Xavier Barsalou-Duval

[Petitions, February 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting petition e-1209, which was signed electronically by 510 people and on paper by 100 people. The petitioners are calling on the federal government to establish regulations governing navigation on the Richelieu River because there are currently no regulations in place. That means kayakers and speed boaters are using the same space and have to cohabit, which is not always easy. There are safety and environmental concerns. Riverbank erosion and conflict among residents are some of the issues prompting locals to take action. We are hoping for a positive response from the Minister of Transport.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, February 6th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, in the middle of a by-election, the Prime Minister promised farmers in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean that the government “would not make any concessions when it comes to supply management”.

Today, we know that he sacrificed 3.25% of the dairy sector and made concessions regarding eggs and poultry as part of the TPP.

Did he decide to break his promise after the by-election or did he deliberately lie to farmers?

[Marijuana, February 5th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, many Liberals are excited about the legalization of pot, but the government keeps repeating that it is doing this to crack down on organized crime.

However, according to the RCMP, that is not likely to happen. The RCMP commissioner said that he does not expect the bill to squeeze out criminals, and the assistant commissioner for federal policing criminal operations said that it would be naive to think that such would be the case.

Why are the Liberals in such a hurry? Is it just so that their friends can get a piece of the pie?

[Marijuana, January 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we now know what the Prime Minister's great plan is for his cannabis industry: Liberal influence and money from tax havens. Who are the investors? Is it organized crime, foreign interests, cronies? We do not know, but we do know that a bunch of Liberal friends are going to pocket a lot of money.

When will the Liberals get to work for everyone and stop raiding the cookie jar?

[Contrecoeur, January 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, 350 years ago, in 1667, Antoine Pécaudy, captain of the Carignan-Salières regiment, founded Contrecoeur on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.

I am proud to announce the kick-off to Contrecoeur's 350th anniversary celebrations. It was there that the Patriots met at the Lenoblet-du-Plessis house in 1837 to draft some of their 92 resolutions.

Contrecoeur is now a modern, dynamic community experiencing rapid economic growth thanks to its strong industrial sector. With its industrial port zone, the city is well on its way to becoming a crucial transportation hub, but none of that would matter without its warm and friendly tight-knit community of 7,740.

Happy 350th anniversary to everyone in Contrecoeur.

[Centre culturel islamique de Québec, January 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, one year ago, six people lost their lives at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec. We Quebeckers lost six of our sons. Each and every one of us remembers the moment we heard about what happened in Sainte-Foy on January 29, 2017. We will never forget how we felt then.

Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzedine Soufiane, and Aboubaker Thabti were all fathers, brothers, friends, colleagues, and members of our community. They all chose Quebec and made it their home and their society; above all, they chose us, Quebeckers.

These six individuals chose us because, in Quebec, everyone, without exception, has the right to freedom, the right to security, and the freedom to practice their religion.

On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want to pay tribute to their memory and offer my support to their families and loved ones. I also want to acknowledge the courage and resilience of the eight people who were injured in the shooting. On this, the anniversary of the Quebec City mosque shooting, we have a responsibility to respond to hate with love, to bigotry with solidarity, to violence with fellowship. We share the pain felt by the victims' families and friends. We are all in this together, and we will all listen together.

In memory of Ibrahima, Mamadou, Khaled, Abdelkrim, Azzedine, and Aboubaker, today we celebrate the fellowship that unites us and the solidarity that brings us together.

Let us learn from this appalling tragedy and not let these terrible losses be in vain. Let us be more attentive and more loving towards one another and never let the tragedy of January 29 ever happen again.

[Marijuana, January 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, when Quebec asked for more time to provide for the legalization of pot, Ottawa said no. Now we know why the Liberals were in such a hurry. The cannabis industry is a Liberal industry, and is the new private preserve of the Liberal Party of Canada. Anyone who works for the Liberals will have a job waiting for them in the pot economy.

When will the Liberals stop working on behalf of their friends and start working for all Canadians?

[Holiday Greetings, December 13th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, all the snow we just got is a sure sign that the holidays are just around the corner. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to express our best wishes to you, the clerks, the pages, the security guards, who do not yet have a contract, and to everyone else who works for the House of Commons. Best wishes also to my colleagues from all the other parties.

I hope that next year will see us working together to make things better for Quebec. I also want to acknowledge our political staff who work tirelessly in the background on behalf of our constituents.

Lastly, I would like to extend my very best wishes to the people of Quebec. You are the reason we are here tenaciously defending your interests and our distinct society. We wish you happy times with your loved ones complete with celebration, good food, and rest. Let us come back reinvigorated because 2018 will be a memorable year. Merry Christmas and happy new year.

[Taxation, December 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, although we are in the middle of the busy holiday shopping season, sales are going to be down for some merchants this year.

As everyone knows, more and more people are shopping online. When it comes to shops, all merchants are subject to the same rules; online, however, that is not the case. Quebec businesses have to pay taxes, but foreign companies do not. If this continues, all of our shops are going to die off.

Why is the Canadian government working against local businesses?

[Canadian Heritage, December 11th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage must be pretty hard of hearing because it took her three months to hear what everyone in Quebec was telling her.

It is dangerous to give breaks to foreign multinationals. The minister may have heard but she will not listen; she is knuckling under to the Minister of Finance, who has said no. The Liberals are a bunch of puppets.

Does anyone over there realize that refusing to tax online transactions compromises not just our culture, but the whole of our economy?