Michel Boudrias

[Remembrance Day, November 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, on Remembrance Day, we all have a duty to honour those who fought for their country.

“Duty” is a word that often comes up when we are talking about troops that are currently deployed. Soldiers, officers, and non-commissioned officers, we salute you and we offer our profound thanks for the sacrifices you make every day, here in Canada and abroad. We are proud of you, your loved ones are proud of you, and Quebec is proud to be represented by you all over the world. We are forever indebted to you, and we have a duty as parliamentarians to remember.

“Duty” is a word that these men and women understand better than anyone. These individuals leave their family and friends behind, only to risk their lives in an attempt to help make the world a better place.

“Duty” is a word that will always carry profound significance for those who come home from the front lines forever changed, for those whose scars serve as a constant reminder of what they have been through, and for those who will carry an unimaginable burden for the rest of their days.

“Duty” is also a word that will always carry profound significance for the families and descendants of our fallen soldiers. Those people have paid the ultimate price so that others, both here and abroad, can live more peacefully, humanely, decently, and above all, democratically.

Let us not forget that the freedom we enjoy is not a gift, but a legacy. It is the legacy of people just like us who accepted the fact that on any given day at any given moment they could lose their lives so that others could live theirs.

I know that many of my colleagues in the House are veterans. More than anyone else, we have a duty to never forget the significance of the decisions that are made in the House. We have a duty to never forget that the choices that are made here have an impact on our fellow citizens when it comes to national defence, or any other issue for that matter. We will never be able to erase the image of fallen soldiers from our minds. We know what it means and we have a duty to carry their torch and to remind others of their sacrifice.

We also have a duty to keep our colleagues in check at times if ever a hint of cynicism should cloud their outlook and the common good should cease to be the only motivation for their actions.

Our democracy came at a high cost.

I remember.

[Rail Transportation, November 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I seek the consent of the House to move the following motion: that this House recognize the expertise of the Davie shipyard in Lévis, which represents 50% of the country's production capacity; and that it call on the government to adjust its national shipbuilding strategy to take into account the production capacity of the Davie shipyard.

[Davie Shipyard, November 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Davie Shipyard is one of the best shipyards in North America, perhaps even one of the best in the world, but what good is having the best shipyard in North America if no ships are being built there? Liberal inaction could cost the Davie shipyard 600 jobs by the end of November and as many as 800 jobs if nothing is done by Christmas. Workers are worried, and the National Assembly is too, because Ottawa is doing nothing.

In Quebec City today, Quebec parliamentarians unanimously adopted the following motion:

That the National Assembly recognize the expertise of the Davie Shipyard in Lévis;

That it call on the federal government to adjust its national shipbuilding strategy to ensure that Quebec receives its fair share of federal contracts; and

That the National Assembly call on the federal government to award Quebec the contracts associated with its plan to replace Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy ships, which includes the acquisition of a second Resolve-class oiler replenishment ship.

We hope that, for once, Ottawa will listen. If the federal government does nothing, it alone will be responsible for the loss of hundreds of jobs between now and Christmas.

[Ethics, October 31st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, what we have here is the same old sponsorship scandal party, the same old Liberal culture of entitlement.

Week after week, every time that government answers a question, Canadians feel more cynical and politicians as a whole look worse. With everything that has been going on, we are going to need another Gomery commission.

Will anyone in that government acknowledge that being a shareholder in a human resources company like Morneau Shepell and introducing a pension fund bill amounts to a potential conflict of interest?

[Rail Transportation, October 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, two years ago the Minister of Transport said that rail safety was his top priority. Two years later, that does not appear to be the case. Lac-Mégantic still does not have a bypass, the rail infrastructure in many communities looks like it dates back to the 19th century, and ticking time bombs are rolling through our streets, our lands, along our rivers, and in our towns and cities.

Is the minister asleep at the switch? Is he waiting for another tragedy before he changes the rules surrounding transportation safety?

[Regional Economic Development, October 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government will not spend a penny on jobs in the regions, but it does not mind loosening the purse strings for the Governor General. Last year, all that jet-setting and canapé-eating cost us $53 million. God save the Queen, indeed.

Then the government had the nerve to tell Quebeckers that it has no more money for our dairy producers and that it costs too much to bring cellphone coverage and broadband to the regions.

Is that what the government calls getting royally screwed?

[Canadian Coast Guard, October 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, last winter a Rio Tinto ship became stuck in the ice because of the poor state of federally-owned icebreakers.

This week an internal report has revealed that the current situation could put Quebec's port activities at risk this winter.

This could affect thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic spinoffs, and yet this government does nothing. The Davie shipyard has offered to lease some icebreakers as part of Project Resolute.

Will the government actually do something about this, or is it stuck in the ice, too?

[Canadian Coast Guard, October 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, last winter, because there were not enough icebreakers on the St. Lawrence River, a Rio Tinto ship became stuck in the ice.

Winter is coming, and this must not happen again. An immediate solution is needed, and it turns out that Project Resolute at the Davie shipyard is ready. The Davie shipyard can bring home four icebreakers, refit them up to standard, and lease them to the government to ensure that Quebec businesses will not have to suffer financial losses and once again face any risks in terms of marine safety.

Will the government finally wake up and say yes to the Davie shipyard?

[Canada Elections Act, October 3rd, 2017]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-364, an act to amend the Canada Elections Act and to make a consequential amendment to another Act (political financing).

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise in the House today to introduce a private member's bill to amend the Canada Elections Act to restore public funding for political parties. This issue was previously debated many times here in the House. With the support of all my colleagues across party lines, I hope that we will finally be able to enhance our collective democracy properly. More importantly, however, I hope we can chase away the dark cloud that is hanging over the ethics of political party financing and restore public confidence in our institution.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Infrastructure, June 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, not a single soul in Quebec supports the federal government on this. Not one expert agrees with the Liberals. The Quebec National Assembly is unanimous. Is that clear enough?

The Liberals do not have any friends in Quebec when it comes to Bill C-44. The entire agricultural industry is opposed to it. The government is on its own on this issue, with the exception of the 40 phantom MPs from Quebec who are being irresponsible about this.

Will someone on the other side of the House stand up, just once, and say that they will not allow Quebec to be at the mercy of bankers?