Johanne Deschamps

[Audréanne Campeau and Vincent Rainville, June 19th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the ingenuity of two senior high school students at the Saint-Joseph composite school in Mont-Laurier. They took top honours at the provincial finals of the Bell science fair. Audréanne Campeau, 17, from Lac-des-Écorces, and Vincent Rainville, 16, from Mont-Laurier, won a number of prizes with their “passive house” project, which was among the 100 best projects presented.

With 120 hours of work and a $20 investment, they designed a model of an environmentally friendly home, along with pamphlets, posters and fact sheets, which won them the Université du Québec prize. They will be part of the Quebec delegation at the Canada-wide science fair and will participate in the international science fair in Durban, South Africa. They also won the Synapse silver medal, awarded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Agence de l'efficacité énergétique bursary.

My colleagues in the Bloc Québécois and I wish them much success in the next round of competitions.

[Palestinian Authority, June 14th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, by weakening the Palestinian Authority, did the international community not reinforce the position of those who claim that only an armed struggle will free the Palestinian people from their miseries? Instead of taking this opportunity to show the Palestinians that democracy is the best path to take, the international community marginalized those who would have preferred a democratic route.

We can see the results. The Palestinian Authority appears to be losing all control over the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, we are hearing allegations of war crimes committed by the Palestinian parties involved. No one can be happy about this worrisome situation that not only complicates the revival of peace talks, but also makes the security of Israel even more problematic. The Palestinian Authority must be reinforced immediately, while there is still time.

Canada, the first country in the world to cut funding to the Palestinian Authority following the last election, cannot wash its hands of the current situation. The government now has the opportunity to show that it is able to promote peace. The Mecca agreement sent a message of reaching out, and we must respond to it.

[Petitions, June 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as the Bloc Québécois critic for the status of women, I am pleased to present two petitions containing over 1,350 signatures of men and women in Quebec. The petitioners are calling on the Prime Minister to honour his commitment and immediately bring back the court challenges program and the original criteria for the women's program, and re-open the regional offices. I thus present these two petitions.

[Martine Paiement, June 11th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as Bloc Québécois critic on the status of women and member for Laurentides—Labelle, today I would like to pay tribute to the remarkable work of a woman in my riding.

Martine Paiement, a resident of the municipality of Piedmont, recently went to Africa as part of the international cooperation program of the Canadian Executive Service Organization. The purpose of her trip was to develop the “African woman entrepreneur”.

African society is very dependent on the work of women. Whether they are working to bring home food or to support families, they are often the last thing standing between survival and extreme poverty.

Her trip was productive. Canada's African trade commissioner, Jude Bijingsi, visited the Upper Laurentians and had the opportunity to take a closer look at our region's trade potential.

Congratulations once again, Ms. Paiement, for your excellent work.

[Festivals and Special Events, June 4th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the government promised $60 million over two years for festivals and special events.

Last week, however, we learned that the minister was rejecting the unanimous request from Quebec's National Assembly to transfer the funding earmarked for Quebec. The minister also informed us that festivals would not be receiving any money before they were held this summer. This is yet more proof that, to the Conservatives, the nation of Quebec is a nice idea on paper, but should not mean more money or power.

Is the minister aware that her stubbornness could threaten events this summer in Quebec? In my riding, the third Festival international de théâtre de Mont-Laurier is in danger.

After neglecting our forest industry, now the Conservative government is attacking our cultural and tourist events. What a fine mess, minister.

[Member for La-Pointe-de-l'Île, May 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, on May 21, our colleague, the hon. member for La Pointe-de-l'Île, received the Marie-Victoire-Félix-Dumouchel prize, recognizing the contribution of a woman to Quebec's public life and her patriotic commitment to Quebec. This is a prize that is awarded each year by the Rassemblement pour un pays souverain, a sovereignist coalition. Incidentally, our colleague is the second recipient of this prize.

The hon. member for La Pointe-de-l'Île won this prize because of her great contribution to Quebec politics, both in Quebec City and in Ottawa. Minister responsible for the status of women in the Lévesque government in 1984 and a Bloc Québécois member of Parliament since 1993, she has developed an uncommon expertise in foreign affairs. A teacher and historian by trade, and a tireless worker, she has forged ties in Ottawa as well as abroad. Everywhere she goes, she speaks of sovereignty with conviction, reason and passion.

Congratulations on receiving this highly deserved Marie-Victoire-Félix-Dumouchel prize.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, if women have truly achieved equality, as the Conservative government suggests, the minister needs to know that twice as many women as men continue to live in poverty.

Does the minister realize that young women have to give up plans to save for retirement because they are juggling career and family responsibilities?

Does the minister believe that Quebec's low-cost child care system provides direct assistance to women and that it is much more efficient than her government's $100 per month taxable allowance?

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the employment insurance issue is very important to me. This deals a direct blow to women in my riding, across Quebec and also in Canada.

Part-time work, seasonal work, casual work, home-based work, all these are the reality facing women every day. And the EI fund—in which the government does not invest one cent, but from which it takes surpluses of billion of dollars—does not deal with this reality at all.

Knowing that the system discriminates against women, will the minister dare to show some courage with her fellow ministers and ask them to give a royal recommendation to Bill C-269?

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, I will be brief.

I would like to know the minister's priorities for next year with regard to the status of women.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, the Conservatives take great pride in having increased the women's program budget. But the fact is that they did so by reducing women's access to Status of Women Canada offices and reducing direct assistance in the regions by closing 12 regional offices, including the office in Quebec City.

In light of your decision to slash $5 million in administrative funding for Status of Women Canada, how can closing 12 Status of Women Canada offices help women raise awareness of the reality in their community?

Do you really believe that the central offices will know enough about what is going on in the different regions of the country to take appropriate actions to help women?