Julie Vignola

[35th Anniversary of the Corporation de Développement Communautaire de Beauport, October 8th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I am proud to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Corporation de développement communautaire de Beauport, also known as the Beauport CDC.

The Beauport CDC enables dozens of its member community organizations to work together on improving the quality of life for Beauport residents, especially the most vulnerable, by pooling their knowledge, dedication and commitment. Whether through anti-poverty projects, support for families or mental health initiatives, the Beauport CDC is a pillar of our community. Jacques Bellemare, executive director of the Beauport CDC, deserves our utmost admiration. Determined, courageous, a consummate diplomat with a keen sense of humour, he is the organization's unsurpassed maestro.

I would like to thank volunteers and staff members, both past and present, for taking concrete action to fight poverty, support families and boost mental health. I thank them for being with us and for us, day after day.

[Privilege, October 3rd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I have said it before and I will say it again: When it comes to the strength of a Parliament, its only real power lies in the trust that people have in it.

That trust seems to have been shaken in recent months. It has been shaken by the actions that have been taken and by the decisions that have been made. I would like my colleague talk about the consequences of undermining people's trust in the parliamentary system.

Before I close, I just want to wish a very happy birthday to my daughter who turns 25 today.

[Privilege, October 3rd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, when we talk about producing documents, there is often the issue of redaction, in other words, the fact that some of the information has been hidden. The rule of thumb is to hide people's names and their personal information. That is a matter of ethics, to prevent witch hunts that could result in erroneous analyses and misinterpretation.

Does my colleague think that any properly redacted document, which would hide information like names, telephone numbers and email addresses, would be acceptable and accepted?

[Privilege, October 3rd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, sometimes we just happen to agree. I agree with some of the things the member said, including the fact that our role as parliamentarians is to study bills and try to find a consensus or to scrap that bill.

Since the beginning of the debate, I notice that on one side, the main opposition party, the Conservative Party, is saying that the Liberals are corrupt. On the other side, the Liberals are saying that the Conservatives are corrupt.

I see a problem and I wonder whether the problem is that power makes some people forget that that same power essentially comes from public trust. I am not talking about everybody. I said, “some people”.

Is the problem that Canada's bicameral system gives the impression that there is no need to seek consensus, that it is okay to just keep arguing all day instead of thinking of the common good?

[Privilege, October 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I want to come back to our role as parliamentarians. Our role is to adopt legislation that is useful to the public, that is good for the public.

We are being held back in our role by a refusal to produce documents. This refusal is hampering us in two ways: in our role as legislators who adopt measures that are good for the public and reject those that are not; and in our role as parliamentarians who analyze situations that have the potential of being problematic so as to improve the processes.

What does my colleague think of all that and the trust that is being asked of us in the face of this refusal?

[Privilege, October 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the role of the opposition in any government, but particularly a minority government, is not to oppose simply for the sake of it, which is not constructive. It is also, and above all, to ensure that the public gets a better, more complete view of the realities we face. This ensures better representation of the public in the House.

That said, trust also underpins the power of this Parliament. Refusing to hand over documents suggests or raises suspicions that there is something to hide. At the same time, it undermines public trust. For a government, especially a minority government, refusing to hand over documents amounts to shooting itself in the foot.

Is it a question of the appointment process, is it a question of letting organizations manage funds without obligations, or is it a bit of both?

[Privilege, October 2nd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I am going to take the liberty of refocusing the debate on the subject at hand and not on name dropping, which may or may not be harmful depending on the situation.

My question is about Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or SDTC. Should the processes for appointing people to government positions not be reviewed? This would ensure that there are no conflicts of interest. It would also pave the way for preventive action when there is a potential conflict of interest, instead of having everything blow up and always having to play catch up with those mistakes.

[Privilege, October 2nd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to interrupt my hon. colleague's speech, but unfortunately, a phone is vibrating near the microphone, so the interpreters cannot do their job properly.

[Privilege, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the strength of a democratic Parliament comes from the confidence that people have in that Parliament. When people lie in committee, distort the truth in committee or do not provide the requested documents, it is akin to saying that at the end of the day, Parliament does not deserve people's trust and they do not have confidence in our work. The foundation of everything we do is the trust that people put in us. When witnesses do that before a committee, then the public necessarily questions it.

I would like my colleague to provide details on the importance of having our constituents' trust, but also having trust in the witnesses who appear before a committee.

[Privilege, September 26th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am always concerned about the powers of the House of Commons. I constantly ask myself whether I might be overreaching the usual powers. I do my utmost to ensure that I respect the three orders of government that constitute the best approach to establishing a democracy, according to the Enlightenment.

In this case, producing documents that may or may not constitute evidence, and letting the RCMP decide whether or not to use those documents makes all the difference with respect to the division of powers in a situation such as this one.