Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, over half of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh had already been displaced because of the conflict that has erupted there, and 90% of those displaced are women and children. Not to mention that this is all happening in the midst of a pandemic. The Armenian community is on the Hill today to express its profound concern over the escalating conflict.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(6), it is my pleasure to present a petition signed by 577 individuals, citizens of Quebec and Canada. The petition states the following: Whereas the blockade of Cuba has lasted 60 years, and Canada is opposed to it; the United States's threat of military intervention against Venezuela persists today, and the Lima Group, of which Canada is a member, is opposed to such intervention; President Trump prohibited exports of medical supplies to South America from the United States; the United States's position poses a serious threat to the residents of these countries, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic; and Cuba sent doctors to several countries around the world to help fight the pandemic; the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to reiterate to the United States, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, its opposition to any military intervention in Venezuela, in accordance with its position in the Lima Group, and to call for the lifting of the blockade of Cuba and the restrictions on shipments of medical supplies from the United States to South America, as it did for itself.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, as we know, WE Charity really had no French arm or French name. A literal translation into French would be “nous, charité” or “we, charity”. It reminds me of the expression “charity begins at home”. In this case, I have to say that it certainly applies to both the organization and the Liberal government.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(6), it is my pleasure to present a petition signed by 1,745 individuals, most of them residents of Montreal's South Shore. The petition states that the former Saint-Bruno firing range is a National Defence site measuring 4.5 km2. It has not been used for some time, it is in the process of being transferred, it is locked and monitored, and all recreational activities that used to take place there have been suspended.

Health  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said last week that the tragedy that played out in long-term care facilities is an opportunity for the federal government; he called it an opportunity. Indeed, it is an opportunity for the federal government to interfere in Quebec and provincial jurisdictions.

Minta Saint-Bruno  Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago, an organization in the parish of Saint-Bruno funded a development project in the village of Minta in Cameroon. For half a century, this organization, which named itself after the village, has invested in humanitarian aid projects designed to improve the living conditions in disadvantaged communities around the world.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for that excellent question. I want to be crystal clear. We in the Bloc Québécois have one question: Is it appropriate to support individuals and businesses in need? The answer is yes, but it has to be done properly. The government plainly admitted that there was a problem with the CERB, not because it rewarded laziness, as some have claimed, but simply because it did not encourage full-time work.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, whether we like it or not, Quebec is one of the provinces in this federation. The Constitution sets out a certain number of powers that belong to the provinces and, consequently, to Quebec. When the federal government negotiates a health care agreement with the provinces, the expectation is that it will abide by and respect the agreement signed.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would urge my hon. colleague to actually listen to the speech instead of getting his questions ready for when the speech ends. What I was talking about was the Prime Minister, who just yesterday was boasting of having given the provinces $1 billion at the start of the pandemic so they could deal with it.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I will begin by informing you that I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue. We are here to debate the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne. Perhaps we should first ask ourselves why there was a Speech from the Throne.

Government Business No. 1  Madam Speaker, I believe that my colleague clearly explained, a few moments ago, that changes to the EI system have been needed for a long time. It was foreseeable that they would be needed by the time the CERB came to an end. Why then did the government prorogue Parliament? And why did it set so little time between the end of the CERB and the start of new EI provisions?

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I heard the Prime Minister say that the Conservatives are going to have to answer a lot of questions. I think the Prime Minister is also going to have to answer some questions, especially about seniors. He spoke about seniors a moment ago. He is going to have to tell us why, for the first time ever, he is creating two classes of seniors, namely “young” seniors and “old” seniors.

Government Business No. 10  Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. I must say that I have absolutely no reason to doubt his motives, which seem to be quite noble. I had the opportunity to meet him soon after the election, during the orientation sessions for new members. At the time, I thought he had run for office with the goal of serving his constituents and the Canadian public.

Lebanon  Mr. Speaker, it has been one week since the explosion of roughly 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that was stored for God knows why in the Port of Beirut for several years, a disaster that cost the lives of some 170 people and injured more than 6,000. We are talking about one of the largest explosions in history.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, someone has to ask our Liberal Party colleagues a few questions, so I will. The government thinks it can tell provincial governments and the Government of Quebec what to do even though it cannot even pay its own employees properly without making all kinds of mistakes on their paycheques.