Julie Vignola

[Business of Supply, November 3rd, 2020]

Madam Speaker, my question is similar to my colleague's.

From the outset, the hon. member for Joliette has repeatedly called within the Standing Committee on Finance for changes to the commercial rent assistance program to make it more flexible. It is now expected that there will be a change and that the transfer between the Canada Revenue Agency and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation will take place.

When and how will this be done? We need to avoid rough patches and make sure that companies do not end up paying more.

[Attack in Old Quebec, November 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we were all horrified to learn of the tragic events that unfolded in Quebec City on Saturday night. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I offer my condolences to the loved ones of Suzanne Clermont and François Duchesne, and I wish a speedy recovery to the five people who were injured. I thank the first responders and the port of Quebec guard, whose vigilance and action saved lives. My thoughts go out to Quebec City, which is in shock today.

It is even more appalling when we consider that these acts seem to have been committed for no reason by someone who was unwell. Mental health problems can affect everyone and are exacerbated by the stress brought on by the pandemic. I urge anyone who needs help to reach out by using the resources or organizations that are available, or by dialling 811 in Quebec. Take care.

[Bills of Exchange Act, October 30th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I truly want to thank my colleague from Manicouagan for her speech, which really touched my heart, because I also come from the North Shore and have lived with these people.

One person I have had the pleasure of meeting is Marly Fontaine, an artist who literally had her Indian number tattooed on her arm, as a symbol of the Indian Act of 1876 and all that it entailed.

What does my colleague think reconciliation would really look like if that act were amended?

[Bills of Exchange Act, October 30th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I would like to commend my colleague and her family for their resilience and strength in the face of those hardships.

The first nations and the Inuit and Métis peoples have suffered greatly. The creation of a day of commemoration is a first step. I am thinking of various events, such as the kidnappings perpetrated by Jacques Cartier, General Amherst's idea to give indigenous people blankets infected with smallpox and Macdonald's genocidal actions with the highly racist 1876 act. I do not want to name it because its title is racist. That law is still in effect.

In addition to a day of commemoration, does my colleague not agree that real and sincere reconciliation will not be possible unless the 1876 act is completely reformed?

[Intergovernmental Affairs, October 29th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government rightly apologized for the mass internment of Japanese Canadians without cause during the Second World War. For the same reasons and the same war, the Prime Minister himself promised an official apology to the Italian community.

The only people that the federal government arrested en masse and without cause, which the Prime Minister has no time to apologize for, were the 497 victims of the war measures.

Why is an apology warranted for the other groups, but not for the innocent Quebeckers who were unjustly imprisoned?

[Beauport—Limoilou, October 28th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to salute the people and organizations of Beauport—Limoilou for their strength, their resilience and their willingness to help one another.

People in our community donate clothing to organizations and food to outdoor refrigerators like the one at Patro Roc-Amadour. They help their neighbours and volunteer with food security and community support organizations such as OQPAC, AutonHommie Limoilou, Cuisine collective Beauport, Entraide Agapè, La Bouchée généreuse, CAB Aide 23 and Le Pivot. Everyone is doing what they can to help others get through tough times. We also have mental health support organizations, such as Fondation CERVO, Le Cercle Polaire and La Boussole, to name but a few. In all, Beauport—Limoilou has over 100 community support organizations.

Beauport—Limoilou is full of caring individuals and organizations ready to work together to overcome the obstacles life puts in our path. Together, we are stronger.

[Business of Supply, October 22nd, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I would like to hear what my hon. colleague thinks of the government members' stubborn refusal to take us up on our invitation to amend the motion to make it more acceptable to them and to show some honesty and transparency to Canadians.

[Business of Supply, October 22nd, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I want to pick up on what my colleague from Brampton South just said.

There is a very simple reason why my colleague and the entire government have been able to repeatedly bash the provinces' management of seniors' homes. Quebec and the other provinces were honest and transparent about their figures and their management. They even took steps to address the situation long before that infamous report from the Canadian Armed Forces. Yes, the same armed forces that we all pay for.

Here is the situation. There is a simple way for the Liberals to show their support. They need to increase health transfers to at least 35%. In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, transfers were at 50%, or around $91 billion a year for the entire country, as opposed to $40 billion.

If the Liberals want to show their support, that is what they need to do.

[Business of Supply, October 22nd, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I would have liked to hear what my colleague had to say.

She worked on the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates this summer and she asked very relevant questions.

I believe I know where my colleague was going. It is very important to work together for the good of Quebeckers and Canadians. In order to do that, we need to share information, and both the opposition and the government need to think on it and take a step back so that we can better plan. We call that stepping back to better—

[Business of Supply, October 22nd, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague for his question. I enjoy working with him on the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.

I touched on this briefly during my speech, but at the beginning of the pandemic, scientists all over the world were saying that we needed to work together and that research should, ideally, be open source, which means that everyone would contribute. We need to prevent this research from being commercialized.

There is a company in my riding that takes an innovative approach to manufacturing vaccines. Once the vaccines are produced, could the company share them? It could share the part it worked on, without disclosing everything, and invite others to do their own testing and contribute to the research. This is one possible way to go.

I understand that there is a whole commercial aspect to this. Everyone wants to make a profit at others' expense. Is this really the time to be going for profit, especially when it is the government investing?