Robert Aubin

[Oceans Act, May 13th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, if it were not so sad, it would almost be laughable to hear my Conservative colleague complaining about the number of time allocation motions we have been imposed since the Liberals took office. I thought the previous Conservative government's record could not be topped. That being said, at the rate the Liberals have been going for the past few weeks, I cannot help but think they are making a point of breaking the record. However, my question is not about that.

My Liberal colleague listed the various interventions that have been made on this bill, and he apparently wants us to think this is something out of the ordinary, whereas the truth is that the bill is following the normal process. What is not normal is that the Liberals are now disrupting the normal process to achieve their ends by force. It is probably because they have just noticed that the session is about to end, that the election is fast approaching and that, due to their bad planning, they do not have enough time to fulfill so much as a small fraction of their promises. I could list all the promises they have not kept, but it would take hours and hours.

Time allocation must and should remain an exceptional measure used to meet an urgent need. That is what the Liberals used to say when they were in opposition. However, what we are seeing now is that a bill is following the normal process and the Liberals' bad planning may have led them into a blunder.

Where is the urgent need for this new time allocation motion?

[Air Transportation, May 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, key members of the Trois-Rivières business community are getting behind a promising project at the airport. The City just invested in the construction of a new terminal, and the federal government is also expected to contribute soon.

Meanwhile, the Liberal government snuck a measure on the privatization of security services at Canadian airports into the most recent budget.

Are the people of Trois-Rivières and its business community right in thinking that this privatization could facilitate the implementation of security measures and the designation of their airport?

[Criminal Code, May 8th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I will comment not on the substance of the bill but on the sense of urgency. As members know, a time allocation motion is supposed to be an exceptional and justifiable measure, but I am having a hard time seeing how it is justified now.

Why is there time allocation for this?

Considering the government's meagre legislative agenda, is the goal to adjourn the House on June 1?

[Climate Change, May 7th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, today I will be delivering my statement on behalf of Éloïse, Maude, Étienne and the other members of the environment committee at École secondaire des Pionniers who wish to deliver a message to the elected members of the House about the urgent need to address climate change.

As young people who are aware of the climate crisis, we do not understand why you are reluctant to take action. Be aware that your decisions are putting our lives at risk.

You are still not listening to the cries of scientists who, for decades, have been telling you to go completely green.

Our concerns are being dismissed outright, but they are very real. What good will your departments be if our earth becomes uninhabitable.

We have reached a point where the economy is far from being our priority. Without nature, we see no value in our future.

We hope that today you will finally hear our voices.

We want the environment to be at the heart of every decision you make.

We want you to stop putting everything off until tomorrow.

We want the right to have a future.

Mr. Prime Minister, whether out of concern for Canadians or out of love for your children, please take action.

I would like to tell each of these—

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, May 1st, 2019]

With regard to federal funding in the constituency of Trois-Rivières, between April 2016 and January 2019: (a) what applications for funding have been received, including for each the (i) name of the organization, (ii) department, (iii) program and sub-program under which they applied for funding, (iv) date of the application, (v) amount applied for, (vi) whether funding has been approved or not, (vii) total amount of funding, if funding was approved; (b) what funds, grants, loans, and loan guarantees has the government issued through its various departments and agencies in the constituency of Trois-Rivières that did not require a direct application from the applicant, including for each the (i) name of the organization, (ii) department, (iii) program and sub-program under which they received funding, (iv) total amount of funding, if funding was approved; and (c) what projects have been funded in the constituency of Trois-Rivières by organizations tasked with sub-granting government funds (e.g. Community Foundations of Canada), including for each the (i) name of the organization, (ii) department, (iii) program and sub-program under which they received funding, (iv) total amount of funding, if funding was approved?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, May 1st, 2019]

With regard to funding for the continued in-depth assessment of VIA Rail's high-frequency rail proposal for the Toronto-Quebec City corridor, including funding allocated in Budget 2016: what are the total expenditures, broken down by (i) year, (ii) ministerial portfolio, (iii) supplier, (iv) public opinion research?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, May 1st, 2019]

With regard to project recommendations submitted by regional development agencies to the Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development since November 2015: (a) how many project recommendations were submitted to the Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, broken down by (i) year, (ii) project name, (iii) financial value, (iv) province, (v) constituency; (b) of the project recommendations listed in (a), which recommendations were approved by the Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, broken down by (i) year, (ii) province, (iii) federal constituency; and (c) of the recommendations listed in (a), which recommendations were not approved by the Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, broken down by (i) year, (ii) province, (iii) federal constituency?

[Petitions, May 1st, 2019]

Madam Speaker, not a week goes by without dozens of people from Trois-Rivières asking me to present this petition on their behalf.

The petition says the following:

We, the undersigned, call on the Minister of Transport...to take the interests of the people of Trois-Rivières into account and invest in undertaking construction of the high-frequency train project in 2018.

I know full well that this is 2019, but this gives you an idea of the perseverance of the people of Trois-Rivières when it comes to this project.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, May 1st, 2019]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, three reports from the delegation of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.

The first report is respecting its participation in the meeting of the Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee of the APF, held in Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast, April 20 and 21, 2018.

The second report is respecting its participation in the meeting of the Cooperation and Development Committee of the APF, held in Rome, Italy, from May 2 to 4, 2018.

Lastly, the third report is respecting its participation in the meeting of the Parliamentary Network on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria of the APF, held in Lomé, Togo, October 3 and 4, 2018.

[The Environment, May 1st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Transport reassured Jason Kenney by saying that building the pipeline was his government's number one priority. Then, on Monday, he reassured flood victims by saying that inaction is costly, that the science is clear and that we must act now. That is rich.

Does the Prime Minister realize that the only way the economy and the environment can go hand in hand is if we focus on a green economy and not on subsidies for the oil companies?