Canada-U.S. Relations  Mr. Speaker, facts are facts. The countervailing duties that the United States is imposing on Canadian softwood lumber are a slap in the face to our industry; they have doubled. The money is being collected at the border rather than being invested in our businesses. As is the case with inflation and the labour shortage, the government is not interested in this issue because it is not interested in the economy.

Canada-U.S. Relations  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister visited the United States. After his Minister of International Trade visited Washington and after the Minister of Finance talked about imposing retaliatory measures, nothing has been done to eliminate the U.S. countervailing duties. It has been one failure after another.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, this warm welcome and my colleagues' friendliness towards me and the entire caucus is what I was trying to convey earlier, and I thank him. I am someone who bounces back. I like to stand up for my constituents and everyone else for just causes. I want to assure my colleague that I will always defend our people, our constituents and everyone in our riding.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I take exception to the fact that this government is not addressing Canadians' needs, is not addressing the labour shortage, is not addressing inflation and has no plan to balance the budget. This affects Canadians' wallets. That is what we will be debating here in the House.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, obviously, I think that we should have the freedom to take exception to things. That is part of raising awareness of the issues that affect us. If we take exception to something, it means that we are aware of what is happening around us and to us. I think that the throne speech is sterile, uninspired and insipid.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure and an honour for me to rise to speak in response to the Speech from the Throne, which was delivered over two weeks ago. As one might expect, I would like to take a moment to thank a number of people and to recognize the work, commitment and dedication of the huge team I had behind me during the last election.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's answer is in no way reassuring. The cost of everything is going up, and Canadians are seeing their purchasing power go down. Just talk to food banks, mothers and seniors to get a sense of how bad things are right now. Will the Prime Minister guarantee that the Bank of Canada will maintain inflation at 2%?

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, runaway inflation is driving up prices. Canadians are feeling the pinch. Many are struggling to pay for groceries, while others are giving up on their dream of buying a home because prices have gone up 33%. The Liberal government's attitude feels like a frontal assault.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition summed up the situation very well. Inflation is hitting Canadians hard, and the Liberal government can no longer deny it. One of the Bank of Canada's mandates is to keep inflation to 2%. Inflation is currently almost 5%, and everyone is affected.

École Polytechnique  Mr. Speaker, on December 6, 1989, a horrific event took place at Montreal's École Polytechnique. On that day, 32 years ago, 14 women were murdered because they were women. The victims of the tragedy were Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne‑Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik‑Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne‑Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St‑Arneault and Annie Turcotte.

Forestry Industry  Madam Speaker, Canadians are being hit hard by inflation. Owning a home is out of reach for many Canadians. The U.S. countervailing duties on softwood lumber will only make matters worse. If interest rates rise, which is entirely possible, we will have a perfect storm. It will be brutal.

Forestry Industry  Madam Speaker, yesterday, U.S. countervailing duties on softwood lumber doubled. Yesterday evening, I spoke with representatives from the Quebec Forest Industry Council, and they are extremely concerned for these companies, which create 140,000 jobs in Quebec. These companies' money is being gobbled up by duties instead of being invested in our economy.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, while the Government of Quebec is pulling out all the stops and launching Opération main-d’oeuvre, a game plan to address the labour shortage, this government is just sitting on the sidelines and does not appear to understand the situation. Our companies are slowing down production, and that is because they do not have enough workers to fill the 280,000 jobs currently vacant in Quebec.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, we do not want speeches and words; we want action. With respect to immigration, last week I told the House about Rotobec, a company in my riding that is currently trying to fill 30 jobs, including a dozen through immigration. It was confirmed to me today that, once again, Rotobec will have to wait months and months before it can fill these job vacancies and bring in these newcomers.

Employment  Mr. Speaker, while the government is serving up a tasteless, colourless and sterile throne speech, businesses in my riding and in Quebec are at the end of their rope. Why? Because they cannot find anyone to fill their vacant positions. No one. There are 280,000 job openings in the province right now.