Business of Supply  Madam Chair, as the indigenous affairs critic for the Bloc Québécois, I do not have the luxury of being able to split the minister across the way into three so I will address him on different topics. First, I would like to talk about housing. In its budget statement, the government allocated $6 billion over five years to be invested across Quebec and Canada.

François Hébert  Mr. Speaker, on December 4, Quebec lost one of its literary giants. François Hébert co-founded the publishing house Les Herbes rouges in 1968. When we think about Quebec literature and poetry, we cannot help but think about the almost mythical Hébert brothers: Marcel, who died in 2007, and François.

Housing in Indigenous Communities  Madam Speaker, last week I had the privilege of participating in the Grand Economic Circle of Indigenous People and Quebec, an event put on by the AFNQL and the Government of Quebec. I would like to thank Quebec's Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs, Ian Lafrenière, for his warm welcome.

Wanda Beaudoin  Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart filled with love for her family and loved ones that I rise today to pay tribute to one of the greats of the north shore. Wanda Beaudoin died suddenly on June 13. Wanda was the first woman to serve as mayor of the fabled Blanc‑Sablon. A coaster at heart and proud north shore denizen, she firmly believed that women's contribution to politics is both necessary and invaluable.

Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the House of Commons acknowledged the fact that Quebec constitutes a nation and that French is its only common and official language. It stands to reason, then, that the House of Commons also voted in favour of applying the Charter of the French Language to federally regulated businesses.

Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, note that yesterday, when the House almost unanimously agreed that Quebec is a French-speaking nation, 10 Liberals from the greater Montreal area abstained from voting and refused to acknowledge that Quebec considers itself a nation whose official language is French.

Fisheries Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be speaking today about Bill C‑269, an act to amend the Fisheries Act, which I can summarize very quickly as being a good idea only at first glance. My colleague from Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia agrees with me completely. There have been at least 10 sewage spills in Quebec in recent years.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia for her question. The cryptic reasons why the Minister of Official Languages has decided to have her bill take precedence over the Charter of the French Language are only known to her. However, I could make an educated guess.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable. Indeed, officially, we have the same opposition. I hope that it is not a stunt. If it is, in my opinion, it was not in the least bit subtle, because we saw it coming a mile away. This sounds like some kind of sluggish declaration on the eve of an election.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have nothing against the fact that the member for Winnipeg North is proud to be Canadian. I am also proud to be a Quebecker. Of course that will never go far enough for me. It cannot go far enough since I am a separatist MP. What I want is to decide for myself, decide with Quebec and for Quebec.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I must say that I am pleased to speak today on this Bloc Québécois opposition day, and I really mean that. Often, we say we are pleased out of habit. Despite the fact that the government tried to reduce the scope of this day, as we saw during question period, the fact remains that this is an historic moment.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, led by the government, all the parties just passed a bill to designate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to commemorate the indigenous children who were ripped from their families and sent to residential schools. Meanwhile, just this morning, the government was in court fighting indigenous children who were also ripped from their families and sent to foster homes.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the Liberal are in court fighting indigenous children who were ripped from their families in 2005. I would remind members that the Liberals were also the party in power in 2005. Fifteen years later, this is still before the courts. I encourage the Prime Minister to do a favour to whoever is prime minister 15 years from now.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, the volume of the French interpretation is lower.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, it is exactly the same, and I am not the only one having this problem. People have written to me to tell me that they cannot hear anything and that the volume is set at the same level in both languages.