François Choquette

[Business of Supply, February 8th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I thank my honourable colleague for his excellent speech. Not only is he doing an excellent job of combatting tax havens and fighting for tax fairness, but he has also been an advocate for people with disabilities throughout his career. He has come to Drummond several times to explain the disability tax credit.

Today, he has again shown me that, unfortunately, the Liberal government goes after these people instead of addressing the real problems, namely tax havens and the people who actually abuse the system. Even in my riding of Drummond, people are talking about how important this credit is. It is shocking that the government is asking them to pay back this money and is attacking these citizens in need.

I recently held a short meeting in my riding to talk about tax havens, and about fifty people showed up. They asked that the Liberal government take concrete action. Tax havens cost Canadians a minimum of $8 billion in taxes every year. We could use this money to renovate the Centre Marcel Dionne in Drummond or invest in a sports complex such as a soccer centre. Just yesterday, representatives of a dozen community organizations came to my office to talk about their chronic underfunding. We could make investments that would help these organizations.

Why does my hon. colleague think the Liberal government is refusing to crack down on tax havens and, even worse, is signing agreements this year again?

[Petitions, February 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to present dozens of petitions once again on behalf of Canadians who are calling for mandatory labelling of GM foods. They point out that in early August 2017 nearly five tonnes of genetically modified salmon was sold in Canada, that that salmon made its way onto our dinner plates without us knowing it, and that Canadians are concerned about the lack of information about where that genetically modified salmon was sold. That is why the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to ban the sale and breeding of genetically modified salmon in Canada until labelling standards to warn consumers are put in place.

[Food Labelling, February 7th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have the right to know. That is what they are asking for.

That is why they are calling for the mandatory labelling of GMOs. Health Canada has deemed food irradiation to be safe and yet irradiated foods are still subject to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's labelling regulations. If the Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires mandatory labelling for irradiated foods why can the same not be done for genetically modified foods? That is what over 80% of Canadians are calling for. We are not talking about one or two troublemakers here. We are talking about 80% of Canadians.

Canadians now choose what they want to eat. They have the right to know what they are eating. It is their choice whether to eat GMOs or not.

[Food Labelling, February 7th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, on October 19, 2017, I rose in this House to discuss an issue that is very important to me and very important to the entire greater Drummond community, as well as to most Canadians. I am talking about the labelling of genetically modified foods.

Right around the time I was calling out the government on this extremely important issue, the organization Vigilance OGM reported that five million genetically modified salmon had been sold in Quebec. Meanwhile, major grocery store chains like Provigo, IGA, Metro, and others stated that they were not selling genetically modified salmon in their stores because their customers did not want that. Still, those five million salmon somehow found their way onto the dinner plates of Quebec consumers.

The question remains: did Quebeckers unwittingly eat genetically modified salmon? Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that they did. That genetically modified salmon probably ended up in hospitals, prisons, day cares, and so on. That is worrisome.

Canadians want the government to be transparent about genetically modified foods, especially in the case of salmon, which is the world's first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption. That is all happening in Canada now, and Quebeckers were used as guinea pigs.

I think Canadians have the right to choose what they eat. More and more, they want to know what they are eating. They want to know if their food has too much salt, fat, or sugar. They also have the right to know if they are eating genetically modified foods.

There is a broad consensus among the Canadian population for mandatory labelling of GMOs. A Health Canada survey revealed that over 80% of Canadians supported mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods. In May 2016, with Health Canada approving the commercialization of genetically modified salmon, Canada was the first country to authorize production for human consumption of an animal genetically modified.

While everyone knows there is GM salmon sold without our knowledge, the Liberal government needs to listen to the people. GM salmon is currently in circulation in our restaurants, hospitals, schools, and day cares. That is why the Liberal government must quickly tag genetically modified salmon. Canadians have the right to know what they are putting on their plates. We need the mandatory labelling of GMOs.

An article published in Le Journal de Montréal on December 18 unfortunately confirmed what we already knew, namely that Quebeckers have indeed unwittingly eaten genetically modified salmon. This was confirmed by the spokesperson for Vigilance OGM, Thibault Rehn, who said, “We were able to confirm that it was indeed genetically modified salmon that was brought into Quebec in June, as we suspected”.

Why is the government not answering the questions of Canadians who are calling for the mandatory labelling of GMOs?

[Petitions, February 6th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present a petition in which the petitioners draw the attention of the Liberal government to the fact that in early 2017 roughly five tonnes of genetically modified salmon was sold in Canada, and that this salmon likely ended up on our plates without our knowing it. Canadians are concerned about the lack of information about GMOs. The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to ban the sale and breeding of genetically modified salmon in Canada until labelling standards to warn consumers are put in place.

[Petitions, February 2nd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present a petition today. The petitioners state that in early August 2017, roughly five tonnes of genetically modified salmon was sold in Canada. This salmon likely ended up on Canadians' plates without their knowing it.

The petitioners want the Liberal government to know that Canadians are concerned about the lack of information about where GMO salmon is sold. They are calling on the government to ban the sale and breeding of genetically modified salmon in Canada until labelling is put in place to warn consumers.

[Rail Transportation, February 2nd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, VIA Rail's high-frequency train project between Quebec City and Windsor would improve transportation services for Quebeckers and Canadians in a number of regions. This project would promote the socio-economic development of the greater Drummond area. Local and regional players are working hard to make this project happen. The time for reflection is past. Now, the government needs to take action.

When does the Liberal government plan on announcing its support and, most importantly, funding for VIA Rail's high-frequency train project?

[Drummondville 2018 Winter Classic, February 2nd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, forget about the Habs and the NHL. During the weekend of February 9 to 11, Drummondville will be where it's at for top-calibre hockey. Drummondville will be hosting a historic winter classic outdoor hockey event in the middle of downtown, giving hockey fans an opportunity to see hockey's up-and-coming stars play.

The Drummondville Voltigeurs will take on the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Friday and the Victoriaville Tigres on Saturday. On Sunday, the Saint-Hyacinthe Gaulois will face the Magog Cantonniers in a midget AAA hockey league duel.

I want to take this opportunity to let the members for Sherbrooke and Richmond—Arthabaska know that the Voltigeurs are going to win those two games. I invite everyone to come out and take part in this unique event. I will see you there.

[Canada Elections Act, February 2nd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the people I spoke to in Drummond told me that they voted for the political parties that promised electoral reform. Sixty-six percent of Canadians voted for a political party that promised electoral reform. This government and the Prime Minister promised, hand on heart, that the last election would be the last one under the first past the post system.

During the extensive cross-country consultation, I spoke to people in Drummond, and the committee travelled across Canada to consult Canadians. Ninety percent of experts and 80% of citizens preferred a proportional voting system for the promised electoral reform. How did the Prime Minister respond? He said that there was no consensus.

Quite frankly, that makes no sense. This is why people now feel betrayed.

[Canada Elections Act, February 2nd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, today's discussions are somewhat absurd. The Liberal government has been in office for more than two years. They came to power by making promises they have to keep if they do not want Canadians to become cynical. What did they do when they came to power? They gave people privileged access to the Prime Minister for $1,500. What do these people expect in return? They figure the favour will be returned. The perceived conflict of interest is greater when the Prime Minister takes meetings like that.

When my colleague raised the spectre of Stephen Harper, he forgot that his own prime minister is the one embroiled in this situation. His own government is the one currently in power. It is up to him to make good decisions and to take the necessary action to fix the problem of cash for access to the Prime Minister. It is unacceptable for people to pay for privileged access.