House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 60% of the vote.
Official Languages October 3rd, 2023
Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to ask the Conservatives to stop attacking the Bloc Québécois, which is having enough trouble as it is.
I want to tell my colleague that the government will always stand up in defence of official languages. There is not just one. There are two: French and English. They are both equal.
Carbon Pricing September 29th, 2023
Madam Speaker, I find the attacks against the Bloc Québécois to be very mean, but I would like to say that if the Conservatives are the least bit interested in the economy in Quebec, they would acknowledge yesterday's historic announcement that will lead to the creation of 3,000 jobs. We are making a green shift, a shift to the future. We are going to produce the greenest batteries in the world. This represents 3,000 direct jobs, thousands of indirect jobs and Quebec and Canadian batteries in cars around the world.
They do not even acknowledge it. The Conservatives do not care at all about Quebec.
Carbon Pricing September 29th, 2023
Madam Speaker, my colleague wants to talk costs. How much do our burning forests cost? How much does flooding from our lakes and rivers cost? How much does the destruction of our infrastructure cost? How much does the health of our children cost when they are breathing polluted air? How much does that cost?
The answer is obvious: We cannot afford the Conservatives.
Air Transportation September 25th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, our government was the first to protect the rights of travellers, and we will make our passenger rights regime even stronger by making compensation mandatory for disruptions, putting the onus on airlines, not passengers, and ensuring an improved standard level of service during any disruption. We have also invested in the Canadian Transportation Agency so it can resolve cases faster. It will be much faster.
Infrastructure September 21st, 2023
Mr. Speaker, just because the Bloc Québécois is discouraged does not mean that the people of Quebec City are discouraged. The people of Quebec City are much more resilient than the Bloc Québécois. They also trust the government, which is in talks with CN and the Quebec government.
I myself attended a meeting last week. It was a private meeting with Mayor Bruno Marchand, who is pleased with the project's progress. He knows full well that we will deliver results, and that is exactly what we plan to do.
Infrastructure September 21st, 2023
Mr. Speaker, the Quebec bridge is an absolutely essential link for the city. It plays an extremely important role.
We said that we would move forward with the project. We are in talks with CN and it is going very well. At the same time, we are talking to the Government of Quebec.
We made a promise and we will keep it.
Carbon Pricing September 20th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, my colleague wants to talk about costs. How costly is it to deal with our burning forests? How costly is it to clean up overflowing lakes and rivers? How costly is it rebuild after tornadoes and hurricanes hit our regions? How much does it all add up to in health care costs for our children?
One thing is clear: Canada cannot afford the Conservatives.
Carbon Pricing September 19th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, that statement was chock-a-block full of nonsense. They want to talk about common sense but, in 2023, not having a climate change plan makes no sense. In 2023, putting assault weapons back on our streets makes no sense. In 2023, rolling back women's rights makes no sense. While they would take us backwards, we move forward.
Questions on the Order Paper September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, VIA Rail Canada's operating revenue and costs for each service route are reported in the annual reports available at https://media.viarail.ca/en/reports#annual-reports. For fiscal year 2018, this is available in Annual Report 2018 on page 9; for fiscal year 2019, in Annual Report 2019 on page 9; for fiscal year 2020, in Annual Report 2020, section 4, on pages 3-4; for fiscal year 2021, in Annual Report 2021 on page 14; and for fiscal year 2022, in Annual Report 2022 on page 18.
Questions on the Order Paper September 18th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, the air travellers security charge came into effect in April 2002 to fund the air travel security system, including the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, which is the federal authority responsible for the security screening of air passengers and their baggage. Also included in the air travel security system are Transport Canada’s related regulatory oversight and the contracting of Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers on selected flights. The air travellers security charge is generally paid by passengers when they purchase airline tickets. The Government of Canada has committed to balancing air travellers security charge revenues with air travel security system expenses over time.
Budget 2023 proposed to provide $1.8 billion over five years, starting in 2023-24, to maintain and increase the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority’s level of service, improve screening wait times, and strengthen security measures at airports. To support financing of this proposal, budget 2023 proposes to increase air travellers security charge rates by 32.85%. The air travellers security charge rates were last increased in 2010, at which time they were raised by 52.4%.
The cost of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority’s operations has grown along with traffic volumes over the past 12 years, whereas its annual, fixed appropriations have not. As a result, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority has been receiving annual top-ups to help it meet increased volumes. The vast majority of the incremental revenues generated by the air travellers security charge increase will go toward a three-year top-up versus the historical one-year. A portion of the incremental revenue will be used to improve wait times. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority’s current wait time target is based on meeting a service level where on average 85% of all passengers wait less than 15 minutes to be screened at Canada’s top eight airports on an annual basis. This means that longer wait times may occur during peak periods, when checkpoints experience higher traffic volumes. Details on the proposed changes to wait times are being worked out with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.