Pablo Rodriguez

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 13th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the real scandal is the Bloc Québécois ad comparing the migrants' journey to an all-inclusive vacation. It is truly sad. These folks are fleeing countries under extremely difficult situations, with their children, and trying to rebuild their lives to the best of their ability. The least we can do is to welcome them with dignity, not with insults.

[Official Languages, February 13th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I advise my colleague to worry about his own caucus. He has enough to worry about. The Bloc Québécois is not the least bit interested in Bill C‑13. It has been stalling the bill from day one. It does not support the bill and will vote against it. I will say one thing: The members from Quebec will stand up and defend French in Quebec and across Canada, regardless what the Bloc does.

[The Economy, February 13th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives seem to need a lesson in economics. First of all, money does not grow on trees. It is not like cryptocurrency, which multiplies endlessly. If they believe we have spent too much, they need to say where they would make cuts. What are they going to cut? Will they cut assistance to students, to seniors or to families? Will it be in the child care program or the wage subsidy? Where will they cut?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is right in what he said, but I am puzzled by his first question. I know my colleague from the Bloc Québécois, and I have a great deal of respect for him. I know how seriously he takes all this, but it was inappropriate to make jokes with his first question.

Now is not the time for jokes, not when we are talking about children crossing alone, as well as men, women and children being uprooted and leaving their countries under extremely difficult conditions. Any time we are talking about migrants who are suffering is certainly not the time to make jokes. We must be there to support them.

[Official Languages, February 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois's raison d'être is to divide. That is its goal.

This bill would enable workers to work in French, yet the Bloc is voting against it. This bill would guarantee services in French, yet the Bloc is voting against it. This bill would do more for French both inside and outside Quebec, yet the Bloc is voting against it.

When it comes to defending the French language, the Bloc is speaking out of both sides of its mouth.

[Official Languages, February 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the lieutenant is here, and he is in fine form. Bill C‑13 is the first piece of legislation to recognize that French in Quebec must be strengthened and protected. It gives francophones outside Quebec a helping hand. It gives the Commissioner of Official Languages more powers. Despite all that, the Bloc is against it because it does not want things to work, it wants to pick a fight and it does not want Parliament to work. We will succeed regardless.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 2nd, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois holds the international title for sanctimoniousness.

If my colleague had looked at the relevant documents, he would have seen that, between 2017 and 2020, the Government of Canada contributed $374 million to address the situation at Roxham Road. Quebec just gave us the bill for 2021-22. Obviously, we are going to sit down together and do our part. We are also covering asylum seekers' health care costs.

We are here and we are working with Quebec. The Bloc Québécois may not like it, but we are keeping our commitments.

[Finance, February 2nd, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are saying that we helped Canadians too much.

I would like to know when and where they would have made cuts. Was it when we were helping with the wage subsidy that they would have cut? Was it when we were helping seniors that they would have cut? Was it when we were helping families that they would have cut? Was it when we were helping people who had lost their jobs that they would have cut?

I would really like to know at what point exactly would they have turned their backs on Canadians.

[Government Services and Procurement, January 31st, 2023]

My colleague is right, Mr. Speaker. We do not know what party will be in office in 2100, but it will certainly not be the Bloc Québécois, which is once again trying to stir up trouble and sow division.

Do members know why Canada will still be united in 2100? It is because our strength is much greater than our differences. We can be different but stay united by communicating. That is where Canada's strength lies, despite what the Bloc Québécois wants to do.

[Online News Act, December 13th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his support, from day one, on this bill. We have had many conversations about this. As I said, there are many criteria the platforms have to respect, and one of them is having deals with a variety of media. That includes ethnic media and media in different languages.