Richard Martel

[Business of Supply, May 31st, 2021]

Mr. Chair, trade representatives told the U.S. Senate that they wanted to settle the softwood lumber issue, but Canada was not interested.

Is that true or false?

[Business of Supply, May 31st, 2021]

Mr. Chair, my questions will be for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

We know that trade relations with our neighbours to the south have not been great since the Liberal government took office in 2015. Although the Liberals just signed a new free trade agreement with the U.S., the Americans are already threatening several important sectors of our economy.

With the rising price of softwood lumber in Canada, when is the Liberal government going to negotiate a deal to resolve the softwood lumber crisis, which is affecting Canadian businesses and families?

[Health, May 28th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, Switch Health is an English-only company. This has caused numerous problems for francophones, especially for farmers and business owners who have hired temporary foreign workers.

None of the company's partner laboratories are located in Quebec, and tests performed in Quebec are generally sent to Ottawa to be analyzed.

How can the government ignore the needs of francophones for such an essential service?

[Health, May 28th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister has repeatedly said that he is committed to transparency, but he keeps covering up his mistakes.

Nearly 5,000 tests were not processed because the samples were improperly labelled. Now the Liberal government will not even show us the contract, once again citing national security as the excuse.

Why does the Prime Minister refuse to accept responsibility for his mistakes?

[Health, May 28th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the Conservatives raised concerns about Switch Health in mid-April. The Prime Minister said he had asked his team to carefully look into what was happening with the contract and with that company. However, the government had already extended the contract, which is worth up to $180 million, before the Standing Committee on Health had a chance to look into the situation.

Did the Prime Minister call for a thorough review, or did he simply let Canadians down once again?

[Public Services and Procurement, May 27th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the government's mistakes have already caused some disasters.

First, it paid Tango Communications Marketing $80 million for faulty masks.

Second, the cabinet knowingly sent the provinces expired medical supplies.

Then, the Liberal government paid hundreds of millions of dollars to presumed friends of the party.

Did the Liberal government take advantage of the urgency of the pandemic to benefit its friends, at the expense of Canadians' health?

[Public Services and Procurement, May 27th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are playing a dangerous game. They even tried to hide their risky practices by asking agencies to focus only on promoting the government's success stories.

The Auditor General reported that a number of suppliers received funds in advance. However, the Liberal government did not look into the financial situation of half of these suppliers.

Why did the government gamble with Canadians' money?

[Public Services and Procurement, May 27th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the government is still refusing to release the procurement contract documents requested by the Standing Committee on Health.

So far it has provided us with less than 1% of the required documents. Meanwhile, those documents contain deeply troubling information about patronage, attempts to cover up shortages, and the general mismanagement of resources during one of the most critical times of the pandemic.

Why does the government continue to withhold information requested by the committee?

[André Gauthier, May 14th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, in December 2015, Quebec geologist André Gauthier was arrested in Dubai for reporting irregular transactions to the authorities of the United Arab Emirates. Detained by that country and separated from his family, he continued fighting to return home.

When his family asked me for help in the spring of 2019, I immediately agreed even though I had just been in politics a short while. We never gave up. I would like to thank all those who helped in this matter. Thanks to my colleagues at Global Affairs Canada, the media and André's many friends and family members, we managed to bring him home safe and sound after many years.

It is extremely important to persevere and not lose hope in parliamentary affairs. André's story is a perfect example of that. Canada never forgets one of its own, and we must continue to protect our citizens at home and around the world. I am extremely pleased about the outcome for André, and I look forward to seeing him in Saguenay soon.

[Canadian Heritage, May 11th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, first the minister said that the government's and CRTC's regulations in Bill C-10 would apply to people who have a lot of followers, earn money and could be considered influencers or broadcasters. The following day he said the opposite. I do not know whether the minister understands his own bill, but one thing is for sure. The bill is vague, confusing and unacceptable.

Why is the Liberal government trying to subject Canadians to a law that will violate freedom of expression?