Pablo Rodriguez

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 6th, 2020]

moved:

That the address be engrossed and presented to Her Excellency the Governor General by the Speaker.

(Motion agreed to)

[Seniors, October 6th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the government is not abandoning seniors, quite the contrary. We have been there for them all along, through various programs, providing direct assistance and providing support to the Government of Quebec. If there is one group that has abandoned seniors, it is the Bloc Québécois.

Last week it swore that it would trigger an election this week, if the others agreed, or else in April, if it could be done—essentially as soon as possible.

We, on the other hand, want to help our seniors, help all Quebeckers and help all Canadians.

[Seniors, October 6th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, what is negligent is wanting to send Canadians to the polls. Last week, the Bloc leader said he had lost confidence in the government, that he wanted an election immediately or next spring at the latest. Meanwhile, cases are on the rise, people are losing their jobs, everyone is worried.

The government is focused on helping all Quebeckers and Canadians and the Bloc should do the same instead of thinking about an election.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, October 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is not Quebeckers. Bloc members make that mistake a lot. The Bloc Québécois is just a political party with its own strengths and weaknesses. That is all. It is not all Quebeckers. Bloc members do not speak on behalf of my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent, of Liberal caucus members from Quebec, or of my colleague from Gatineau.

The Bloc Québécois is loyal to the Bloc Québécois, not to Quebeckers, period. Its members have decided to stay in the stands and watch the game while we vote.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, October 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the Minister of Canadian Heritage for his extraordinary work. Having had the privilege of once holding that job myself, I know how important culture is, so, yes, we will be there for the cultural industry.

I would like to ask my Bloc Québécois friend a question. I have a lot respect for many Bloc Québécois members. They do good work. However, since yesterday, they have been saying that they will never vote with the government again. If we implement a cultural program, will they vote against it like they plan to vote against everything else?

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, October 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the government is doing everything it can to help our workers, to help people who have lost their jobs. We began with the CERB, an historic program that helped millions of people. Now we are transitioning that program to EI to make sure no one is left behind, to make sure we are there for everyone in need. We will continue to do so.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, October 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I said it earlier. The Bloc Québécois is busy planning its election campaign. Meanwhile, we are busy working for businesses, for seniors, for workers who have lost their jobs, and for the restaurant and tourism sector. That is what taking concrete action means.

The Bloc Québécois can go ahead and plan its campaign. It can focus on that as much as it wants while we step up for Quebeckers.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, October 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, there are moments in history where we recognize the leadership of a party by the way it reacts in a time of crisis. The Bloc Québécois failed that test yesterday by saying that it was going to ensure that our government does not make it past the spring of 2021.

What will happen if cases go up in 2021? What will happen if thousands of Quebeckers are still looking for work? Will the Bloc Québécois's priority be to trigger an election?

The Bloc Québécois promised to maintain a responsible position. This is very disappointing.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, October 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Bloc Québécois announced that it had lost confidence in the government and would therefore be voting against the government's economic measures.

If we introduce economic measures to help seniors, the Bloc will vote against them. If we introduce economic measures to help workers, it will vote against them. If we introduce economic measures to help our SMEs, it will vote against them.

The Bloc Québécois has abandoned Quebeckers. We will never abandon them.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, October 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Bloc Québécois promised to trigger an election now, if possible, or else later this spring. If it could, the Bloc Québécois would like us to have an election this weekend.

While the Bloc Québécois is focusing on an election, we are focusing on the health of Quebeckers. There are over 1,000 cases today and seven deaths, and the Bloc Québécois's priority is to trigger an election.

Really?