Pierre Nantel

[Business of Supply, March 10th, 2015]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The region where the member for Markham—Unionville is from has been hard hit by difficulties in the manufacturing sector. While the NDP leader has made repeated announcements to support that sector, does the member not find it troubling to see his leader trivializing the situation by saying that the 1.7 million workers in his region will simply have to switch to another kind of work?

[Business of Supply, March 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague from Markham—Unionville on his speech.

Of course, we have to agree that the Conservatives are dancing on the Titanic. They continue to say that everything is fine and they will stay the course, when really, we are stranded in a void. Not only has the Minister of Finance still not brought down a budget, but all the members across the aisle continue to recite the same talking points ad nauseam.

That being said, I have no doubt about your own competence, especially since you come from a region where the manufacturing sector is so—

[Drug-Free Prisons Act, February 17th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to join the hon. member for La Pointe-de-l'Île in congratulating my colleague.

We can see that she is well-versed in this subject and very comfortable with it. She is very thorough. Honestly, I must also say that I very much appreciate her optimism in wanting to co-operate with the government on this bill. There must be a true desire to work together in order to be so positive about this bill, which does not have any real substance but is more about the title and the effect of the first page.

I heard my colleague opposite show utter bad faith when he said that the issue with the title being inappropriate was ruled out of order. That does not make the title an appropriate one. That is the truth. This may have been ruled out of order, but that does not mean that the title is acceptable. It is unacceptable.

Unfortunately, I know the reality of partisan politics, which is to constantly point out what this government has done and the laws it has passed, not to mention this famous drug-free prison act, which is going to work wonders for our prisons.

I am wondering how my colleague can be so optimistic about working with these people when the introduction of this bill once again demonstrates how narrow-minded they are.

[Drug-Free Prisons Act, February 17th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. However, I clearly heard him state that the title of the bill had nothing to do with its content and that it was misleading Canadians.

Everyone agrees that this bill is a step in the right direction. However, it has a fundamental flaw: it does not provide for care for people with mental health issues. This problem, which was brought to my attention in committee, also existed when the member was in government.

Why is it so difficult to deal with this issue?

[CBC/Radio-Canada, February 17th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister dared to say yesterday that CBC employees detest the Conservatives.

We know very well that he clearly would prefer that our public broadcaster become his personal propaganda tool. However, his pathetic statement reminds me of those made by the Minister of National Defence, who previously accused our public broadcaster of lying all the time, and the Prime Minister's press secretary, who said that he had suspicions about the CBC.

Now that their contempt is on public display, will the minister finally confess that she and her government take malicious pleasure in sucking the life out of the CBC?

[Petitions, February 16th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to present a list of 1,800 additional names of people who are very concerned about the future of CBC/Radio-Canada and who are calling for stable, predictable multi-year funding.

[CBC/Radio-Canada, February 16th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the joke is on our Prime Minister, who talks about the employees of Radio-Canada/CBC.

Canada is at the bottom of the OECD when it comes to spending on public broadcasting. The CBC's announcement that it is slashing its budget and cutting hundreds of jobs is raising concern about its survival. While the Conservatives are turning their backs on public broadcasting, people across Canada are rallying in support of the CBC. When will the minister finally listen to citizens?

The NDP leader has a practical plan to save the CBC. When will the government listen and correct—

[CBC/Radio-Canada, February 16th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, in light of the number of online petitions, the petitions that have been presented in the House with almost 2,000 signatures and the fact that almost as many people attended the event at the Métropolis yesterday, I am wondering whether the heritage minister really understands her responsibilities.

Does the minister know that yesterday, the public joined forces with a whole host of artists, including Michel Rivard, Klô Pelgag, Ariane Moffat and Radio Radio?

If not, does she at least understand the message being sent by the 125 celebrities who are opposing the dismantling of CBC/Radio-Canada and who contributed to the video entitled Ensemble, Sauvons Radio-Canada? Does she not see the warning light on her dashboard?

[The Environment, February 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I decided to get into politics in 2008 because the best way to stop climate change is to work together.

In Longueuil, the environment is top of mind, and that is why I am proud, as the member for Longueuil, to speak to the critical importance of these issues.

The environmental movement rightly calls on us to “act locally, think globally”. That is truly happening in Longueuil.

At the local level, thanks to groups such as Ciel et Terre, dozens of Longueuil residents clean up the shoreline every year.

Global activism in Longueuil consists in being very vocal about protecting our river from oil spills and making every effort, together with all NDP members across Canada, to change the federal government's position on oil sands development.

We also have the clean technology sector. Longueuil can count on leading-edge companies such as Varitron, LITO Green Motion and the technological feats of Bathium. We must support and boost this know-how.

Protecting the environment is non-negotiable. It is vital that we in Parliament work to that end.

[Opposition Motion—Job Creation, February 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to say that the heckling across the way is quite annoying. This member has worked a long time on these issues. He has a lot to teach us and he comes from a region that has been hit hard by the bad choices of his friends on the other side.

I have a factual question for him. We have seen a high number of closures. We know about what happened in London with Kellogg, and we see what is now going on with Wrigley.

What does he think explains the closing of these factories that manufacture American products, which we will continue to buy and which will continue to come across our borders?