House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2025, with 34% of the vote.
Health October 28th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, Quebec is testing an average of 20,000 people a day, so 60,000 tests are only enough for three days. The Prime Minister said on May 21 that we would have rapid tests to deal with the second wave. Well, we are now in the midst of the second wave. This government is being extremely slow in making rapid tests available, just as it was when it came to closing the border and signing contracts for vaccines.
When will Quebec have enough tests to deal with the second wave?
Health October 28th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, last week, the minister promised 60,000 tests. The province is going to get just 30,000 this week. Yesterday, the minister said it would be 200,000 tests. I am a little confused now. Perhaps she needs to check her numbers. Quebec is well into the second wave. Because of the shortage of rapid tests, restaurants and gyms have had to shut down, and Quebec's economy is suffering.
I repeat my question: Can the Prime Minister tell us exactly how many tests will be made available to Quebec and when?
Health October 28th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in response to a question from my colleague, the minister said that 200,000 rapid tests would be sent to the province of Quebec this week, but we found out today that 30,000 tests are being delivered tomorrow. Tomorrow is Thursday, and 30,000 is not 200,000. That seems a bit late to me. The province needs rapid tests. It is part of the solution for getting Quebec's regions out of the red zone.
Can the Prime Minister tell us when Quebec will get these rapid tests?
Official Languages October 27th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if we are talking about the same thing, but video conferences are in English only and the documents are never translated. In the COVID-19 era, francophones in public health are feeling increasingly isolated.
It is not as though the government did not know. The Commissioner of Official Languages raised the problem, but again, the Liberals did nothing. That is quite a message to send to francophones in public health, who are being left to fend for themselves.
Why did the government ignore the Commissioner of Official Languages?
Official Languages October 27th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, there are reports this morning that bilingualism in the public service has been put on the back burner during the pandemic. When public servants on the same team cannot understand one another, it leads to bad decisions and complete chaos, as evidenced by how some of the support measures were implemented.
I have a very simple question. Has the lack of bilingualism in the public service caused any problems in the implementation of support measures?
Access to Information October 22nd, 2020
Mr. Speaker, it is our duty to ensure that taxpayers' money is spent well and distributed efficiently. We do not want to hear any more stories like the one we heard yesterday about Frank Baylis. We need to be more rigorous, for the sake of Canadians' health.
Our motion seeks to put an end to the filibustering at the Standing Committee on Health.
When will the government let us do our job and give us the documents?
Access to Information October 22nd, 2020
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government prevented Parliament from doing its job. We wanted to form a special committee on the allegations of Liberal corruption, but the Liberals told us we had to deal with the pandemic. That is fine. “Ask and ye shall receive”.
Today, we are introducing a motion to “un-paralyze” the Standing Committee on Health. We are asking the government to provide us with key documents relating to the pandemic. Now that we are responding to their request, we would like to know if the government will work with us and support our motion.
Aerospace Industry October 21st, 2020
Mr. Speaker, the fact is, the government does not have a plan for the aerospace sector. A recent PBO report revealed that Canada would not achieve its goals with the supercluster strategy and that the aerospace sector has been abandoned.
Canada's vast territory creates an opportunity for the sector to innovate, giving us a coveted edge over our international competitors.
When will the Liberal government come up with a plan for the aerospace sector?
Aerospace Industry October 21st, 2020
Mr. Speaker, Quebec's aerospace industry lost hundreds more jobs last week, including 250 jobs at Pratt & Whitney on Montreal's south shore, to give just one example. The aerospace sector provides high-quality, well-paid, knowledge-based jobs.
How many more jobs does the sector need to lose before this government reacts?
Éduc'alcool Organization October 21st, 2020
Mr. Speaker, this month Éduc'alcool is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Thirty years ago, five people of vision had the grand idea of creating an alcohol “user's manual” for Quebeckers who choose to drink. What a success story this has been. It is hard to find a Quebecker these days who has not heard the slogan “Moderation is always in good taste”. The Société des alcools du Québec, or SAQ, purchased that slogan for the symbolic sum of $1. In my opinion, that is one of the best deals Quebec ever made.
Éduc'alcool has made a notable contribution to the progress Quebeckers have made when it comes to drinking. Awareness and prevention campaigns have had a real impact. Now Éduc'alcool is much more than an awareness raising organization. It is a partner known and respected by Quebec authorities.
The work continues. We know that excessive drinking still results in too many unfortunate incidents. That is why I invite my colleagues, Quebeckers and Canadians to participate in Éduc'alcool's contest in October, which encourages people to count their drinks and stick to the limits.