House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 29% of the vote.
Employment Insurance June 17th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the newly formed Liberal-Conservative coalition is definitely against the interests of Quebec and the public. Having introduced and supported a budget that is inappropriate and inadequate for Quebec, now the new coalition is setting up a panel on employment insurance that will report in the fall. They are abandoning the unemployed to their fate for the summer at least.
Does the coalition realize that real action must be taken now to help the unemployed?
Employment Insurance June 16th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, that is not true. We were willing to go, but their whip refused. When it comes to creating crises, no one holds a candle to the Prime Minister. He is the all-round champion.
That said, with 420 hours, the current threshold, a person is entitled to 37 weeks of employment insurance and no more.
They have not answered the question. I will now ask the political lieutenant, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is bellowing, to stand up. Let him put his seat on the line and say once again that it entitles people to 52 weeks.
Employment Insurance June 16th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claimed yesterday that what he wanted most was to help people get through the economic crisis. To that end, he should start telling the truth and stop spreading falsehoods about employment insurance. The Prime Minister keeps on saying that an eligibility threshold of 360 hours would entitle people to 52 weeks of benefits. That is absolutely untrue.
Will the Prime Minister or the minister dare say again from their seats that a 360-hour eligibility threshold entitles people to 52 weeks of employment insurance benefits?
The Economy June 15th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says that 80% of the projects are under way. Just because he put the money in the budget and projects are under way, that does not mean the money is flowing. We have reason to be skeptical, knowing that some projects announced two years ago in the 2007 budget have not yet been set in motion.
Does the Prime Minister realize that there are projects funded out of the 2007 budget that have not gotten off the ground, which means that he has made a lot of promises, but he has not accomplished much?
The Economy June 15th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, at taxpayers' expense, the Conservative government ran ads in all the weekend papers touting its recovery plan, the same recovery plan that contains nothing for the manufacturing industry in Quebec, nothing for the forestry industry, nothing for the unemployed, in short, nothing to really boost the economy.
Instead of spending taxpayers' money on advertising to tout an inadequate, ineffective recovery plan, would the Prime Minister not do better to shoulder his responsibilities and introduce a series of real measures modelled on our proposals?
Infrastructure June 11th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' economic action plan is a total flop. I am sure that their good news is not so good for the unemployed, whose numbers increase daily. The deficit is growing every day as well. We have no choice but to refuse to vote funding for this inadequate plan.
Why is the Prime Minister not instead taking inspiration from the Bloc Québécois recovery plan, which proposes the support to the manufacturing and forestry sectors that the regions are waiting for, as well as improvements to employment insurance?
If he wants to debate about the regions of Quebec, we are ready for that any time. We are waiting for him.
Infrastructure June 11th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative economic action plan, backed by the Liberals, is clearly inadequate and insufficient for Quebec. The action plan update the Prime Minister has just presented with such pomp and circumstance is proof of this.
Since some of the projects coming under the 2007 infrastructure budget have not even started yet, is it not clear that very few of the projects planned under the 2009 budget have yet got under way?
Medical Isotopes June 10th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, Jean-Luc Urbain of the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine accuses the Minister of Natural Resources of not taking the warnings seriously. François Lamoureux of the Association des médecins spécialistes en médecine nucléaire du Québec has described the minister's handling of this crisis as disastrous. In spite of this, the Prime Minister persists in defending the indefensible.
Will he finally listen to reason and fire his minister in order to start again on a more solid footing?
Medical Isotopes June 10th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, according to a number of experts in nuclear medicine, the isotope crisis was predictable, the Minister of Natural Resources has shown negligence in managing this crisis and, as a result, they no longer have confidence in her.
How can the Prime Minister justify keeping his Minister of Natural Resources on when all the experts consider her incompetent?
Minister of Natural Resources June 9th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, this minister has not even had the decency to make an apology here in this House, when we are well aware that on the recording that was left behind, she referred to of the isotope crisis as sexy and good for her career prospects. I wonder whether the patients still waiting for a medical exam because of the shortage of isotopes find anything sexy about their situation.
Given how little empathy and how much opportunism has been shown by his minister, the Prime Minister has no choice but to dismiss her. What is he waiting for?