Pablo Rodriguez

[Health, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, we are very aware of the demands of the Government of Quebec. We are good at working with others.

Earlier, I responded to my colleague's question on several files, including culture, infrastructure and the environment. It is clear to this government that the whole cultural issue and the importance of investing in our creators, artists and artisans are fundamental to what we do.

The government has invested more in culture than any other government in the history of Canada. In discussions, as I told my colleague, we are always prepared to look at others' ideas.

[Infrastructure, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of being in Quebec City last week, along with the Deputy Prime Minister. We had some excellent discussions on a wide range of topics with Mayor Labeaume and ministers from the Quebec government.

The day after our visit, I felt that the press reports properly reflected the Canadian government's willingness to work collaboratively with both the City of Quebec and the Government of Quebec for the well-being of all Quebeckers.

[Intergovernmental Relations, December 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, we work very well with the Government of Quebec, whether on culture, infrastructure or the environment.

There are 25 Quebec members in this place who love Quebec and stand up for Quebec.

[Ethics, December 6th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, some things never change. My colleague says the government is under scrutiny. Well, all parliamentarians are under scrutiny by Canadians. On October 21, Canadians sent us a very clear message. They want us to work together and try to move forward together on matters of common interest. On that note, it is the responsibility of every prime minister to stand up for jobs across the country, while respecting the rule of law. We accepted the Ethics Commissioner's report and took responsibility. We have already started implementing the recommendations of former attorney general Anne McLellan.

[Ethics, December 6th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker we want to ensure that, going forward, governments never face this type of situation again.

[Ethics, December 6th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, it is the responsibility of any prime minister to stand up for jobs across the country while upholding the rule of law. We have accepted the Ethics Commissioner's report, taking full responsibility. We have already begun to implement the recommendations made by former attorney general Anne McLellan.

[Business of the House, December 5th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform all hon. colleagues that tomorrow shall be the first day of debate for the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne.

I would also like to note that the House will meet tomorrow morning at 9:30 for the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre in Montreal.

On Monday, we will resume the address debate, and then the House will resolve itself into committee of the whole to study supplementary estimates (A), which were tabled earlier today. Next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday shall be days for the address debate. Next Tuesday shall be an allotted day.

In closing, I move:

That this House do now adjourn.

[Business of the House, December 5th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe that you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:

That,

a) notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, until Tuesday, December 10, 2019,

i. Standing Order 81(5) be replaced with the following:

Supplementary estimates shall be deemed referred to a committee of the whole House immediately after they are presented in the House. A committee of the whole shall consider and shall report, or shall be deemed to have reported, the same back to the House not later than one sitting day before the final sitting or the last allotted day in the current period.

On a day appointed by a minister of the crown, consideration of the supplementary estimates shall be taken up by a committee of the whole at the ordinary hour of daily adjournment, for a period of time not exceeding four hours.

During the time provided for consideration of estimates, no member shall be recognized for more than 15 minutes at a time and the member shall not speak in debate for more than 10 minutes during that period.

The fifteen minutes may be used both for debate and for posing questions to the minister of the crown or a parliamentary secretary acting on behalf of the minister. When the member is recognized, he or she shall indicate how the 15 minutes is to be apportioned.

At the conclusion of the time provided for the consideration of the business pursuant to this section, the committee shall rise, the estimates shall be deemed reported and the House shall immediately adjourn to the next sitting day.”;

(ii) Standing Order 81(14)(a) be amended by replacing the words “to restore or reinstate any item in the estimates” with the following:

“twenty-four hours' written notice shall be given to restore or reinstate any item in the estimates”;

(iii) Standing Order 54(1) be amended by adding the following:

“Notice respecting a motion to restore or reinstate any item in the Supplementary Estimates (A) for the financial year ending March 31, 2020, shall be laid on the table, or filed with the Clerk, within four hours after the completion of consideration of said supplementary estimates in committee of the whole and be printed in the Notice Paper of that day.”;

b) notwithstanding Standing Order 83.1, the Standing Committee on Finance be authorized to present its report on the pre-budget consultations no later than February 28, 2020;

c) notwithstanding the provisions of any Standing Order, for the duration of this session, when a recorded division is to be held on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, except recorded divisions deferred to the conclusion of Oral Questions, the bells to call in the members shall be sounded for not more than 30 minutes;

d) on Thursday, December 5, 2019, the House continue to sit beyond the ordinary hour of daily adjournment until the debate has been adjourned on the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne;

e) on Friday, December 6, 2019, the House shall meet at 9:30 a.m. to allow a member of each recognized party and a member from the Green Party to each make a statement not exceeding five minutes on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the events at École Polytechnique in Montreal after which the House shall observe a moment of silence and then proceed to the Orders of the Day.

[Democratic Institutions, June 11th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, here we go again: another attack on unions. Why are the Conservatives so afraid of middle-class workers?

Let us remember this. Under the Harper regime, Conservatives waged a war on workers' rights. They made it more difficult for workers to organize freely, more difficult to bargain collectively and more difficult to work in safe environments. Unlike the Conservatives, we understand that unions are a partner, not the enemy.

[Canadian Heritage, June 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is, we have contributed to our culture in record amounts. Examples that come to mind are Telefilm, the Canada Media Fund, the CBC and our export program. I will stop there but I could go on and on. We have made historic investments.

I would like to highlight the additional $7.5 million in support allocated to Telefilm Canada, specifically to support Quebec productions and films. This was very welcome and very much appreciated by the industry in Quebec. That is meaningful action.