Louise Chabot

[Employment, January 28th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP held a press conference to talk about the labour dispute affecting Swissport maintenance workers.

This shines a spotlight on two issues related to Canadian labour laws, including the anti-scab legislation. Over 40 years after Quebec banned the use of scabs, it is high time that the federal government did the same.

Workers also need to be protected in the case of contract flipping, which is when people lose their jobs and then are hired back again but with inferior working conditions. That hearkens back to another era.

Will the minister finally reform the code and move into the 21st century by banning—

[Fernand Daoust, January 28th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to acknowledge the passing of one of Quebec's great union leaders, Fernand Daoust, who died last Thursday at the age of 93.

He dedicated 40 years of his life to fighting for workers as a member of the FTQ. As a staunch fighter for a modern Quebec, this great union leader made a major contribution to his province's social and economic development.

An ardent defender of Quebec's interests, he was named patriot of the year in 1998, made a knight of the Ordre national du Québec in 2001 and honoured by the Ordre des francophones d'Amérique in 1994. Throughout his lifetime and in everything he did, he was a passionate advocate of the French language and a champion of French in the workplace.

We extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends and loved ones, and we mourn with the extended FTQ family.

[Official Languages, December 13th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, in anticipation of the meeting between the Prime Minister and the Premier of Quebec, I think it is important to remind members that Mr. Legault has asked that federally regulated businesses, such as banks, interprovincial transportation companies and airports, be subject to the Charter of the French Language when they do business in Quebec. The Bloc Québécois has been calling for that for a long time. French is important to Quebeckers.

Will the government listen to Quebec and subject federally regulated businesses to the rights and obligations of Bill 101?

[Employment Insurance, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by acknowledging the people of Thérèse-De Blainville and thanking them for putting their trust in me. I especially want to acknowledge Émilie Sansfaçon, who is here with us and who received two cancer diagnoses in the same year.

Two cancers is too much for anyone. Apparently, it is too much for the employment insurance system as well. Employment insurance sickness benefits max out at 15 weeks. If treatments last longer, then that is too bad for the sick person. If, for those like Émilie, cancer strikes twice, then they have to make do without EI assistance, even though they have contributed to it their entire adult life. Émilie had to remortgage her home and got into debt; she had to rely on her family for help because she cannot count on us.

When we face adversity, we can give up or we can fight. Émilie Sansfaçon chose to fight, as did Marie-Hélène Dubé, who has been fighting for 10 years. We can fix this problem once and for all. We just need to extend—

[Violence Against Women, December 6th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, we have not forgotten.

Today, December 6, we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the painful École Polytechnique tragedy, when 14 young women were murdered in their classroom because they were women. Still today, tragic incidents of violence against women are far too common. For those women, for our daughters, our mothers and our sisters, there must be an end to this violence.

“We must not forget” means that we must keep on marching, speaking out, putting in place real measures and taking concrete action to eliminate all forms of sexual violence. This is a collective effort that concerns and engages us all. It is our duty to speak out and to take action—above all to take action—that engages all of society.