Denis Trudel

[Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, May 5th, 2021]

Is it working, Madam Speaker?

[Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, May 5th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his knowledgeable speech. I can see that he knows what he is talking about when it comes to finance, and I am very happy to be part of his team and to not have to make that kind of speech.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 5th, 2021]

With regard to federal government investments in housing, for each fiscal year since 2017–18, broken down by province and territory: (a) what was the total amount of federal funding allocated to housing in Canada; (b) how many applications were received for (i) the National Housing Strategy (NHS) overall, (ii) the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund, (iii) the Rental Construction Financing Initiative, (iv) the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, (v) the Rapid Housing Initiative under the projects stream, (vi) the Federal Lands Initiative, (vii) the Federal Community Housing Initiative, (viii) Reaching Home, (ix) the Shared Equity Mortgage Providers Fund, (x) the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, (xi) the NHS's Solutions Labs Initiative; (c) of the applications under (b), for each funding program and initiative, how many were accepted; (d) of the applications under (c), for each funding program and initiative, what was the amount of federal funding allocated; (e) of the amounts in (d) allocated in the Province of Quebec, for each funding program and initiative, what is the breakdown per region; and (f) of the amounts in (b)(xi), what criteria were used for project selection?

[Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, May 3rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

I have two quick questions. Do we have a new environment minister in Canada? On Earth Day here in Quebec and in the media it was the hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie, who is also the Minister of Canadian Heritage, who came to sell us on Canada's new measures. I was wondering about that.

Also, the possible new environment minister mentioned something rather surprising on Radio-Canada. In the past year, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions have increased, as they have in previous years, and the new environment minister said that was good news. He saw good news in that. That is newspeak to me.

What does my colleague think of that?

[Canada Labour Code, April 28th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if I will be able to ask a brief question because this is a very important and fundamental issue.

I fought for the preservation of French for about 20 years. As the former spokesperson for Mouvement Montréal français, I organized protests and performances to protect the French language.

Anglophones may not necessarily understand the situation of French in Quebec. Only 3% of North Americans speak French. Anglophones may not realize that we live in proximity to U.S. culture, which we access through music and movies. It is a hegemonic and conquering culture, one of the most powerful in the history of humanity, and it has significant means at its disposal. Fending off this culture is no easy task, which is why every small step is extremely important. The bill represents a small step.

I want to share a statistic from the Office québécois de la langue française. Unless something is done, the percentage of people who speak French at home will decrease from 82% to 74% by 2036.

A bill like this one is fundamental, important and, above all, urgent.

[Sport, April 28th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties and I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion:

That, following the allegations of psychological abuse, neglect, sexual harassment and racial discrimination of five former members of the Canada Artistic Swimming (CAS) Senior National Team by coaches and staff, the House:

(a) recognize that national sports organizations are environments which, due in particular to the extremely intense competitive atmosphere and the presence of coaches with authority over the athletes, present a significant risk of psychological abuse and harassment, neglect, sexual harassment and discrimination;

(b) recognize that it is the responsibility of the government to do everything in its power to protect our high performance athletes from situations of abuse and harassment and ensure that the ethical foundations of Sport Canada Strategy on Ethical Sport be respected; and

(c) ask the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to undertake a study on the establishment of an independent body for handling complaints in sport which will establish a climate of trust so that victims can report without fear of reprisals.

[Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, April 27th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I have a simple question for my colleague.

One of the Liberal government's key campaign promises was to plant two billion trees over about 10 years. That breaks down to 200 million trees a year. As far as we know, not that many trees have been planted, maybe 100,000. The government broke its promise.

What does my colleague think of the idea of planting trees to help combat climate change?

[Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, April 27th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Environment.

Last week, we saw the government perform a magic trick with regard to the environment and fighting climate change in Canada. In the budget, the government proposed a 36% target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Then, three days later, on Earth Day, that target suddenly turned into 45%.

I would remind the House that Canada has never once managed to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets, neither the ones it set itself nor the ones agreed to in international agreements. It has never happened.

What happened between Monday and Thursday that made the target go from 36% to 45%?

[Petitions, April 27th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, today, I am presenting a petition calling on the Government of Canada to deploy all legal sanctions, including the freezing of assets, and barring of entry to Canada, against foreign officials who are responsible for gross human rights violations in China under the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, or the Magnitsky act.

For years, Chinese officials have orchestrated killings, torture and forced organ harvesting for the purposes of trade and transplantation. The victims of this abhorrent practice include political prisoners, Uighurs, Tibetans and religious minorities such as Falun Gong practitioners.

The persecution of ethnic and religious minorities in China needs to stop and the leaders responsible must be sanctioned.

[The Budget, April 26th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, we are in the middle of a serious health crisis, but there is also a social crisis on the horizon.

This morning I spoke with representatives from Réseau SOLIDARITÉ Itinérance du Québec. Homelessness experts predict that the consequences will continue to be felt for years, perhaps as many as five or 10 years. People made vulnerable by the crisis will become homeless.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, funding was announced to deal with the major problem of homelessness. In my riding, a wonderful 24-7, low-barrier shelter called La Halte du coin opened during the pandemic.

Funding was announced in the economic statement and the budget, but no one knows what is going to happen after July 1.

Will these resources continue to exist? The need is there, and it is dire. The government is announcing funding, but it is not meeting expectations.

When will we find out whether these resources will remain open after July 1?