Jean-François Larose

[Sports, May 6th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, in April, during Autism Month, I informed the Minister of State for Sport about the situation of a young gymnast from Repentigny, in Lanaudière, whose dream is to participate in the Special Olympics. Even though he has the talent and his family is offering to pay his way and even though it is extremely important for people with autism to have a role model, his dream is being shattered by Special Olympics Canada, which does not recognize gymnastics as an official sport.

The Minister of State for Sport told me that he would look into this. Can he tell me when he will make his decision?

[Claude Dagenais, May 6th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to congratulate Claude Dagenais, who spent the last 25 years building Auto-Chem in Repentigny despite the many roadblocks that financial institutions set up to thwart him.

Mr. Dagenais was recognized as exporter of the year by Lanaudière's international development association. I would especially like to congratulate him on a number of major achievements. He has passed on his know-how and business sense to his son, Jean, who now runs the company, and to the community through his mentoring work.

Despite several offers from competitors, he was committed to keeping that expertise in Repentigny and keeping his jobs in our community. Among many other things, he helped ensure that all children in the riding whose parents struggle to provide them with breakfast have a full belly before starting their school day.

Mr. Dagenais, on behalf of the people of our community, I thank you.

[The Environment, April 22nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the day after the tabling of a budget that completely ignores the environment, Earth Day is all the more important.

Our quality of life and the environment are elements of wealth. Investing in the environment provides the best return on capital. The Minister of Finance is still basing his decisions on archaic measurements.

The World Bank recommends including natural capital in the calculation of GDP to make it a fair and responsible indicator, as we in Forces et démocratie will be proposing in a motion.

Will the government use modern calculations?

[Natural Resources, March 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we can see where TransCanada's priorities lie when it comes to the energy east pipeline. First, the company refuses to be transparent by providing its documentation in French for the people in my riding. Then, it disparages an independent study commissioned by elected officials in the RCM of D'Autray who want to know more about what the risks really are.

What is the government waiting for? When will it intervene to ensure that Canadians have all the information available on the risks associated with the pipeline?

[Gun Registry, March 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, by a single vote, a majority of the Supreme Court has agreed to let the Conservatives destroy the gun registry data for Quebec.

Beyond the legal aspect, there is something called common sense. The federal government has the opportunity to prove that it can work with the Government of Quebec by transferring the data rather than hitting the delete button.

Why make Quebeckers pay twice for something that already exists?

[Petitions, March 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition signed by almost 1,000 Canadians. The petition calls on the government to implement policies that support small family farmers and farm workers around the world so they can preserve their seeds.

The threat to biodiversity and the future of food posed by policies in the agri-food industry is growing. The ratification by several countries of the most recent version of the UPOV will make illegal the ancestral rights of small family farmers to preserve, use and exchange their seeds.

It is time for this government to become a world leader in maintaining biodiversity, which is indispensable to the future of food for our families, communities and regions.

[Natural Resources, March 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, every day we see more people and municipalities in Lanaudière opposing the energy east pipeline. They refuse to assume all the risks of an oil spill and reject the idea that the only economic spinoffs will come from cleanup fees in the event of a disaster, especially when it comes to oil that even the U.S. President describes as extraordinarily dirty.

Why do the Conservatives, Liberals and the NDP think it is okay to force a pipeline on Quebeckers that even the United States is refusing?

[Employment, March 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Lanaudière have not been spared the woes of the current economic climate.

The Conservatives claim that the economy is a priority. However, instead of investing in communities, they are spending billions of dollars on measures such as income splitting that benefit the wealthiest people but do not create a single job in Lanaudière. Ottawa is even holding back money earmarked for economic development.

At what point will the federal government finally do something meaningful to support workers and to help entrepreneurs in Lanaudière create jobs?

[Taxation, February 6th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, a simple yes or no would have sufficed.

The government is balancing its books at the expense of the regions, Canadians, the environment and our infrastructure. There will be a large debt to pay. The regions are dealing with economic decline and the exodus of their youth. The unemployment rate is rising.

Why does the government not take advantage of historically low interest rates to boost the power and financial capacity of all our regions, not just urban areas?

[Taxation, February 6th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the IMF has recommended that G20 governments fund a major global infrastructure initiative through loans, not austerity measures.

Contrary to the government's rhetoric, the IMF and many other public finance experts have told us that we are entering a long period of economic stagnation, high unemployment and growing inequality between rich and poor.

It is time for the Minister of Finance to wake up. Does he not agree with the experts?