Jacques Gourde

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I love working with my colleague in Lévis. We are really an outstanding pair. Unfortunately, at present, the Bloc Québécois's offices are satellite offices for the Parti Québécois in Quebec. They are in the process of mounting a major national strategy to hold a referendum in the coming years.

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for that good question, and I congratulate him on all the good work he is doing in his riding. He has become a legend. I have seen my share of snow, but it never snows as much as it does on the shores of the river where he lives, which is truly exceptional.

I had the good fortune to be part of a Conservative government under Mr. Harper. Our finances were sound. Our leader was a man of clear vision who worked hard and did great things for Canada. I am very proud of that. That is exactly what we are going to do when we are back on that side. We are going to restore our country to its former glory. We will build a strong, proud country for future generations.

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, we would be delighted to unveil our immigration platform in two days if the Bloc Québécois agrees to vote with us to bring down this government.

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, let us talk about honesty. During the last election in 2021, the Liberal Party platform never mentioned the possibility of a coalition with the NDP if a Liberal minority government were elected. That was never mentioned by the person running to be Prime Minister.

Was it honest to conceal this possibility from Canadians? If Canadians had known that these two parties would form a coalition, I am not sure whether the outcome would have been the same.

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I was proud to be elected as part of a Conservative government that expanded the promise of a better Canada, lowered inflation, cut the GST and taxes for small business, and balanced the budget, all while increasing health transfers faster than any other government in history. Personal incomes rose by 10% after inflation and taxes. In fact, we did more than we promised.

Now, after nine years under this disastrous Prime Minister, the Canadian promise is broken. This Prime Minister has broken numerous promises and dashed many of our hopes. He has not balanced the budget. He has not cut taxes for the middle class. There still is not enough affordable housing. In addition to going back on his word, the Prime Minister refuses to face up to the fact that he is no good for our country.

Being born in or living in Canada no longer comes with the assurance of a minimum threshold for living in dignity and decency. This was a promise that everyone in Canada once received as a native-born Canadian or as an immigrant to this country. It is so sad to see young people working hard but staying longer, even too long, in their parents' homes. It is appalling.

The Bloc Québécois has voted more than 189 times to keep this Prime Minister in power. It has voted for $500 billion in inflationary, bureaucratic and centralizing spending. I would add that this $500 billion does not include health care funding or money for seniors. Those funds are external and are already set out in law.

It is truly scandalous to see all the money that is going to consultants, bureaucrats, interest groups and big business, all subsidized by the state. It is even more shocking to see the Bloc Québécois laughing at us at the same time, voting to increase gas taxes, including in Quebec, with the second carbon tax that does apply in Quebec.

I am also thinking of the Bloc Québécois's support for capital gains taxes, which will force Quebec farmers, entrepreneurs, doctors and home builders to pay more money to Ottawa, only for those funds to be controlled here by the state.

I was part of a Conservative government that increased health transfers. Now the Bloc Québécois wants to keep the most centralizing and costly prime minister in our history in power.

The Prime Minister, with his immigration policy that even his own minister admits is out of control, has pushed Quebec to the breaking point. The Bloc Québécois does not even think that immigration is an important issue. In other words, Quebeckers are far down on the list of the Bloc Québécois's interests and priorities.

It is also important to remember that during the past nine years under this colossal and ineffective government, the Prime Minister doubled the national debt. That means he alone spent more than all the prime ministers before him. He spent more in nine years than all the others did in 148 years.

That debt has a material impact on ordinary people. It means that currently, under this Liberal government, all the money taxpayers spend on GST is being used just to cover the interest on the debt. Unless something is done, these payments will continue to increase, further mortgaging the future of the next generations and their right to a government that has its books in order.

Is that what democracy is about? Is it about keeping the government in a position of weakness indefinitely?

While the Bloc Québécois and the NDP circle around the Liberals like vultures, hoping for some gains that they are very unlikely to get, voters are clear about wanting a carbon tax election. The current situation is not normal. Nothing about it is normal.

Voters did not vote for that in 2021. First of all, if they had known that the NDP was going to form a dishonourable coalition with the Liberals, the outcome of the election probably would have been very different. The same is currently true of the Bloc Québécois. Voters did not vote for that party, which has voted 189 times to keep the Prime Minister in power. Time is up. Why is the Bloc Québécois too afraid to give voters the choice right now? The “Liberal Bloc” is a very appropriate name. What image are we portraying to the international community? Do other countries see a strong, proud Canada that is secure in itself and its destiny, or a Canada where the government is unstable and voters are urgently calling for an election?

Let us talk about the infamous carbon tax. It is the most unproductive government tax ever created in Canadian history, because, like all other taxes, it not only takes money out of taxpayers' pockets, but it also puts Canadian businesses at a competitive disadvantage compared to those of other countries. When it costs more to manufacture in Canada than elsewhere, it forces our businesses to move away and discourages foreign investment in Canada.

Our productivity now falls far short of that of our neighbours to the south. Canada ranks second-last in the G7 in terms of productivity per hour worked. For all these reasons, we are going to vote to bring down this government in order to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I am the one with the daunting task of calming things down here in the House.

As members know, I have been an MP since 2006. Over the years, I have seen Canada evolve and prosper only to slip backwards and lose the essence of the values it holds dear. That fills me with great sadness as a legislator, but also as a father of five children and a grandfather of seven wonderful grandchildren, whose future has been compromised by the bad decisions made by this Prime Minister and this government.

People are constantly worrying every day because they no longer believe that our country's legislators are dealing with the real issues and working to address their concerns. This summer, I met Ms. Francine, who shared her concerns with me about the direction that Canada is taking. She said, “I can't take any more of the Prime Minister. When will there be an election?” Her words express the wishes of millions of Canadians who want a new government in our country. These are legitimate concerns, especially when it comes to the national debt, which is over $1.2 trillion, and the interest costs for the public purse.

Ms. Francine understands that more interest charges means fewer services and less money in Canadians' pockets for the welfare of the vulnerable. She is also concerned about the price of homes and housing, which puts home ownership out of reach for her beloved grandchildren. She is concerned about everything costing more, with inflation affecting the cost of living, food, housing and energy. I wish I could have reassured her, or at least confirmed an election date, but the Bloc Québécois and the NDP seem to enjoy watching the Liberal government slowly but surely waste away.

A minority government has a life expectancy of 20 months, not 48 months. It is in the Bloc Québécois and NDP's hands to allow Canadians to choose who will govern Canada for the next years. With its strong, renewed leadership, the Conservative Party is offering Canadians a credible and exciting opportunity for the future of our country.

We can offer security and reassurance for the future, because we have a proven track record. The current Conservative government balanced the budget. It worked to create and keep jobs here, cracked down on crime, did not encourage the use of harmful drugs, engaged in missions to restore peace, and ensured that all citizens had the chance to make the most of their opportunities by having a good paycheque and leaving more money in their pockets. The previous Conservative government was consistent and did whatever it took to meet the needs expressed by Canadians.

Today, Canadians are living with the consequences of the bad choices made by a reckless Liberal minority government that has been kept in power since 2019 by two opportunistic parties that take turns blackmailing it for their own benefit, to the detriment of the Canadian population. This illegitimate Liberal government, which the NDP and Bloc Québécois are keeping on life support, has dragged us into serious challenges and crises that we may not be able to overcome now or in the years to come unless something changes soon.

I do not know if the Liberal government can hear me, but I can certainly hear them here in the House talking on the other side—

[Old Age Security Act, September 25th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech, and I want to acknowledge her passion for Bill C‑319.

However, I am still concerned about the Bloc Québécois's October 29 deadline because I hear the Liberals, and they do not seem very open to it. They seem very calm, cool and collected. I have some concerns about the Bloc Québécois with respect to the Liberals.

Will the Liberals dangle a little carrot in front of them at the end of October? Will the Bloc Québécois take the bait and wait until the next budget? Or rather, are the Bloc Québécois members here in the House to get what they want on October 29, or else they will trigger an election?

I would like to be sure. Will the Bloc Québécois extend its deadline or will it really end this government on October 29?

[Committees of the House, September 25th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, it is always interesting to listen to my colleague. I would like to get back to the Bloc Québécois's ultimatum and the October 29 deadline. I have two questions.

My colleague appears to go further than his own leader with this ultimatum. His leader said he was prepared to negotiate if the government ignores the Bloc Québécois's demands. However, my colleague expressly said that if he did not get a response by October 29, he would begin discussions to trigger an election. That is my first question.

My second question is as follows: Why October 29? At the current rate of opposition days, there will be no more opposition days on October 29. It will be even more difficult for our three parties to trigger an election.

[Bloc Québécois, September 25th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives, like millions of Canadians and Quebeckers, no longer have confidence in this Prime Minister and this government. The NDP has kept this government on life support for months, and now the Bloc Québécois wants to do the same thing when we vote on the motion of non-confidence in this Prime Minister.

For the Bloc to want to save this costly, centralizing Prime Minister and keep him in power even though he constantly encroaches on provincial jurisdictions, they must be truly desperate or completely indifferent to the fate of Quebeckers. The Liberals are going to put 1,400 jobs at risk with the Liberal woodland caribou order, and the Bloc Québécois has not even managed to negotiate the order's removal. The only party working to save the forestry sector is the Conservative Party. The Bloc is the worst negotiator in history, and it is ready to sell its soul instead of offering Quebeckers the country they deserve.

Will the Bloc Québécois vote to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime?

[Bloc Québécois, September 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, voting for the interests of Quebec means voting with us in favour of the Conservative Party's non-confidence motion against this government. If the Bloc Québécois truly had the fate of Quebeckers at heart, at the request of Premier Legault, it must vote with the Conservative Party and stop selling its soul.

So far, the Bloc Québécois has not made any gains for Quebec. On the woodland caribou file, the Liberals are jeopardizing 1,400 jobs with the Liberal order, and the Bloc Québécois has failed to negotiate the withdrawal of that order. The only party working to save the forestry sector is the Conservative Party. That is why the Bloc Québécois must vote with us on the non-confidence motion to save 1,400 forestry jobs throughout Quebec.

To represent Quebeckers, we must decide whether we are going to keep the Liberal government in power or not. Will the Bloc Québécois vote to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime?