Pablo Rodriguez

[Business of the House, October 1st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his weekly question.

In passing, I want to point out that things are working well in this hybrid Parliament. We are able to debate and vote, whether in person or via the Internet. I therefore commend all members.

With regard to the legislative calendar, here is the agenda for next week. This afternoon, we will continue with the fourth day of debate on the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne.

On Friday, tomorrow, we will start debate on Bill C-3, the judges training legislation.

On Monday and Tuesday of next week, we will have days five and six of the Speech from the Throne debate, respectively.

We will then continue with the judges training bill on Wednesday and Thursday, if necessary.

[Seniors, October 1st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, from the very beginning, the federal government has been there for all Quebeckers and especially for our seniors, those who have been struggling more in long-term care centres. Our government has been there through the medium of the Red Cross and the army, as well as through a direct payment of $500.

We have stepped up in many ways to help Quebec society as a whole. Whether for our seniors, our families or our workers, we are there for Quebec and always will be.

[Health, October 1st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, the Quebec government is more than capable of speaking for itself.

We have discussions with Quebec. It does not need the Bloc Québécois in the House to negotiate on its behalf. It negotiates. We speak regularly with the Quebec government. This year, we have transferred $11.6 billion for health care.

I know that the Bloc would like us to squabble about this, but there is no squabbling.

[Health, October 1st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague speaks of collaboration, but we did not wait.

At the outset, we transferred $113 million for health care. For the safe restart, there was $675 million for testing and another $675 million for PPE. There was $167 million for vulnerable communities and $286 million for home care.

Beyond the numbers, we have truly worked together, and it is making a difference in the lives of all Quebeckers. The Bloc may not like it, but that is the truth.

[Health, September 29th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, when the government says no to the Bloc Québécois, it is not saying no to Quebeckers.

The problem is that the Bloc Québécois often gets a little confused. There is the Bloc Québécois and there are Quebeckers. We often disagree with the Bloc Québécois, but we will always stand alongside Quebeckers. We will always be there to support health care, our seniors, our families and our businesses, and we will always stand alongside Quebeckers.

[Health, September 29th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we have been with Quebec since day one, both through even more regular discussions between the first ministers as part of bilateral collaborations between ministers and, most importantly, through direct assistance. As I said earlier, we allocated $675 million for additional testing, $270 million for health care in general, $112 million for mental health, and $675 million for new equipment to protect our guardian angels.

The Government of Canada has been with Quebec since day one, and we will continue to face this challenge with Quebec.

[Ethics, September 29th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we have this bill in front of us. It is a very important, crucial bill. It is there to help Canadians, those who have lost their jobs and who have to stay home to take care of family members. It would also provide sick leave for people who need it. We are here to debate that.

What is the problem with the Conservatives? They prefer to debate a motion on an MP who left a year ago. We know our priority. They know theirs.

[Ethics, September 29th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we are here to work on behalf of Canadians. We are here to serve Canadians. That is why we are working so hard in the middle of a pandemic.

We are in the middle of this pandemic. This is an emergency, and the best thing the Conservatives found to do this morning was to bring a motion to lose two hours, debating on a former MP who has not been here for the last year. That is what they did.

[Health, September 29th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is talking about personal protective equipment.

I will repeat what I said earlier. We have spent $675 million to purchase personal protective equipment. We are giving more money for tests, more money for this type of equipment and more money for mental health. We are there for Quebeckers, we have been there from the very beginning.

However, the Bloc Québécois does not like that. It is happiest when there are squabbles. When we do our job, when we collaborate—and that is what we are doing—the Bloc does not like that. That is too bad, but we will continue to collaborate.

[Health, September 29th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government is there to support Quebec. Here are some examples: $675 million to increase testing; $270 million to support the health care system, including $112 million for mental health; $166 million for vulnerable populations; and $675 million to purchase PPE. We are introducing sick leave for Quebeckers who do not already have it and must self-isolate.

What Quebeckers need is co-operation, not partisanship. Let's work together.