Xavier Barsalou-Duval

[Criminal Code, October 26th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I congratulate the Minister of Justice on the bill we are debating today.

In my opinion, it is important for those who have undergone so-called conversion therapy to see that we are addressing the problem. I am surprised to hear my Conservative colleagues saying that the bill is not clear. It seems to me that the bill clearly prohibits conversion therapy for minors and forcing someone to undergo conversion therapy without their consent. That is very clear to me. This is a fundamental issue. The minister can certainly count on our support. The bill addresses abhorrent and I would even say barbaric practices stemming from extremist religious practices.

I would like to know whether the government intends to address other extremist religious practices, such as female genital mutilation or the imposition of sharia law in some courts.

I would like to know what the Minister of Justice thinks about that.

[Canada Transportation Act, October 23rd, 2020]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-249, An Act to amend the Canada Transportation Act (refund – cancelled air service).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the hon. member for Saint-Jean, for supporting the introduction of this important bill today. This bill is the product of months of work with consumer groups as well.

I thought it was important to introduce this bill on behalf of regular people who bought plane tickets and are entitled to a refund. The Minister of Transport's response is ambiguous. He does not seem prepared to tell them that they are entitled to a refund even though the law says they are. This bill answers that question, reaffirming that passengers are entitled to a refund.

I hope that I will have the support of many members of the House. I am quite confident that we will get substantial support.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Airline Industry, October 22nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, people are frustrated because they feel that the Minister of Transport is nowhere to be found.

Before it gets any taxpayer money, Air Canada must refund customers whose flights were cancelled. Air Canada is being a terrible corporate citizen, and Ottawa is letting it get away with it. Ottawa lets it charge ridiculously high prices while it provides poor regional service, engages in dumping to kill competition, and refuses to serve customers in French. If Ottawa keeps letting it do as it pleases, Air Canada will never refund anyone.

When will the minister finally set a deadline to ensure that people get their money back from Air Canada?

[Airline Industry, October 22nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, after seven months of pressure from the Bloc Québécois, the government finally realized that people who bought plane tickets during the pandemic might like a refund. The government announced that it wanted to help WestJet and Air Canada and that this might include refunds. The Bloc intervened to make sure airlines would refund customers with their own money, not taxpayers' money. Yesterday, WestJet announced that it was going to start refunding customers.

That is a good start, but when will the Minister of Transport show some leadership?

When will he make Air Canada refund its customers?

[Petitions, October 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present petition e-2604, which has been signed by over 32,000 people in Quebec and across Canada. The petition basically calls on the federal government to do what it should have done six or seven months ago and require airlines to refund customers for services that were not delivered. Many consumer protection groups support this. Everyone hopes the government will listen to reason and comply.

[Airline Industry, October 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the government is preparing to help Air Canada and WestJet, but Canada's entire airline industry is struggling. Will it help Air Transat, which is on the brink of bankruptcy? How will it help regional airlines? Any financial assistance from Ottawa to the airline industry must benefit the entire industry and not just Air Canada.

Will the minister provide support for everyone, or is he sacrificing competition and buying shares in Air Canada's eventual monopoly?

[Airline Industry, October 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, seven months after closing the borders, Ottawa has just realized that passengers who bought plane tickets want refunds. The Bloc Québécois has been talking about this for seven months, and the message is finally starting to get through. Airlines need to pay, not taxpayers. We have heard that the government might be offering financial assistance to Air Canada and WestJet.

Will the government demand that airlines refund passengers before it offers the airlines anything? No refund, no money.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 6th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague on his passionate and very interesting speech.

I could have pretty much made the same speech myself. I find it amazing sometimes how much we see eye to eye on certain things, like the fact that the Liberals shut down committees and Parliament so that we would stop talking about the infamous WE scandal, or the example of the Speech from the Throne that at the end of the day did not offer anything new and was just a rehash of old Liberal promises. Then there was the infamous address to the nation, when we were told to wash our hands. The Liberals are putting on a rather odd little show.

However, one part of his speech gave me pause, and I would like to ask him about that topic in particular. He said that some oil companies have done more for the environment than the Liberals. I agree with him on that, but is that a reason to rely on the oil companies for a climate change strategy? It seems to me that with oil there is no doubt that we will produce more greenhouse gases and that we will not address the problem of climate change.

[Aviation Industry, October 5th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the industry has been waiting for quite some time already. It was obvious that, with the borders closed, things were going to be tough for the airline industry, which has lost 90% of its business. Despite this tragedy, there is still no support from Ottawa. The United States has earmarked $20 billion for its airports alone. The only thing the Canadian government has done is stop collecting rent from the airports in Montreal and Quebec City. It has done absolutely nothing for the regions. Air transportation is crucial to our economy, and 70,000 jobs depend on this industry. That means 70,000 families are in limbo.

When is the minister going to do something?

[Aviation Industry, October 5th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec had to close restaurants and bars. The next day, it announced help for restaurants and bars. The Government of Quebec had to close theatres. The next day, it announced help for theatres. The Government of Canada had to close airports. Six months later, there is still nothing to help them. While the Minister of Transport tells us he is thinking about it, other countries are supporting their airline industries.

What is the minister doing? When is he going to do something?