Richard Martel

[Public Safety, February 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, instead of focusing on the pandemic and getting Canadians vaccinated, the Liberals decided to introduce Bill C-21 last week, once again hurting law-abiding gun owners.

Worse still, in the same week they introduced a bill to reduce prison sentences for criminals who had illegal firearms in their possession. It is always the same with these Liberals: Honest citizens are penalized, while rule breakers call the shots.

The government should be investing in gang units to give police the resources they need to put a stop to smuggling and get dangerous criminals off our streets. Instead, our hunters and sport shooters, like the members of the Club de tir le Faucon de Jonquière and the airsoft and paintball community are being treated like criminals.

The Conservatives will always support reasonable, common sense firearms policies to protect our families and keep guns away from dangerous criminals.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, February 19th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, if I were a member of the Liberal government, I would be embarrassed to repeat the same thing week after week. I wonder if the Liberals even believe what they are saying. The new Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement was signed last year.

How long will it take to get this compensation, given that they are waiting on the two others? Our local processors are closing their doors and family businesses are being lost.

What is the government waiting for to take action?

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, February 19th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, today marks the start of an advertising campaign for dairy, poultry and egg processors.

Since 2015, these groups have been waiting for government compensation as a result of the free trade agreement with Europe and the TPP. The Liberals have had six years to honour their commitment. They have not done so despite their promises. The government must give our local processors the compensation that was promised.

What are they waiting for to take action?

[Public Services and Procurement, February 17th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the government can keep insisting that Canada will receive six million doses by March 31, but it is already behind schedule. What is more, those six million doses are only a fraction of what we need. People are dying because of bad management and a vaccine supply shortage.

How many lives will be lost because of this government's incompetence?

[Public Services and Procurement, February 17th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the Prime Minister chose China to develop a vaccine instead of supporting Canadian companies. We ultimately lost the deal with China, we lost our intellectual property and the government wound up behind in its other negotiations. The Prime Minister had no issue helping his former federal MP Frank Baylis when the opportunity arose.

Was the Prime Minister surprised to be once again duped by China?

[Public Services and Procurement, February 17th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals are searching the globe for a vaccine supply, we could have produced one in our own backyard at Université Laval's Infectious Disease Research Centre. It is the only Canadian team that got an Ebola vaccine all the way to the approval stage. In a matter of weeks and with little to go on, they developed a prototype COVID-19 vaccine that was effective on animals.

Why did the federal government not prioritize vaccine research and development in Canada?

[Health, February 3rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claim they are going to provide additional funding for long-term care, but this funding comes with ridiculous conditions that once again add to the burden on the provinces.

The leader of the official opposition has promised a clear, predictable and unconditional increase to transfers. Why does the Prime Minister not trust the provinces to administer their own health care systems?

[Health, February 3rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has highlighted how underfunded Canada's provincial health care systems are. All of the provinces have asked for an increase in health transfers.

The leader of the official opposition has pledged to hold a summit on this issue within the first 100 days of a Conservative government. The Prime Minister could do this immediately, but he just wants to talk about the national standards imposed on the provinces. When will he finally act and increase health transfers to the provinces?

[Health, February 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe that the government is trying to pass off its incompetence on the backs of the provinces. Is it the fault of the provinces that the borders were not closed in time last spring? Is it the fault of the provinces if the Prime Minister is not able to ensure a vaccine supply?

The accusations of the hon. member for Québec demonstrate a flagrant lack of leadership. His government must assume its responsibilities. When will it apologize to the SQ and Quebec?

[Health, February 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we know that, at the beginning of the pandemic, the government was slow to respond at the borders. Then, the authorities lacked guidelines for screening travellers. As such, it was quite incredible for Quebeckers to hear the President of the Treasury Board say yesterday on LCN that the Sûreté du Québec had done a poor job of ensuring that Quebeckers comply with the quarantine orders. When will the government show some leadership and admit its wrongs on the border issue?