Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné

[Finance, December 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is simple: Quebeckers never wanted the GST holiday, which is harmful to our SMEs. Nevertheless, the GST holiday is the only measure in the economic update to address the cost of living, and it represents 98% of new spending.

The Liberals are running out of steam. They are short on ideas and short on resources with the resignation of the finance minister, which will be followed by the departure of eight other ministers from the Liberal ship. Quebeckers deserve so much better than a government that is crumbling before their eyes.

Will the Prime Minister finally call an election?

[Finance, December 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, with a $62-billion deficit, I think we can all agree that now is not the time to be handing out election goodies.

However, in yesterday’s economic statement, the GST holiday represented 98% of new spending aimed at combatting the rising cost of living. Worse still, this purely vote-seeking measure represents almost the entirety of the government’s response to the cost of living until 2030. This two-month tax holiday, described by the former minister of finance as a costly political gimmick, is the Liberal government’s idea of a long-term economic vision.

If that is the Liberals’ long-term economic vision, perhaps they now understand why Quebeckers are calling for an election.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for such an interesting speech. She often talks about the more human aspect of the many reports made to the House of Commons. It is important we remember that at every opportunity.

I want to take the liberty of circling back to what my colleague spoke about earlier. There is one thing I have noticed in a number of committees, and I wonder if it is particularly true of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. The recommendations are a little vague and, in turn, they receive a very vague response from the government. In the end, the recommendations are accepted, but there is no follow-up afterwards.

Why is the government not taking action, not thinking about the human aspect of all this? I would like to hear my colleague's comments on that.

[Committees of the House, December 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague was quick to take on the international trade file. In fact, although he joined that committee only recently, he is already well versed on the issues.

Does he agree or disagree with me regarding negotiations between Canada and the United States or Mexico, more specifically, under the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement? When international agreements are being negotiated, Quebec is often left out in the cold. It is often treated as the expendable province.

Did his committee look into that? As a member of that committee, will he ensure that such situations do not occur again during future negotiations?

[Committees of the House, December 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I agree.

The RCMP finally decided to open an investigation into ArriveCAN long after parliamentarians started asking for and demanding one. As we know, the RCMP is independent. Nonetheless, I would like to see the results of that investigation. I would like to know more, because we have seen many cases of mismanaged funds.

Just look at the misappropriation of funds at Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or SDTC. It is another example of the government's bad management. Obviously, that is not what we are talking about today, but I want to take this opportunity to talk about the CEO of SDTC who gave $5 million in funding to a company owned by her friend when that company did not meet any of the program's eligibility criteria. Again, we have not seen anyone pay for the mismanagement at SDTC. It is just a routine matter for the government. No one pays; there is no accountability.

[Committees of the House, December 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, that is an excellent question. That is why I really enjoyed sitting on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts with this member. We see the government's mistakes. We also see the good things, at times, but mostly we see the government's mistakes.

What is eroding the public's trust in the government is its lack of accountability, its lack of responsibility. I gave an example from Quebec. When Quebec's auditor general tabled a report on a poorly managed public corporation, the government fired the CEO that same day.

That is how the government can show that it takes the Auditor General of Canada seriously, that it takes public money and its management seriously. Even more fundamentally, as my colleague rightly said, this is how the government should show that it takes the public's trust in our institutions seriously. This trust is being eroded all over the world, and Canada is no exception. This can largely be blamed on the Liberal government.

[Committees of the House, December 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, this gives me a wonderful opportunity to say that I think the Sûreté du Québec may often be more competent at managing our borders than the Government of Canada, together with the RCMP or the CBSA.

This also gives me a wonderful opportunity to say how much better Quebec would be if we could control our borders ourselves.

Vive le Québec libre.

[Committees of the House, December 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and comments, which are much appreciated.

Of course, anyone who has served for several years on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and has seen how hard it is to get the government to do anything will be feeling frustrated. I hope I will be forgiven. As for the message the government is sending, I would have to go back and speak with my colleagues who are more familiar with legal matters.

However, the fundamental problem here is border management. My colleague is absolutely right. The border has become a real sieve. People come and go as they please, sometimes even with firearms. We also know that a cartel is stealing vehicles. We know that there are huge problems at the border and that the Canada Border Services Agency is not fulfilling its responsibilities. That is why we are calling for the agency to be put under administrative supervision.

[Committees of the House, December 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question, since it is always a pleasure for me to address this issue.

I originated the motion asking that the government provide us with the contracts for purchasing COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. As a matter of fact, I would like to thank my colleague for his support, because it certainly was not easy. The government was extremely reluctant to give us the contracts. It even called the pharmaceutical companies.

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts had quite a meeting. We heard Pfizer, Medicago, Sanofi and Moderna explain why it would not be a good idea for parliamentarians to see the vaccine contracts, even though that is our role.

What we did see was in camera, so we cannot share the details. I can only corroborate what my colleague just said. Certain pharmaceutical companies took advantage of Canada's vulnerability and severely overbilled us so they could increase their profit margins, all while people were dying because they did not have access to vaccines yet.

That is contemptible.

[Committees of the House, December 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, of course my Liberal colleague can quote me entirely out of context, but I will give him an example of a gift: his GST holiday. Tens of thousands of businesses are still wondering how they are going to implement this so-called gift.

Some gift. It will cost businesses more to adjust their cash registers to accommodate the GST holiday than they will make in additional sales. According to a CFIB survey, only 4% of business owners think they will have stronger sales as a result. Meanwhile, it will cost them $4,000 to $6,000 to reprogram their cash registers.

Is this really a gift? No one wanted the Liberals' GST holiday.