Diane Bourgeois

[Quebec Adult Learners Week, April 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to acknowledge the seventh Quebec Adult Learners Week, an initiative of the Institut de coopération pour l'éducation des adultes.

Year after year, this non-profit organization promotes and highlights adult education, both formal and informal.

More than 500 activities have been planned for this week, including creative workshops, debates, exhibits, forums, open doors, cultural visits and more. I cannot help but warmly praise this initiative, which again attests to the enthusiasm and vibrancy of the Quebec nation.

I also cannot help but hope that this government will finally stop dithering and hand over as quickly as possible the money for workforce training promised to Quebec.

[Energy Efficiency Act, March 30th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I enjoyed the member for Sherbrooke's speech. He has a special ability to give excellent examples that help us understand what can happen. I would like to focus on what he said about the Conservatives keeping company with dinosaurs. We all know what happened to the dinosaurs: they were trapped in the ice and one day, they disappeared.

With that in mind, I have a question for my colleague. This bill is simple enough in and of itself, but to really understand it, one has to have a good grasp of the history of environmental policy. The provinces want a territorial approach. In this case, does the bill call for a territorial approach?

[Adriane Provost, March 26th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to salute a Terrebonne athlete, cyclist Adriane Provost.

Adriane was named “Quebec female athlete” at Sports-Québec's 36th gala and awarded a Maurice. Thanks to her tremendous determination and outstanding passion, she dominated junior women's cycling in Quebec, finishing first in both the Quebec Cup rankings and the final rankings for the Quebec cycling federation.

At 15, Adriane's incredible performance in the Canadian championships made her the country's best junior cyclist. Next season, she hopes to hold onto her Canadian road cycling championship title, improve her track performance and go to the world championships in Moscow.

This young woman is a model for everyone in our community, and I would like to congratulate her and say how proud I am to represent her in the House of Commons.

[Government Contracts, March 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Public Works and Government Services is currently in the process of consolidating government contracts, which effectively excludes small and medium-sized businesses from the bidding process and unduly favours multinational corporations. Considering the important role played by small and medium-sized businesses in creating jobs, especially in the regions, people have good reason to be concerned.

Is the minister aware that consolidating contracts favours multinationals, to the detriment of small and medium-sized businesses, and that such an approach in these already tough times could mean the end for many businesses?

[Louise Fourtané Bordonado, March 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to pay tribute to an exceptional person, Louise Fourtané Bordonado. Although she is leaving active municipal politics, her hard work on numerous committees has left an indelible mark, for example on the members of the Table de concertation de condition féminine des Moulins.

In 1999 this woman of compassion who stood by her word, who encouraged women to run for office while she was vice-president of the Comité national d'action politique des femmes du Parti Québécois, decided to practise what she had been preaching and dedicated herself to the service of her fellow citizens. Her contribution will serve as an example for many amongst us.

On behalf of women from the Moulins area, I would like to thank Mrs. Bordonado for her 10 years as municipal counsellor for Mascouche and wish her the very best in her future endeavours.

[Rights and Democracy, March 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw attention today to the important contribution to society that has been made by Rights and Democracy in its 20 years of existence. Created by an act of Parliament, Rights and Democracy is a non-partisan organization whose mandate is to promote democratic development and defend human rights.

The work carried out by the staff of this public institution, in conjunction with civil societies of a number of countries, is remarkable. On numerous occasions, we have sought their expertise and knowledge, both legal and practical. Whether in connection with events in Burma, the Philippines, Tibet or China or the actions by Canadian mining companies abroad, the huge role this organization fulfills in providing information and speaking out against breaches of human rights is invaluable.

I and all my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois would like to thank this organization for its contribution to the defence and promotion of human rights. We hope that, through its recommendations, it will continue to be a part of our deliberations for many years to come.

[Business of Supply, February 24th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Jeanne-Le Ber.

Of course, I have always given that answer to everyone. Whenever Quebec's privileges are denied, whenever a lack of respect is shown towards Quebec, it stirs up Quebeckers' feelings and it gives them an opportunity to see how strong this contempt for their specificity can be.

In this case, we are talking about a request made by the whole National Assembly, by its 125 members, including the Premier of Quebec. I respect him, even if we do not share the same political stripe. He has his advisors, he knows where he is going, and he says that a single securities commission is not good for us. So, I am telling him, and I am telling my fellow federalist colleagues in this House that they are acting to ensure that the important thing for Quebec is separation, or running away from this Canada that is stifling us.

[Business of Supply, February 24th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for that extremely important question.

Quebec's right to speak outside Canada troubles many people, especially the members from other provinces. It is obvious that Quebec has always been proactive and that it always exerted its influence abroad. At one point, Canada began to exert its influence abroad, and we only have to go back in history to see how much of that influence is attributable to Quebec. Canada has always followed Quebec initiatives. Quebec has very often opened the doors for Canadian companies and served as an example for the rest of Canada.

In that sense, depriving Quebec of its right to exert its influence abroad would deprive it of a voice, would deprive it of a means to be self sufficient and to acquire capital. That is important. As is implied in my colleague's question, Quebec's influence abroad is also Canadian influence abroad and Canadians should think about that. I wonder where Canada would be without Quebec.

[Business of Supply, February 24th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I will begin by advising you that I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel.

Today is a Bloc Québécois opposition day. We introduced a motion that calls upon the government to immediately renounce two measures contained in the recent budget, namely the establishment of a national securities commission and the unilateral amendment of the equalization formula. This places in perspective the debate we have just endured. I use that word because of all the inequities and falsehoods that we have heard in the past thirty minutes or so.

If we opposed the federal budget of this past February, it is in part because of those two measures. The present government is an expert at forcing Quebeckers to swallow one insult after another. I am coming to realize that more and more. These two measures constitute the biggest, ugliest and most disgusting load of insults yet. I must also point out that the Quebec National Assembly has passed a unanimous motion against those two measures.

I will limit my comments to the national securities commission, because my colleague will be addressing the matter of equalization. There has been talk of the national securities commission for 40 years now. People need to be given an explanation of what this commission is, and what securities are.

Securities are negotiable and transferable instruments that can be listed on the stock exchange. These are stocks and bonds, certificates of investment and warrants. All of these financial components fall under provincial jurisdiction, as is clearly set out in subsection 92(13) of the 1867 Constitution Act . We have just heard my colleague from Lévis—Bellechasse say that this did not constitute any encroachment into provincial areas of jurisdiction. That is absolutely wrong, because management of this commission and these securities is a wholly provincial area of jurisdiction.

In Quebec, the Autorité des marchés financiers is the agency responsible for regulating securities and ensuring that companies issuing securities do so according to the rules. For example, a company looking to issue a series of shares on the Quebec stock market has to abide by the rules set out by the Autorité des marchés financiers to ensure that everything is done according to the rules.

Each province has this system for stocks, bonds and securities. An agreement between the provinces sets up a passport system. If, for example, a Quebec business issues shares under the authority of the Autorité des marchés financiers du Québec, it can do business with citizens of other provinces that follow the passport system. This business is legal. There is one province that does not follow the passport system, and it is Ontario.

People have been talking about creating a single securities commission for 40 years. In 2003, the Liberals put together a panel of experts to examine the possibility of establishing a single agency in Canada. In 2006, the Conservative government put the idea in its budget and economic update and repeated it in its 2007 budget. In June 2007, the current Minister of Finance set up a working group to study the effectiveness of the current system. However, in September 2007, it changed the group's mandate so the latter would examine how to create a single regulator. That was in 2007.

What did it do in 2008? It gave this committee $150 million to set up a Canada-wide securities commission. That was quite an affront.

They recognized Quebec as a nation. A nation must manage its assets, make its laws and govern itself. If Quebec is recognized as a nation, then interfering in its jurisdictions is not respectful. It shows a lack of respect. It is meddling. It will cause the loss of hundreds, even thousands of jobs in Quebec because it will lead to the disappearance of stock exchange activities in Montreal. There will no longer be any offices in Montreal. Everything will be concentrated, probably on Bay Street, in Ontario. At that point we will bow down to Bay Street.

I would remind members that this budget gave millions of dollars to Ontario's auto industry whereas we had to accept crumbs for our forestry and manufacturing industries. Creating a single securities regulator is another slap in the face to Quebec. At present, the securities commissions of Quebec and the provinces have a voice at the International Organization of Securities Commissions. That is a voice for Quebec on the international stage. That voice will be silenced. We want to continue to be heard.

The OECD currently puts Canada in second place when it comes to the regulation of securities. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank feel that Canada has a regulatory framework that is “sophisticated” , “highly effective” and “nearly unified” . The report also mentions “sufficient resources and skilled personnel” and says that the system is “clearly accountable to the government”. As well, it says that the framework is solid and that costs are minimal. The International Monetary Fund and World bank are not stupid. So when the government says that this will cost less and work better, I do not believe it. There are people who have spoken about this.

We should be wondering what the real factor is that is motivating Canada's Minister of Finance to centralize the securities commission and establish a single entity for Canada. If it is not to concentrate money in Ontario and, once again, to try and silence Quebec, what could it be?

The Bloc Québécois motion is forthright, direct and honest. We simply want to protect Quebec and Quebeckers. If we are recognized as a nation, we should have our needs recognized and be respected ourselves.

I am asking all the Quebec members in this House to vote in favour of the Bloc Québécois motion that aims to protect jobs and protect who we are.

[Quebec Games, February 24th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, from February 27 to March 7, the cities of Blainville, Ste-Thérèse and Rosemère will be hosting the finals of the 44th Quebec Games. Under the honorary chairmanship of that great Quebecker, Gaétan Boucher, thousands of young athletes and accompanying members of their delegations from all of the regions of Quebec will treat us to a sporting event that reflects and celebrates commitment, hard work, pushing one's limits, and achieving success.

Stakeholders in the various communities have pooled their infrastructures, their resources and their budgets in order to achieve this extraordinary regional event. I would like to focus particular attention on the efforts of the organizing committee and their commitment to make these finals an environmentally responsible event. By so doing they have set a precedent, and from now on environmental responsibility will be an essential criterion for selecting host cities for the finals.

I take this opportunity as the finals begin to join with my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois in wishing the Quebec Games organizing committee and its president, François Cantin, along with all the volunteers, and of course all the young participants, a fantastic finals.