Pierre Nantel

[Community Action Program, March 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as the saying goes, “never put off until tomorrow what you can do today”.

The Minister of Industry is embroiled in controversies and must regret his procrastination. In early 2012, several organizations in my riding wrote letters to the Minister of Industry about the importance of renewing the community access program, CAP, and its youth initiative.

The Maison de jeunes Kekpart, Le Trait d'Union community centre, the Centre des générations de Boucherville, and the Centre communautaire des aînés et aînées de Longueuil wrote to him three months ago and have not received a reply or even an acknowledgement. These programs are vital because they help youth find that first job and help seniors end their isolation. The program's funding runs out on March 31, which is this Sunday.

The Minister of Industry must reassure our organizations and the people involved in this important and worthwhile program and must provide them with sustainable funding.

[Financial System Review Act, March 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague for her speech. She is very knowledgeable about this matter, as are my other colleagues.

I would like to ask her if she feels, as I do, that our friends opposite have once again listened carefully to the corporate lobby instead of taking care of the average citizen, just as they favour the all-American way with which they are fascinated.

[Financial System Review Act, March 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I heard the member opposite mention that Canada's banking system had proven that it was quite safe during the financial turmoil that, in recent years, affected the whole world.

In her opinion, do the consultations and the provisions in this bill really favour consumers? Do they not instead favour the big lobby of financial institutions?

Unfortunately, we saw that in the United States, the financial institutions asked for a great deal of freedom with respect to their activities, which led to the 2008 debacle, among other things. I would like the member's opinion on this.

[Financial System Review Act, March 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, what does the member opposite think about the fact that very few people expressed their opinions online during the consultations?

[Copyright, March 15th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it is ironic that not one artist called the Conservatives to support them. Only popcorn vendors did. All these words are just fine and dandy, but the Conservatives do not even return calls from Quebec journalists or Quebec ministers.

Is there a minister in the House who understands Quebec values? Who listens to Quebeckers? Is the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs satisfied with this situation? Is he at least aware of what is happening in his portfolio?

[Copyright, March 15th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, prisons are just the tip of the iceberg. The copyright bill shows that the interests of Quebec artists are not important to this government. It is obvious that the Conservative government is abandoning Quebeckers. The list is long: prisons, copyright, the environment, defending French, the gun registry, international co-operation, et cetera. Do members want more examples?

Is there a Quebec minister in this place who will defend Quebeckers?

[Cultural Heritage, March 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, three years ago, the great actress Rita Lafontaine donated 29 boxes of archives to Library and Archives Canada. Among the treasures was the original version of Michel Tremblay's play, Les Belles-Soeurs, with the author's handwritten notes. This week we learned that it will be another three years before these items are processed. Is this a joke? Incidentally, people still flock to see that masterpiece in Paris, performed by our best actresses.

Can the minister explain this paralysis at Library and Archives Canada? Have they been instructed to ensure there is less interest in Quebec culture?

[Copyright Legislation, March 13th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, being content with large corporations is fine, but we are talking about actors, authors and creators here. With their copyright reform, the Conservatives have demonstrated that they do not care one bit about creators and artists, either in Quebec or elsewhere in Canada. They are going to pass legislation that will deprive creators of $21 million, which is a lot of money.

With Bill C-11, the Conservatives are attacking the livelihood of Canadian creators. This is an attack on our cultural identity and an insult to our artists and the entire cultural industry. The Conservatives seem to believe that Canadian artists are spoiled kids. This contempt for artists—

[Emergency Debate, March 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on her speech.

She talked about the infamous H1N1 epidemic that the government had to place an emergency order for. This issue is especially important to me because the Sandoz plant is in my riding. Many of my friends and neighbours work at the plant, and I have met a lot of people who work there too. These people are feeling a lot of pressure from the whole country. I am talking about individuals, not the company. These people are under enormous pressure.

As a Canadian, I was astounded to find out that a single company was providing nearly 100% of certain drugs, narcotics, and 90% of injectable drugs. I cannot believe that a single provider has been allowed to have a monopoly on something so crucial. I would like my colleague to comment on that.

[41st General Election, March 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are so rude. The rogue Conservative who organized the fraudulent calls in Guelph hid behind a rather pathetic alias: Pierre Poutine from Separatist Street. Using that particular street name demonstrates just how much contempt and prejudice the Conservatives feel towards Quebeckers.

The Conservative fraudster needed a false Quebec identity and that was the best he could come up with. How disrespectful. This name, Pierre Poutine, perfectly illustrates all the scorn this government feels towards Quebec. It is unfortunate that Conservative members from Quebec are content to just read their little note cards word for word, because it would have been a good opportunity for them to stand up for us. Quebeckers already know that this government does not share their values. Now, with this Pierre Poutine business, they also know that it is playing tricks behind their backs and laughing at Quebec.