Richard Lehoux

[Bloc Québécois, September 20th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals have found a way to expand their coalition, this time by convincing the Bloc Québécois to join them so that the Prime Minister can stay in power.

What is the Bloc Québécois good for? There is more spending than ever, more public servants than ever, more scandals than ever, and all on Quebec's dime. The Prime Minister is not going to keep his promise to the Bloc Québécois leader. They will gain absolutely nothing for Quebeckers, except another year of increased national debt. The Bloc had the chance to work with the future Conservative government and negotiate for Quebeckers on the woodland caribou issue. They must be the worst negotiators in history.

Only a Conservative government can solve all the problems caused by this coalition. Canadians will remember what the Bloc Québécois and the NDP did to our country. Do they not understand that all Canadians, including Quebeckers, want an election now?

[Finance, September 19th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, not only is the Bloc Québécois helping to keep the Liberals in power, but it is also holding up important work in committee to protect the Prime Minister.

Hiring carbon tax Carney is a conflict of interest, and the Bloc Québécois is okay with Mr. Carney advancing his interests without being accountable to Parliament. He should be required to come to committee to answer to Canadians.

Why does Mr. Carney not hold a job as a public servant, one that can be examined by the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, instead of hiding from Canadians?

[Finance, September 16th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, one coalition seems to have ended, but another remains: the “Liberal Bloc” coalition, which is responsible for $500 billion in inflationary and centralized spending. Under this coalition, the public service has grown, with more than 100,000 new public servants. It is the most costly government in history. Despite this, wait times and service standards have never been worse. The people and my staff in Beauce have to wait for hours to get answers.

What did the Prime Minister promise the leader of the Bloc Québécois to keep the most expensive and centralist government in the history of this country in power?

[Taxation, June 18th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance, who never thinks about farmers or consults them.

With help from the Bloc Québécois, she found a new way to undermine our farming sector. This new tax increase on capital gains will jeopardize the retirements and succession plans of our farming families. The president of the UPA, Martin Caron, wrote the minister a letter on June 6. It was a heartfelt plea denouncing this situation.

Will she make a promise today that no farmer will lose their retirement because of this tax increase?

[Main Estimates 2024-25, June 13th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I thank and congratulate my colleague for his excellent speech and his comments that are always appropriate. We sit together at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, and I realized that he shared my view on this budget: There is almost nothing in it for agriculture. If we want people to be fed, we might want to take care of that.

Bill C‑234 came back to the House because it was amended. In fact, it was gutted of all substance by the Senate. My colleague from Foothills proposed an amendment to restore the bill to its original form. I would like to know if my colleague would be in favour of the amendment proposed by my colleague from Foothills for Bill C‑234 to revert to its original form. We must not forget that heating buildings is just as important as drying grain.

[Taxation, June 13th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, here we have yet more proof that the government is truly out of touch. I have been milking cows for 40 years.

I can confirm that, in committee, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food admitted that neither he nor his department were consulted about this new tax, which is disastrous for family farms. I have also heard from many owners of small and medium-sized businesses in my riding over the past few weeks. For example, this change will hit Louis from Saint‑Joseph hard when he transfers his business to his daughter. The Liberals and the Bloc Québécois are not worth the cost.

Again, I ask, how is all of this fair?

[Taxation, June 13th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the government and its Bloc Québécois partners have found a new way to undermine our agricultural industry: The day before yesterday, they voted to increase taxes on capital gains.

While one in five families cannot even pay off its debts, this punitive tax measure will make it even harder to sell a farm or transfer it to a family member. Farmers were not even consulted.

How does this measure make things fairer?

[Carbon Pricing, June 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the “Liberal Bloc” continues to make life more expensive for Canadian farmers and families. By allowing the Senate to gut Bill C‑234, it is contributing to the demise of a generation of farmers. The Bloc Québécois and the Prime Minister are not worth the cost. Food prices are at an all-time high, and food bank use in Beauce has increased by 25% in the past six months.

Will the government commit today to voting for what Canadians want and passing Bill C‑234 in its original form?

[Carbon Pricing, June 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Liberal government, the cost of living is too high and Quebeckers are paying the price. Once again this week, the Bloc-Liberal coalition voted against pausing federal gas taxes to give Canadians a break. Worse still, the Bloc Québécois wants to radically increase taxes on the backs of Canadian families. The Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed this week at the Standing Committee on Finance that the government has a secret report that proves the economic impact of the carbon tax.

When will the Prime Minister release the report that proves that the Conservatives and Canadians are right?

[Business of Supply, June 4th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and congratulate him on his excellent French.

He said that today's motion does not propose any solutions that would help farmers in a way that would then have a direct impact on food prices for consumers.

My esteemed colleague and I are both members of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, which studied a bill that had been introduced here in the House of Commons. Bill C-234 was making its way through the legislative process, but as we know, this bill has stalled.

As the chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, could my colleague encourage his fellow government members to vote to bring this bill back in its original form, which would give our agriculture sector a major boost?