House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2025, with 34% of the vote.
Health December 9th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, the pandemic showed that the provinces had significant needs in the area of health care. They need more and more resources. The Prime Minister is meeting with the provincial premiers tomorrow to discuss health transfers.
Is the Prime Minister prepared to do what our leader has done and commit to granting stable, predictable, unconditional funding to our provincial partners?
Health December 8th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, things are going so well in Canada that several provinces are thinking of reviewing their lockdown measures.
We will never have an economic recovery as long as people are not immunized against the virus. Canadians deserve certainty, clarity and competence from their government.
When will we attain herd immunity, and how much longer will we be in lockdown?
Health December 8th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, after days of being questioned by our party, the Liberals hastily tracked down a few vaccines for Canadians, but again, it is a fraction of what we need.
We know that the Canadian Armed Forces will be involved in the vaccination effort. Many of these soldiers are from the Bagotville base. How will the government distribute vaccines to members of the Canadian Armed Forces, who fall under federal jurisdiction?
Official Languages November 26th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, there is nothing of substance behind the government's talk of a white paper.
The Liberals have been promising official languages reform for five years now. Let the record show that nothing has been done and nothing is being done. What has it been doing for the past five years? A little of this and a little of that. A unanimous motion was adopted calling on the Minister of Official Languages to introduce a bill to modernize official languages.
We want to know if she intends to do that.
Official Languages November 25th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, I was pleasantly surprised. Following our questions yesterday, we were finally able to move our motion before the Standing Committee on Official Languages, after many weeks of obstruction by the Liberals.
The bill on the modernization of official languages must be introduced before December 11. Will the Prime Minister commit to respecting the wishes of the committee members who unanimously adopted this motion?
Marc-André Bédard November 25th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, this morning, Quebec lost a great man, and Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean lost a giant. Marc-André Bédard, former minister of Justice and René Lévesque’s right-hand man, died at the age of 85.
He was a formidable politician, a brilliant lawyer and a skilled orator. His values and his convictions were unwavering. He laid one of the first cornerstones of the Quebec civil code, particularly through the reform of family law. He solidified the foundation of the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region by contributing to the development of the aluminum industry, the Chicoutimi Hospital and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.
Although he retired from active politics in 1985, we regularly crossed paths with him. He always stayed in close touch with people and was tremendously kind.
We will fondly remember Mr. Bédard, an upright man who was involved in his community and who set an example for politicians of all stripes.
Today, we extend our deepest condolences to his children, Éric, Stéphane, Louis and Maxime, and the entire family.
Thank you, Mr. Bédard, for your enormous contribution. We will never forget.
Official Languages November 24th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, the work of the Standing Committee on Official Languages has been at a complete standstill for the past five meetings. Recently, we were not able to move a motion. We are wasting time with the Liberals. The Senate, the Commissioner of Official Languages and the organizations all agree that the Official Languages Act needs to be reformed.
What is stopping the minister from introducing her bill before the holidays?
Official Languages November 24th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Official Languages would like Canadians to believe that the French language is important.
Can she explain why her Liberal colleagues are obstructing and paralyzing the Standing Committee on Official Languages? This has prevented us from introducing a motion calling on the minister to introduce her bill on the modernization of the Official Languages Act before Christmas.
Does this mean that the bill is not yet ready even though they promised it five years ago?
Justice November 19th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, the process is supposedly transparent and relies on a committee that includes important figures from the legal community.
That very committee suggested an experienced lawyer from Quebec. A judge even supported the candidate, and she met all the criteria, except for one: the Liberal criterion. The lawyer in question is the spouse of one of our key Conservative volunteers in the riding of Drummond.
Why are the political views of candidates' spouses being taken into consideration when appointing judges?
Justice November 19th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, just recently, another lawyer, Philippe Bélanger, was appointed to the bench. The scoop is that he was not friends with the member for Beauséjour, but he was friends with the Minister of Justice and had donated close to $10,000 to the Liberal Party. Should we be surprised? No.
In 2016, the former minister and current independent member for Vancouver Granville promised to review the judicial selection process to make it more transparent and merit-based.
Does the minister still intend to move forward with that reform?