Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, I am a bit surprised to see the NDP change without warning, from yesterday, the values that are part of its DNA. They are a humanist, social democratic political group, and I do not understand this reversal. We will be voting on this order on Monday. This afternoon, one hour or two ago, we heard the Ottawa police chief say that this weekend will not be like the previous ones and he will clear out the place in a certain way.

Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, on February 7, the City of Ottawa asked for help. It asked for 1,800 extra police officers. The department sent 275 police officers, most of whom are deployed around Parliament, mainly around ministers and the Prime Minister. It appears that there are only 20 extra police officers on the street right now, out of the 1,800 who were requested.

Act Respecting Certain Measures Related to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, my colleague has highlighted a major problem in both of our ridings. The Lower Laurentians are experiencing a drastic labour shortage, but that is not the only problem. The most expensive aspects of the medical system are infrastructure and equipment, which are becoming increasingly expensive and sophisticated.

Act Respecting Certain Measures Related to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, I did not quite catch my colleague's question, but I will say that $2.5 billion is not the end of the world. In my opinion, this is an urgent and important investment.

Act Respecting Certain Measures Related to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, in answer to my esteemed colleague, I would say that we are the ones who manage health in Quebec. We are the ones who manage people like doctors, nurses, support workers and respiratory therapists in Quebec. Health falls under Quebec's jurisdiction. Yes, the federal government's only role is to distribute money.

Act Respecting Certain Measures Related to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. I rise today in the House to speak to Bill C-10, an act respecting certain measures related to COVID-19. This bill was introduced by the member for Québec and is currently at second reading. What is the purpose of this bill?

Act Respecting Certain Measures Related to COVID-19  Madam Speaker, I will continue. Bill C‑10's main purpose is to authorize the Minister of Health to pay up to $2.5 billion for expenses incurred on or after January 1, 2022, in relation to coronavirus disease tests. Second, it authorizes the Minister of Health to transfer to any province or territory, or to any body or person in Canada, any coronavirus disease tests or instruments used in relation to those tests acquired by Her Majesty in right of Canada on or after April 1, 2021.

Parliamentary Interpreters  Madam Speaker, today, I rise to thank all those who ensure that French continues to be used in this supposedly bilingual institution. I am talking about the interpreters. Being an interpreter is a challenging but rewarding job. They need to work online, because of the pandemic has made that job a lot tougher.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I really enjoyed my colleague's speech. It lets us reframe the Conservatives' request today. It is fine to throw out a request for a plan to lift health restrictions, but what exactly does that look like? My colleague outlined all the elements involved, which, for the most part, are the responsibility of the provinces.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I see two important aspects to the Conservatives’ proposal for lifting the health measures: the restrictions, which many people are protesting against, judging by the street full of people in front of Parliament, and the medical aspect. I know a little bit about the Conservatives’ position on the medical aspect.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Chair, our health care systems in Quebec and in the rest of Canada are unfortunately overloaded for multiple reasons. The opioid crisis is very clearly one factor. If we could have reasonable, sufficient health transfers, in keeping with what Canadians across the country deserve, and bearing in mind that Canadians have asked for a 35% threshold, we would obviously be better equipped to meet peoples' needs and perhaps be more empathetic towards those with these kinds of addiction problems.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Chair, this time it is much clearer. I am sorry, the problem may have been my understanding. There is abuse every time there is money in the picture. Pharmaceutical companies have an astonishing ability to target people's weaknesses and needs. To answer my colleague's question, there are certainly justifications to be made.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Speaker, to be honest, I am not sure I understood my colleague's question. If putting more money into either the health care system or the federal system fails to meet the need, we have to change course to get it right. To be honest though, I am not sure I understood my colleague's question, so I am sorry.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. If I had had more time, I would have gratified my colleague, who is the Bloc Québécois point person on social housing, by taking a few minutes to talk about this issue. The Bloc Québécois is calling for 1% of federal revenues to be invested in these programs.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague. I did talk about compassion. However, we need more than compassion. My comments this evening were also based on science. Two parties are battling, and they are both in favour of science and all that. My own university studies and training led me to science.