the pandemic, 493 complaints were reported in Longueuil. It was unfathomable that the fifth-largest city in Quebec did not have a CALACS, given that incidents of sexual and domestic violence have been on the rise for almost two years. I am very proud of the women's groups in Longueuil that have joined forces, and I am particularly proud of the project leader, Sylvie Langlais, and commend her on her work.

This CALACS was created by and for women. It will serve women and girls aged 14 and up in Longueuil and the surrounding areas. On behalf of all women who are victims of sexual and domestic violence, I commend this effort and thank those involved.

[Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees, November 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, one thing has struck me since this morning and since we have been discussing this matter. It is the approach of the Liberal Party's farm team, meaning the NDP. Instead of attacking the government, the NDP is attacking the second opposition, the Bloc Québécois. That is quite something.

I wonder if this is not somewhat related to the fact that the former member for Longueuil—Saint‑Hubert, Pierre Nantel, recently ran for a pro-independence party in Quebec City, namely, the Parti Québécois.

During his press conference, which I attended, Pierre Nantel said that for eight years, he had been a member of a party, the NDP. He said that he had worked hard to change legislation on the environment, the French language and culture, and that it had not worked. He went on to say that for eight years, he tested the system, Parliament and Canada and that on all these issues, there was only one answer: Quebec independence.

The question I want to ask my colleague is this: What does he think about the alliance between the Liberal Party and the AAA Midget team, in other words, the NDP?

[Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees, November 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I was flustered earlier and so I did not take the time to recognize my constituents in Longueuil—Saint‑Hubert. I thank them for putting their trust in me. When a person gets elected the first time, there may be some luck involved, but when they are re-elected, then it must be at least a little bit because of who they are. I would therefore like to congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, on your appointment.

When one listens to the Conservatives, one cannot help but think about their relationship with science. We know that when it comes to climate change, something people recently met in Glasgow to discuss, scientists around the world are saying that we need to eliminate fossil fuels. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are going around with little stickers that say “I love oil and gas”. They are promoting oil when everyone knows that we need to move away from using it.

I also do not understand why the Conservatives are complaining. The Liberals are doing better than them. They have been investing $14 billion per year in the oil industry since they took office. There are even some environmentalists who miss the Conservatives. That says a lot.

With regard to vaccination, we heard that 30% of the Conservative members got an exemption while scientists are saying that only 1% of the general population should be exempt.

My question is simple. Do the Conservatives believe in science?

[Order Respecting the Business of the House and its Committees, November 25th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I am appalled by what I am seeing this morning. Parliament has been shut down for six months because of the election that the Liberals opposite called. The election cost $600 million. We are in the middle of a climate crisis and a housing crisis. How many housing units could have been built in Quebec with the $600 million that was spent on the election? We could have built 3,000 units for women who are victims of domestic violence, for example, it being the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Here we are, having a debate over whether we are going to sit, helped along by the Liberal Party's farm team, when we should be fixing problems and meeting ministers.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, June 21st, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his remarks. He accurately pointed out which sectors of the economy have been hardest hit during the pandemic and discussed seniors, people with disabilities and the housing crisis. In Quebec alone, 40,000 people are waiting for social housing, for low-income housing, and 450,000 people have urgent housing needs. It is a big deal.

During the pandemic, the government rolled out its big Canada emergency wage subsidy to help people working for struggling businesses. The Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party all claimed the subsidy, which I find scandalous. The Liberals and the NDP have not said anything about reimbursing the money. We will be campaigning in two months, and the NDP is going to use government money, which was supposed to go to struggling workers, to pay for lawn signs. Is my colleague not the least bit embarrassed by that?

[Business of Supply, June 17th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, that deserves a standing ovation. What a jaw-dropping performance. The Liberals have been in power for six years. We know for a fact there were cases of sexual misconduct in the military. They are the ones in power, yet it is everyone's fault but their own.

What an extraordinary production. Bravo. Congratulations, that was incredible. I could never put on such an amazing act. I do not know many in the House who could.

The government has had the Deschamps report for six years. Keeping in mind that this was written six years ago, it says:

...there is [a] culture...that is hostile to women and LGTBQ members, and conducive to more serious incidents of sexual harassment and assault. ...It is not enough to simply revise policies or to repeat the mantra of “zero tolerance”. Leaders must acknowledge that sexual misconduct is a real and serious problem for the organization, one that requires their own direct and sustained attention.

The government has had the report in its possession for six years, but it has not done a darn thing.

[Business of Supply, June 17th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I am listening to the debate, and I cannot help but think that this is a sad time for women. One woman a day in Quebec is a victim of domestic violence. All these women want somewhere to go for help, but they have nowhere to turn because of a lack of resources. I assume the situation is similar across Canada.

According to the Regroupement québécois des centres d'aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel, only 5% of sex crimes are reported to the police. This means they are almost never reported. Some cases do go to court, but only three out of every 1,000 sexual assault complaints result in a conviction.

For years now, we have been witnessing a sad spectacle as the government, including the Prime Minister, his chief of staff and the Department of National Defence, have tried to cover up this sexual misconduct, which is documented. On top of that, according to a report from six years ago, action could have been taken if we had an independent office.

Does my colleague not find this sad spectacle, and the message being sent to the women of this country, to be absolutely shameful?