Guy Caron

[Public Services and Procurement, October 5th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we now know that public officials were raising major concerns about the implementation of the Phoenix payroll system. However, instead of listening to these concerns, the government gave millions of dollars to two massive corporations, which were the same companies selling Phoenix in the first place. What did we get? We got a pay system that does not pay employees.

When Canadians buy a product that does not work, they go back to the store and ask for a refund. My question is simple. Where is our refund?

[Seniors, October 5th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, evidence seemed to convince the parliamentary budget officer, and the PBO predicts also that seniors will become even more dependent on government services in the years to come. The amount that seniors will need from these services is projected to double. This is at a time when more than one-quarter of a million seniors already live below the poverty level. So far, Liberals have no plan to help seniors. In fact, yesterday, the Prime Minister mocked the NDP for calling for a national strategy. When will the Liberals finally get serious about lifting seniors out of poverty?

[Health, October 5th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary budget officer confirmed in his report released today that the Liberal government's health transfers, much like Stephen Harper's, are inadequate and will not meet the needs of the provinces. That is exactly what the provinces have been saying: they are going to face serious budgetary pressures because of our aging population. Until the federal government has the courage to contribute its fair share, the provinces will never have the means to improve their health care systems.

When will the Prime Minister live up to his promise to adequately fund health care?

[Canadian Heritage, October 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the National Assembly was not satisfied with these arguments, since yesterday it passed a unanimous motion rejecting the Netflix deal. The Assembly also demanded that the minister defend our cultural industries.

Yesterday, the Quebec ministers of culture and finance condemned the inequities in the administration of the tax rules. The artists' union also expressed their concerns yesterday after a meeting with the heritage minister.

What does the minister say in response? She says that other such deals are coming—

[Canadian Heritage, October 4th, 2017]

We hear the words, Mr. Speaker, but we are still waiting to see action.

Governing should be about establishing clear and fair rules for everyone, yet the Minister of Heritage chooses to make deals with foreign multinationals, allowing them to forgo paying their fair share. She has been clear that Netflix is just the first in a long line. Spotify, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube are next.

When will the Prime Minister listen to reason and realize that this deal means outsourcing our cultural industries to American companies?

[The Environment, October 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Prime Minister on behalf of our new leader for his good wishes.

To the matter at hand, we have in front of us a government that has approved three pipelines, is 111 megatonnes away from our Copenhagen targets, and is 219 megatonnes away from our Paris targets.

Greenhouse gas emissions have actually increased by 15% since 1992. Do the Liberals understand that when it comes to the environment, the proof is in the pudding?

[The Environment, October 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development released a series of absolutely devastating reports. She says that the government is, and I quote, “not prepared to deal with the impacts of climate change”.

The commissioner reported that 14 of the 19 departments audited had not assessed their climate change risks, and a 1990 cabinet directive on environmental impact was not being followed 80% of the time.

The Liberals have plenty to say about the environment.

The question is, what are they doing about it?

[Nicole Leblanc, May 31st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, a great dame of Quebec televison passed away last week. Rose-Anna Saint-Cyr is no more.

Actress Nicole Leblanc left an indelible mark on the history of Quebec television.

In the lead role in Le Temps d'une paix, which boasted ratings of over 3 million viewers, she played a strong woman who took control of her family's destiny at a time when women's roles were still generally passive or submissive.

In the theatre, in 1968, Nicole Leblanc had the distinct honour of acting in the original production of Michel Tremblay's Les Belles-soeurs, a revolutionary play that marked a turning point in Quebec modern theatre.

In the late 1990s she began working in Trois-Pistoles, first acting in Abla Farhoud's Maudite machine, and later becoming the director of the Caveau-Théâtre, the theatre founded by Victor-Lévy Beaulieu in 1992.

For the past several years, she had been living in Sainte-Françoise, having made her home in the Basques area during her well-deserved retirement.

I want to express my deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. The entire province of Quebec is grateful to her family for sharing this exceptional woman with us.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 1st, 2017]

With regard to the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, between its launch on January 1, 2015, and February 22, 2017, and the constituency of Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques: (a) which projects have been submitted from the constituency; and (b) which projects submitted from the constituency have been approved?

[Veterans Affairs, February 24th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday I attended the funeral of Carl Jason Dunphy, a young veteran from my riding who died tragically on February 11. A few hours before his death, he posted the following message about his difficulties in getting help from Veterans Affairs: “It's eating away at my resources and my strength. It's not up to friends and spouses to deal with this because a government organization doesn't act.”

Carl Jason Dunphy's life, his service, and his memory deserve so much more than just a list of statistics read from a cue card.

I am asking the minister again: will the department conduct an internal investigation of the circumstances surrounding his death?