Sylvie Boucher

[National Defence, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, at the most recent Sommet de la Francophonie, in Dakar, Canada and the heads of state and governments passed a resolution expressing their concerns about the rise in the number of acts of terrorism and their unwavering support for the fight against terrorism.

While our allies around the globe are intensifying their fight against ISIS, Canada is stepping back by withdrawing its CF-18s.

Does the Liberal government also plan to turn its back on our partners in the Francophonie in the fight against terrorism?

[Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix, December 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the voters in Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix, which, in my opinion, is the most beautiful riding in Quebec, for putting their trust in me in the most recent election.

I am proud to be able to play a key role in this riding. It has many challenges, but the people there are very passionate. I will work hard to advance the issues that matter to our region by engaging with decision-makers, organizations, social clubs, and anyone who is seeking to develop this wonderful part of the country.

I also feel it is important to support our local craftspeople. That is why I encourage everyone in my riding to promote our local products. I will make it my duty to introduce our local products here in Ottawa. Whether it is the cheese makers in Île d'Orléans and Charlevoix or the microbreweries in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and Baie-Saint-Paul, one of my priorities is to make these economic players known.

[Justice, December 7th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize the tremendous courage of Isabelle Gaston, the mother of Olivier and Anne-Sophie, who lost their lives at the hands of their father, Guy Turcotte.

For six years, Isabelle set aside her own life in order to exact justice for her children. She fought for the reconsideration of the bewildering first ruling, which found Guy Turcotte not criminally responsible. She worked very hard to improve the lives of victims' loved ones. She asked questions, met with elected officials, and shared with us what a mother feels when a part of her life is so violently ripped away from her. She condemned violence against innocent victims. Today, justice is on her side. Isabelle said that she is relieved by the sentence handed down yesterday, and I think all Quebeckers are as well. I hope now that she will find some peace and serenity again.

[The Budget, March 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, our Conservative government tabled a responsible budget that will help seniors and families, strengthen our communities and bring more doctors to the regions of Quebec. We tabled a budget that meets the priorities of people in all regions of Quebec: to improve the guaranteed income supplement; invest in innovation, education and training; and create a new tax credit for family caregivers. These are some concrete examples of how the budget will help the people in our regions.

Unfortunately, the coalition led by the Liberal leader is threatening to bring down the government and vote against a budget that they did not even take the time to read. By so doing, they will deprive thousands of Quebeckers of the tax breaks to which they are entitled.

[The Budget, March 24th, 2011]

Madam Speaker, I listened to the Bloc Québécois member, and I have a hard time understanding why the Bloc is always whining when the federal and provincial governments sit down together to talk.

As we said, and as the Government of Quebec has often repeated, the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec are on the right track with tax harmonization.

The Bloc always has something to say. However, the Bloc will never be in power, will never be able to sit down with the Government of Quebec, and will never be able to sign a cheque in Parliament.

I would like to know how much money the Bloc Québécois has injected into Quebec's economy since 1993?

[International Day of La Francophonie, March 21st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, 41 years ago, in 1970, in Niamey, Niger, Canada played an active role in the founding of La Francophonie. In honour of that occasion, yesterday, on Sunday, March 20, Canada and the other members of La Francophonie celebrated International Day of La Francophonie.

French is spoken by more than 9.5 million Canadians and has played an important role in our history, our identity and our daily lives. As our Prime Minister often reminds us, Canada was founded in the language of Molière—in French.

French is still spoken in many communities in our country, from Acadians in the Maritimes, to Ontario and Saskatchewan. Of course, our language remains a strong symbol of our identity in all regions of Quebec, as in my riding, Beauport—Limoilou.

[Aerospace Industry, March 11th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois has done an about-face and now has joined the Liberal Party and the NDP in withdrawing its support for the purchase of the F-35 fighter jets. The Bloc is abandoning this important sector in the Quebec economy and the tens of thousands of workers and their families who are counting on these jobs during the economic recovery. Only the Conservative government is defending the interests of the workers in Quebec's aerospace industry.

The aerospace industry is a jewel in the crown of Quebec's economy, and we are proud to contribute to the development of this industry and to the creation of jobs in Quebec. We will continue to support job creation in Quebec. On this side of the House, we will once again stand firm to save jobs in Quebec.

[International Women's Week, March 8th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Canadians to celebrate International Women's Week, which includes the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day on March 8, 2011. Canada's theme this year, “Girls' Rights Matter / Les droits des filles comptent”, highlights the importance of human rights, equality and access for girls and women of all ages.

In many countries, girls are subject to injustice and violence. We will never accept such treatment for our own girls and we must not accept such treatment for others.

Canada continues to work on changing the situation by introducing stricter legislation and strengthening awareness and victims' support programs. We recently announced the very first federal strategy to combat the problem of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada.

I hope that this celebration, which—

[March 7th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, that is false. In fact, the Native Women's Association of Canada called this a very significant investment. We have introduced new law enforcement databases to investigate missing and murdered aboriginal women. We have also included new funding to boost victim services and support the creation of community and educational aboriginal safety plans.

On this side of the House, we plan to work with everyone to ensure that aboriginal women are recognized. The NDP has always voted against this. I do not need to take any lectures from that member.

[March 7th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member opposite for once again giving me the opportunity to correct certain facts regarding the government's response to the important issue of missing aboriginal women. We have taken concrete action. As I have already said, victims are much too important an issue for us to be playing political games. Some young girls and women have paid with their lives and their families are now devastated by grief.

First, I would like to speak about the concrete action that is being financed with the $10 million. On October 29, 2010, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and the Minister for Status of Women reiterated our government's commitment to this important issue.

Practical measures have been put in place to improve law enforcement and the justice system and to help the organizations responsible respond better in cases involving missing and murdered aboriginal women. Here are a few examples.

Creation of a national police support centre for missing persons to help Canada's police forces coordinate missing persons investigations and provide specialized support.

Creation of a web site where the public can provide tips related to missing persons cases to help police services across Canada obtain more in-depth information.

Improvement of the Canadian Police Information Centre data base in order to input more data on missing persons.

Our government has said repeatedly that this is a complex matter and that we must work in close co-operation with our provincial and territorial partners, with agencies and most importantly, with aboriginal communities, in order to develop appropriate solutions to better target the actions taken.

The final practical measure has been to identify changes to the Criminal Code to make it easier to get warrants and court orders for investigations.

Those are the concrete actions taken by a government that is very aware of the problems facing aboriginal women. This is the first time in the history of Canada that a government is implementing a system of this kind. No one has ever really taken care of aboriginal women before. This government is the one that apologized to the First Nations. We are working hard to make sure these women are acknowledged and taken care of.