Richard Martel

[Housing, June 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, with moving day two weeks away, Quebeckers are worried. Many of them are looking for a new place to live. In Saguenay, skyrocketing rent costs have families believing they will end up living on the streets.

Despite it all, the Bloc Québécois and the Liberals voted against our common-sense bill to build housing. The Bloc would rather support the government and vote for the $500 billion in budget allocations that helped fuel the housing crisis in the first place. Voting for the Bloc Québécois is costly, especially in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean.

When will the Liberals and their Bloc Québécois supporters listen to us?

[Public Safety, June 4th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years under this government, our streets are becoming less and less safe. Crime rates across the country keep rising. Montrealers are increasingly afraid in their own city. It has gotten to the point where the city's police department is completely overwhelmed.

Yesterday, the Montreal police service's annual report revealed that 911 calls in Montreal have increased by 10% since last year, to a total of 1.6 million calls. People are worried, and I can see why. This increase in calls is the result of the Liberal government's dangerous catch-and-release policy. Which party is fully supportive of this policy? That would be the Bloc Québécois, even though it has caused all this crime and chaos in our communities.

Bloc members, who claim to be the defenders of Quebec, voted in favour of Bill C‑5, which allows convicted criminals to stay at home rather than go to prison. That is why a Conservative government will crack down on criminals with tougher policies to stop crime. We will protect people and their loved ones.

[Public Safety, June 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this government, there can be no denying that the Prime Minister and the Bloc Québécois are not worth the cost.

Violence in our prisons is getting worse and is spreading. An article in Le Quotidien newspaper reports that prison guards in Roberval are threatened and intimidated on a daily basis. Instead of protecting them, the Bloc Québécois is making the situation worse by fully supporting the Prime Minister's policies, which have caused chaos across the country.

When will the Liberals, backed by the Bloc, listen to us and protect Canadians instead letting violence run rampant?

[Housing, May 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, in the midst of the housing crisis, Quebeckers are literally out on the street. Rents are too expensive, and there is a housing shortage.

Again today, in Le Journal de Montréal, we learn that delays in obtaining a building permit have more than doubled in downtown Montreal and the boroughs. It can take up to 20 months to obtain a building permit downtown. What citizens need is housing now, not in two years.

While Quebeckers have to choose between groceries and paying their rent, the Bloc Québécois has voted for $500 billion in budget appropriations. We are talking about centralizing spending that caused inflation and the housing crisis we are currently experiencing.

That is why my leader has tabled a common-sense plan to build housing, not bureaucracy. The Conservatives will reward cities that build 15% more housing each year, such as in my area, the Saguenay.

The vote will take place tomorrow. I am asking the Prime Minister to allow his MPs to vote freely so that Quebeckers can keep a roof over their heads.

[The Economy, May 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years under the government of this Prime Minister, a growing number of Quebeckers are hungry and living in the street. The inflation crisis hitting Canadians is the result of this government's centralist spending backed 100% by the Bloc Québécois. It makes me laugh a bit because the Bloc claims to defend the interests of Quebeckers, but it voted for $500 billion in inflationary budgetary allocations.

It is not just the Prime Minister who is not worth the cost. We have to include the Bloc in that.

Do the Bloc and the Liberals understand that more money for the federal government means less money for Quebeckers?

[Finance, May 9th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this government, young Quebeckers and young Canadians can no longer make ends meet. The cost of living crisis is making it almost impossible to rent an apartment and buy groceries.

Yesterday, a young couple from Quebec had to move back in with their parents because it is impossible for them to save to buy a house while paying their rent. That is where things stand with this government, which spends money hand over fist. Two adults with full-time jobs cannot even afford their own place to live. The CMHC is even saying that three times more Canadians are putting off buying a home because interest rates are just too high.

While too many young Canadians are giving up their dreams of buying a home, the Bloc Québécois is making the situation worse by joining the Liberals in voting for a $500-billion budget. It is exactly this type of spending on bureaucracy that got us into this inflationary crisis. Voting for the Bloc Québécois is costly, and Quebeckers understand that. The Liberals and the Bloc are not worth the cost.

[Finance, May 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years under this government, the housing crisis has become so severe that Quebeckers are having trouble choosing between putting a roof over their heads and putting food on the table.

The Journal de Montréal reported that someone is living in their minivan while the government continues to waste money. Meanwhile, the Bloc Québécois, which claims to defend Quebec's interests, is making matters worse by voting for the Liberals' $500 billion in spending. It is costly to vote for the Bloc Québécois.

When will the Prime Minister, supported by the Bloc, stop his wasteful spending?

[Finance, May 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years under this government, it is clear that the Bloc Québécois and the Prime Minister are not worth the cost.

The housing shortage and high cost of rent have forced one 42-year-old to live in her minivan, and she is not the only one. While Quebeckers are trying to survive, the Bloc Québécois has decided to vote in favour of $500 billion in Liberal spending. That means they are voting in favour of bureaucracy and in favour of wasting $60 million on ArriveCAN.

When will the Prime Minister stop wasting money, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, so that Quebeckers can start living with dignity again?

[The Budget, April 30th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague for her remarks. For nine years, the government has been pumping money into programs and constantly driving up the debt. Moreover, productivity is in free fall in Canada. The government spends, spends, spends, but we see that people are lining up at food banks, that grocery costs have doubled, and that people are unable to put a roof over their head or pay their mortgage.

I have a question for my colleague. When are we going to see results?

[Finance, April 29th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years under this government, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost. The cost of living keeps going up. An article in La Presse reports that despite the government's spending on helping the less fortunate, recent data from Statistics Canada show that these vulnerable people are still struggling to put food on the table. Let us not forget that the Bloc Québécois voted in favour of a $500-billion budget.

When will the Liberals, supported by the Bloc Québécois, stop their out-of-control spending?