Pierre Nantel

[The Senate, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report on the Senate expense scandal reads like the script for a bad soap opera.

Apparently, Liberal and Conservative senators believe it is acceptable for our taxes to pay for fishing trips, golf games, a second house, family dinners, personal events such as wedding anniversaries, and vacations because we all know that senators have a tough life. From time to time, they need a break from the cold Camembert. Poor dears.

For goodness' sake. Those are not parliamentary duties. They have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Nothing is too good for them. Meanwhile, the Conservatives have the audacity to ask Canadians to tighten their belts.

We have had enough of being ripped off and paying for senators' golf games. This fall, all Quebeckers and Canadians can vote with confidence for the NDP because they know that it is the only party that will clean up this mess and get rid of the Senate.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 5th, 2015]

With regard to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), as of April 15, 2015: (a) has the Governor in Council given its approval for the new Maison de Radio-Canada building project in Montréal, a public-private partnership (PPP) that must be approved by the Governor in Council in accordance with section 48(2) of the Broadcasting Act and from which securities transactions may arise; (b) if the answer to (a) is negative, what steps must be taken for the Governor in Council to give its approval; (c) what has been the CBC's cost-benefit analysis for each aspect of this project, namely (i) design, (ii) financing, (iii) construction, (iv) rental, (v) maintenance, (vi) management; (d) what documents has the CBC submitted in support of its PPP to the (i) Minister of Canadian Heritage, (ii) Treasury Board Secretariat, (iii) Cabinet; (e) what has been the cost-benefit analysis carried out by any governmental authorityfor each aspect of this project, namely (i) design, (ii) financing, (iii) construction, (iv) rental, (v) maintenance, (vi) management; (f) has the Canada Lands Corporation (CLC) been involved in this transaction and, if so, what has been the CLC's cost-benefit analysis, for each aspect of this project, namely (i) design, (ii) financing, (iii) construction, (iv) rental, (v) maintenance, (vi) management; (g) for each negative answer in (f), what were the reasons given by the government for not involving the CLC; (h) which experts and professional associations did the CBC consult with respect to this real property transaction; (i) what are the maintenance costs for the Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal for the year 2014-2015, broken down by (i) mortgage, (ii) property taxes; (iii) maintenance, (iv) renovations; (j) what is the CBC’s inventory of photo archives, broken down by city; (k) what is the total value of the CBC’s photo archives; (l) what is the CBC’s inventory of audio archives, broken down by city; (m) what is the total value of the CBC’s audio archives; (n) what is the CBC’s inventory of video archives, broken down by city; (o) what is the total value of the CBC’s video archives; (p) what is the inventory of paper-based archives (books, music scores, etc.) held by the CBC, broken down by city; (q) what is the total value of the CBC’s paper-based archives (books, musical scores, etc.); (r) what is the CBC’s inventory of technical equipment, broken down by city; (s) what is the total value of the CBC’s technical equipment; (t) who are the bidders who acquired CBC assets since January 1, 2008, broken down by (i) year, (ii) type of asset purchased, iii) transaction value?

[Business of Supply, June 4th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank my colleague for her long and substantive speech. It was very informative and interesting to someone like me who lives in urban Quebec and does not hear about this situation every day. I also want to commend my colleague from the Northwest Territories for moving this motion this week, as we talk about reconciliation with the first nations. I think the motion is quite timely.

Throughout Quebec and near where I live, the price of food varies a bit, but not so much that the price is out of reach for some people, if we compare the price of food in Chibougamau and the price in my riding, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, for example. That said, when we look at the price of fresh produce up north, we wonder how people can find the means to feed a family with those prices, when their social assistance cheque is $371 a month.

I have two questions for my colleague. How does she react when she sees—as I was told the other day—international humanitarian aid organizations working in Canada? To me as a Canadian, it is truly shameful. I would also like to know whether some of the municipalities that these organizations are working in are among the municipalities that my colleague's bill seeks to include.

[Petitions, June 4th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the CBC has been under attack for several months now, if not for the past few years. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have signed petitions to clearly indicate how much CBC/Radio-Canada means to them.

I am once again presenting a petition signed by hundreds of people, if not more than a thousand, in support of our public broadcaster so that it can continue to deliver services throughout Quebec and Canada.

[Employment, May 29th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, more job losses can be added to the long list of Conservative failures when it comes to the economy.

In Longueuil, the Provigo Le Marché supermarket is the latest victim. The 80 people who are losing their jobs are not the only people in the community who will suffer. All the organizations that benefited from the generous support of the owner, André Tremblay, will also suffer.

As communities become generally poorer, people buy more foreign-made products, which are of lower quality but cheaper. They buy more and more goods from Walmart, stores like Provigo close, and the downward spiral continues.

Will the Conservatives finally acknowledge that their economic policies are having a serious impact on communities like Longueuil?

[CBC/Radio-Canada, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, another appointment to the board of the CBC has just been made. The newest member is none other than a former treasurer of—surprise, surprise—the Conservative Party in Nova Scotia. It is pathetic. This is just another one of the Prime Minister's lackeys sent to destroy Radio-Canada and the CBC.

With so many talented people working in the area of culture in this country and our public broadcaster facing so many challenges right now, how can the minister ostensibly responsible for culture in this country defend her appointment process, which is simply shameful and repulsive?

[Port State Measures Agreement Implementation Act, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his speech and ask if he would elaborate on the impact that this kind of fishing has on the inshore fishery here in Canada, in his own riding.

Does my colleague not think that creating a traceability and certification system for seafood products, as the European Union has done, would be worth considering?

[Port State Measures Agreement Implementation Act, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, first I wish to congratulate my colleague on her speech. We all know how dedicated she is to protecting our planet in several areas.

I am learning about a file that I was not very familiar with, since I do not eat much fish myself. I am allergic to it, so unfortunately I do not eat it very often.

It is nevertheless very important for Canadians to talk about this issue, especially given that it seems to be a global problem, if you listen to the debate and read a little bit about it. This is about a living, wild resource, specifically fish that live in international waters.

Would my colleague like to talk about what a challenge it is, on a global scale, to coordinate quickly on this issue and make it as much of a priority as climate change is?

[Petitions, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I also wish to present a petition signed by about a hundred people from Longueuil calling on the government to respect the rights of small family farmers to store, trade and use seed.

[CBC/Radio-Canada, May 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the minister keeps repeating that big number, but it amounts to just $29 per Canadian per year. Lots of Canadians pay up to $108 for Netflix. CBC is a fantastic bargain.

Does the minister realize that the study by the governments of Ontario and Quebec clearly states that in the past 25 years, under the Liberals and the Conservatives, funding for CBC has dropped by 50%? Is that why the Conservative MPs are not meeting with the ministers? Are they ashamed of their record?