Ramez Ayoub

[Xavier-Tristan Péloquin, February 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I rise to tell you that the community of Thérèse-De-Blainville has been in mourning for the past few weeks.

Eight-year-old Xavier-Tristan Péloquin, whom many people affectionately knew as “le Capitaine”, passed away on January 6 after a courageous battle that lasted nearly three years. He had a type of cancer called neuroblastoma, which is more common in infants and young children.

For the past three years, our community mobilized to organize record-breaking blood drives, as well as major fundraising campaigns for the Canadian Cancer Society.

As we mark World Cancer Day later this week, I want to pay tribute to the memory of our dear Capitaine, who is now sailing calmer seas. I extend my condolences to his mother, Annick Deslongchamps, his father, Robert Péloquin, as well as his two brothers and his entire family.

[Thèrese-De Blainville, January 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, this is the first time I have risen in the House, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my colleagues on getting elected. I also want to thank the people of my riding of Thèrese-De Blainville for putting their trust in me. I will fulfill my duties with respect, honour, and dedication. I also want to mention the outstanding contribution made by the many volunteers who worked on my election campaign and say a special and loving thank you to my family.

Based on my experience at the municipal level, there are three issues that I will focusing my time and energy on in the coming months. With regard to employment and the economy, the aerospace industry is a major source of jobs in the Lower Laurentians region. I will always be available to ensure that this sector is running smoothly. With regard to health care services, it is clear that the Thèrese-De Blainville RCM has been dealing with a chronic resource deficit for far too long now. We need to ensure that we have all the medical staff required to bring service up to at least a minimum standard. With regard to transport, the work to complete Highway 19 between Laval and Bois-des-Filion has been pending for the past 40 years. I intend to work with the relevant entities to—

[Business of Supply, January 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question.

I will support job creation, as will my government. It will also support an economy that protects natural resources and the environment.

This will all come together as a concrete package when we take action. We will support any program that creates jobs in an environmentally sound way and that is acceptable to Canadians.

[Business of Supply, January 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. What is at stake with the pipelines is job creation. We must ensure that the environment is protected and that Canadians support the process. The environment, jobs, the economy, these are all intertwined. All the criteria will have to be studied by the National Energy Board, which really needs to clean house, revise these regulations and be more transparent with respect to its regulations and its findings.

[Business of Supply, January 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. The answer is quite simple. Of course we are thinking about all jobs in Canada, whether in small communities or large urban centres. What matters is the economy. What matters are jobs, including large-scale and small-scale jobs in every sector. However, in order to create jobs in the energy sector with such undertakings as the pipeline project, we need to make sure that all the safety and environmental criteria are considered. Before making a final decision, we need to make sure that we listen to the scientists, the studies, and the public, considering the environmental and economic impacts involved. We need to listen to those people. My colleagues and I are here to represent them.

[Business of Supply, January 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the energy sector is essential to Canada's prosperity. We know that a pipeline is a safe and effective way to transport key resources from one coast to another. The federal government is being frank and honest with Canadians about the challenges posed by the the 21st-century economy. This is a process that brings together effective environmental assessments and a long-term vision for our prosperity.

This vision for the energy sector requires that the provinces and territories and aboriginal communities work together. Gone are the days of divisiveness over energy and pipelines.

After a decade during which the former government put ideology ahead of job creation, we will make decisions based on job creation, prosperity, and a sustainable future. Today's leadership will help create economic opportunities.

Our world has been through a significant transformation. With the advent of information technology, access to information is becoming the norm. Canadians demand transparency in how the government is run. Canadians demand a government that is committed to addressing the problems that have a significant impact on our daily lives.

We will keep our promise to include communities, environmental agencies, and aboriginal peoples in a dialogue addressing our needs for a sustainable, secure economy.

This is about leaving a legacy to future generations. This is about a commitment to our country and future generations, who will not make the distinction between innovation and natural resource conservation. They will look at our decisions as the first critical steps to a greener, more prosperous future where Canadian businesses are leaders in designing and producing green technologies used the world over.

That future was completely sidelined by the Conservatives over the past decade. They did not tap into the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in the green technology and natural resource extraction sectors. How many potential jobs were sacrificed for the sake of their ideology?

As far as our NDP colleagues are concerned, the vision they are offering our constituents depends on the language they are using in their speeches. The hon. member for Outremont supported energy east in Alberta, but last year when he was in Quebec, he said he opposed the project. What changed? Was it the language, the region, or his policy? His personal politics certainly changed.

The energy sector is very important to Canada's future prosperity. We cannot sacrifice our country's future on the altar of ideology and political games. Canadians expect us to make decisions based on fact and to listen to them. If their perspectives are excluded from studies of major projects that will have an impact on us all, they will know.

That is where we are coming from. That is why we believe that pipeline proponents are responsible for showing that they have considered all of the risks their projects entail. Only once they have done that will they be allowed to go ahead with their projects. It is easy to see that our country has been hit hard by falling oil prices, tough investment decisions, and even tougher decisions to lay workers off.

Behind the statistics and the postponed projects are individuals, people all over the country. People in communities, not just in western Canada but across the country, are coping with difficult economic conditions and facing an uncertain future.

Quebec lost a lot of jobs during the first six months of 2015, and that had an impact on the financial, service, and retail sectors. These struggles are real, and there is no magic solution. However, there are a lot of positive steps we can take.

That is why our government is focusing on support for the rapid development of green technology and investments in green infrastructure in order to ease the burden on those who have been affected by job losses in the energy sector. That is why we have put forward a process to restore people's trust when it comes to the principles that will guide decision making on major resource-based projects that are already being assessed. That is why we are modernizing the National Energy Board. Restoring trust in the regulatory system will increase general support for large-scale energy projects. The government believes that Canadians should be optimistic about the long-term future of the energy sector.

The energy sector is becoming increasingly important in Canada and Quebec, but this prosperity means that we need an effective environmental management regime for the future. At the same time, investments in green infrastructure are key to our collective prosperity. We need to ensure that Canada is a leader in the necessary process of transitioning our economy to a green economy. Future generations need us to do so. We cannot and we must not disappoint them.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 8th, 2015]

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague across the aisle for her speech.

Your party supports holding a public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women. How long have you and your party supported such an inquiry?

We have been talking about it for the past 10 years, and you were formerly in power. Since when have you supported that inquiry?