Xavier Barsalou-Duval

[Innovation, Science and Industry, December 13th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear a yes.

The employees at Lion Electric deserve better than that from the federal government. There are three days left to save the Quebec flagship of electric transportation. The investors, the cities involved, the Government of Quebec; everyone is fighting to save Lion Electric in Quebec. In the meantime, there is just Ottawa who is asleep at the switch.

The federal government must grant the full subsidies to the potential clients of Lion Electric. That is its role. It must do so right away, not when the flagship is gone.

Will the government wake up?

[Innovation, Science and Industry, December 13th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, time is running out for Lion Electric, and the federal government must play its part.

Lion Electric has until December 16 to reach an agreement with its creditors. That is this coming Monday. Today, the federal government must send a clear message to investors that all the conditions are in place to restart Lion Electric's orders. It must immediately announce to potential buyers of electric buses that they will receive the much-touted subsidy provided for in the zero emission transit fund.

Will Ottawa finally get moving?

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the survivor's benefit cannot be transferred if someone decides to get married after they turn 60. This rule is practically antediluvian. I was not even born when it came into effect. My father was not even born then. My grandfather was not even born then. I am not even sure if my great-grandfather was born then.

It is important to understand that, in 1930, a man's life expectancy was 60 years. In 1945, a man's life expectancy was 65 years. Maybe it makes sense that, back then, getting remarried at the end of one's life might raise the government's suspicions, hence not wanting to allow pension transfers under those circumstances.

Today, a man's average life expectancy is around 80 years. Now, 2024 is not 1930, nor is it 1945. Society has evolved both in terms of life expectancy and in terms of lifestyle. I would like to know if my colleague thinks that the government should evolve, too.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, if I were to summarize the parliamentary secretary's speech, I would simply say that we should not be talking about this today. We should not be talking about the report that recommends that survivor's pensions should be available to people who married later in life. We should not be talking about this because, in his opinion, the report should have remained on the shelf. It was collecting dust, and that was perfect. The government was happy.

We should not be talking about the Conservatives' motion of privilege either. What we should be talking about are the government's priorities, but as it happens, this report deals with the government's priorities. It has been in the ministers' mandate letters since 2015, and it still has not been resolved. It has been almost 10 years, and the government is still twiddling its thumbs.

Meanwhile, there are people who will not get a survivor's pension when their spouse dies. Today, age 60 is far from old. Today at 60 people still have a life to live, and it is normal for situations to change.

Does the parliamentary secretary understand that it is high time for the government to finally wake up and put an end to these archaic practices? In Quebec, the problem has been resolved. All people have to do is make a call, fill out a form, and it is done.

Why is it that nothing ever gets resolved in the federal government?

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I am rising on a point of order.

I would like to be assured that the parliamentary secretary will talk about the content of the report, because thousands of people are affected by this situation. I am sure that they would like to hear the government's response and find out why their spouses will not be able to benefit from the survivor's pension in the future.

[Innovation, Science and Industry, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Canada will make the green transition in transportation. It is inevitable. Canada will go green for school busing and everything else. The question is, will we be buying electric school buses made in Quebec by Quebeckers, or will we be buying American buses made by Americans because Ottawa, lacking vision as usual, failed one of our flagship companies?

Will this government finally wake up and let the zero emission transit fund dollars flow?

[Club d'aviron de Boucherville, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the Boucherville rowing club is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. From its inception in 1974, the club has taken full advantage of its outstanding geographic location across from the majestic St. Lawrence River in Boucherville.

Over the years, many of the club's athletes have been selected to join our national teams. Some have even made it to the Olympics. The Club d'aviron de Boucherville is a learning ground where members develop positive values like mutual support, team spirit, determination, surpassing personal limits and good lifestyle habits. It boasts a family-oriented, fraternal atmosphere, which, I have to say, is great to see.

Congratulations to the club's president, Julie Dermine, and its head coach, Christian Hardy-Cardinal.

I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this organization over its half-century of adventures. Clearly, everyone is rowing in the same direction, toward excellence.

[Privilege, November 29th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I want to comment on what my Conservative colleague said, because he quoted the British North America Act in the speech he just gave.

To strengthen his argument, he read excerpts from that act as though it were truth or fact. There is one point in particular that I would like to raise. He mentioned that the British North America Act was created by mutual agreement and that it was born of the will of the four founding provinces, namely Lower Canada, or Quebec, Upper Canada, or Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

I do not know whether my colleague is aware of this, but that act was actually born of an alliance between Cartier's Conservatives and the Liberals and Conservatives of Upper Canada. Les Rouges of Lower Canada, or Quebec, were strongly opposed to it. Nova Scotia was also strongly opposed. It even voted unanimously against this infamous British North America Act, but that was never taken into consideration by London. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia sent a delegation to London to negotiate a different treaty than the one that was imposed.

The reality is that this is a colonial law that was never put to a vote by the people. Can my colleague concede that?

[Petitions, November 29th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I would like to present a petition on the Verchères wharf. I have presented an electronic petition on this same subject before, but now I am showing that we have real signatures on paper. I hope that the response to both of these petitions will be positive.

[Privilege, November 29th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

I was listening to my colleague's speech, which is really quite interesting. He went over the whole history of different Conservative leaders over the years, but I do not see the connection between that and the subject we are discussing right now.