Michel Picard

[Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville Arts Circuit, September 18th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, artists are an important part of our society. They define our popular culture and spark our collective imagination. They give us the opportunity to escape the every day with their thought-provoking, emotional, spiritual and sometimes even political creations.

Artists are visionaries who reflect the many faces of our society. They give us the opportunity to explore our world through poetry, painting, sculpture, music, theatre, and many more mediums. That is why I would like to invite the people of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville and its surrounding areas to attend the 11th Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville arts circuit on September 22 and 23.

This activity is organized by the Association des artistes peintres affiliés de la Rive-Sud and it allows art lovers to discover our community's artistic diversity while touring my town. Come see the creations of 31 talented artists and participate in some of the 15 creative workshops that will be available.

[Firearms Act, June 19th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, obviously my colleague confuses a registry with good common practices in business.

With respect to time allocation, in terms of efficiency, there is a misunderstanding of what it is to be efficient. Maybe the minister could inform Canadians and this chamber of the level of preparation, before getting to this piece of legislation, with the different stakeholders to show Canadians how well prepared this piece is to answer their needs.

[National Security Act, 2017, June 18th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to invite my colleague, a valued fellow committee member, to comment further on an important point relating to the court's important decision on data and megadata.

The court ruling said that the data were relevant but the legal structure did not allow CSIS to do what it was doing. The innovation we are putting forward in Bill C-59, together with other innovations proposed in committee on other aspects of BIll C-59, makes this bill a truly modern and contemporary document that aligns in every respect with its allies and especially with what we heard from people during the consultation.

[National Security Act, 2017, June 18th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know whether my colleague agrees that some of their recommendations, which were certainly the fruit of some very hard work, would be more useful in regulations than in the act itself.

[National Security Act, 2017, June 18th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure of working with my colleague on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. However, is he not getting a police state confused with the rule of law?

The limits he alluded to, such as requiring a warrant, are already enforced in criminal investigations. Since my colleague talked about limits, would he rather call into question the rights and freedoms that we fight so hard to protect, in favour of a witch hunt to seek out any information?

Instead, the proposed measures will help the CSE legally carry out offensive and defensive operations with integrity, and with access to better tools.

Is my colleague questioning the professionalism of the agents using these tools?

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, June 18th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our dairy industry supports 221,000 Canadian jobs and contributes up to $20 billion to our GDP. Our government remains strongly committed to supporting our producers and their families.

The Canadian Dairy Commission is vital to to the operation of our supply management system. However, the Conservatives shamefully voted against its funding, jeopardizing supply management yet again.

Can the Minister of Agriculture talk about our support for the system?

[Instruction to Committee on Bill C-71, June 4th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his speech. He is well aware of the respect I have for him as a person and as a professional. He knows better than anyone, and better than many of us, the impact of firearms and how much attention we should be giving them.

I would like to talk to him about a contradiction. Former Conservative minister James Moore sponsored a bill, which died on the Order Paper, that would have enhanced, or at least strengthened, the requirements for background checks and reference checks. Some Conservatives believe that is a good idea, but others are against the idea of seeing any mention of that subject in the bill.

Given the Conservative Party's ambiguous position, I would like the member to explain his personal stance and his party's stance on background checks.

[Instruction to Committee on Bill C-71, June 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for setting the record straight and clearing up the fog of confusion and alarm created by the other side.

People from the group “Poly Remembers”, whom I had the privilege of welcoming to my constituency office, consider the bill a step forward on the traceability and registration of transactions. The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, which has confirmed that this is not a registry, underscored that registering transactions provides a measure of accountability.

I wonder if my colleague could explain in greater detail the advantages of this bill in terms of respect for law-abiding citizens, as well as the benefits of improving the monitoring of transactions and the traceability of firearms.

[Kurling for Kids, May 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, kids are the future.

Kurling for Kids was founded in 1999, through the generosity of Robert Sears, who wanted to give back to the hospital that had saved his daughter's life.

Since then, a number of curling clubs across Quebec have been holding events to raise money to support children's hospitals.

I am very proud to rise in the House today to announce that Curling Mont-Bruno raised $20,000 at a Kurling for Kids event on April 7.

More than $400,000 has been raised across Quebec in 2018 and donated to the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation and the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation.

I want to take a moment to thank partners across Quebec, including Curling Mont-Bruno, for their dedication to and love for our children.

[Customs Act, May 9th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, when I travel to the United States using the NEXUS card, I enter quickly and easily because of its privileges. When I return, I do not even go through customs. It takes me five minutes and my information is recorded. The only customs officer I meet is the one I give my declaration card to in order to leave the airport.

However, at the same time, I realize that my information has already been recorded and that both countries share all the information. It is not about whether there is a heavy workload, but rather whether the sharing of information compromises the privacy of Canadians.