Xavier Barsalou-Duval

[Foreign Affairs, October 30th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Catalonia declared independence, and the Catalan Republic was born. It will be the 194th country to become a member of the United Nations. This declaration came about through a completely peaceful democratic process in which 90% of citizens voted in favour of independence.

Canada has recognized a number of countries that are now members of the UN, namely the Czech Republic, Ukraine, South Sudan, and even Kosovo. However, this government has a double standard.

Why is Canada refusing to recognize the new Catalan state?

[Canadian Heritage, October 25th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we now know that the Minister of Canadian Heritage had all the information in hand when she negotiated her agreement with Netflix. She knew full well that it was a bad deal. She also knew her announcement would be historic, as it was the first time a law was being made specifically to exempt a company from taxes. Everyone else has to follow the rules, but not Netflix.

How is it that in a $500-million deal, there is zero money for francophone creators? This is unacceptable.

Will the Prime Minister tell his minister she needs to stop failing francophone producers and to make a minimum commitment of $133 million?

[Intergovernmental Relations, October 18th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, today, the National Assembly passed a bill on religious neutrality. Whether the federal government agrees or not, that is the National Assembly's absolute right.

Will the Prime Minister commit to not doing what was done with Bill 99? Will the Prime Minister commit to not challenge Bill 62 in court and to not to fund potential challenges of this bill?

[Taxation, October 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, what we have before us is a government of bad ideas and broken promises that always seem to hurt ordinary Canadians, a government that is incapable of going after the major players. We saw that with this government's attempt to weaken the Consumer Protection Act, give special privileges to Netflix, and tax employee discounts for those earning minimum wage. Now we have the small business tax reform.

Instead of holding a press conference to frantically announce that he is going to make an announcement, why does the minister not simply put off his reform and do something that makes sense?

[Taxation, October 5th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that a farmer from Lac-Saint-Jean who wants to sell his farm to his daughter at a discount is considered a cheat. It is unacceptable that a foreign investor pays half as much tax, or no tax at all on his investments. It is unacceptable that the government is attacking SMEs and refusing to do anything about tax havens.

Will the government go back to the drawing board and ensure that its reform targets the real cheats, those who take advantage of the system?

[Taxation, October 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, in its reform, the federal government is raising taxes on corporations' passive income, but not on the income of non-residents.

This means that a foreign billionaire who invests in Canada would be taxed at 25%, but a Quebecker would pay the maximum, 50%. The foreign investor could even avoid paying taxes altogether if his investment earns interest income, zero.

I would like the government to explain why it is penalizing our SMEs and giving foreign investors the advantage.

[Foreign Affairs, October 2nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Spain brutalized the Catalan people. Spain has brutalized democracy.

Whose side is Canada on? It is on the side of those who were beating innocent people with batons. The Prime Minister always supports the winner when he wants to cloak himself in righteousness. However, when it really counts, his complicit silence says a lot about how he truly feels about democratic principles.

Does the Prime Minister realize that his complicit silence legitimizes the Spanish government's violence?

[Canadian Heritage, September 28th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, in a posh room at the Chateau Laurier, the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced the creation of Netflix Canada, a foreign company that is exempt from the QST, GST, and income tax. Up for grabs, though, is $500 million over five years towards the creation of Canadian productions.

Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage give us assurances that at least 33% of that money, the same as what is provided by the Canada Media Fund, will be allocated to French-language productions?

[International Trade, September 26th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, in the spring, Donald Trump said that he wanted to remove aluminum from the free trade agreement, claiming national security. This is a move to give the aluminum monopoly to a less competitive American company. It is a new trick to circumvent NAFTA. Aluminum is the second-largest export sector in Quebec and accounts for thousands of jobs in Lac-Saint-Jean.

Can the government assure us and our aluminum workers that their jobs will not be left on the table during negotiations?

[International Trade, September 25th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as a result of a barrage of tweets from Donald Trump, our supply management system is now being targeted by U.S. lobby groups.

In Quebec, we are proud of our farming model of family-owned farms. The Liberals already abandoned our dairy farmers during negotiations with Europe. They had better not do the same with NAFTA.

Will the minister make a solemn commitment to keep the supply management system precisely as it is, with no changes?