Poverty  Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities conducted a lengthy study of poverty and published its report. We have the government's response to this report, but the bill on poverty, introduced t

Poverty  Mr. Speaker, I rose in the House to call on this government to take action to give the 1.2 million children living in poverty an equal opportunity to succeed. This week the Minister of Families introduced his bill to reduce poverty in Canada and to lift, as he said, 650,000 peop

National Local Food Day Act  Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to support my dear colleague's bill to create a national local food day. The creation of a national local food day is especially important to me because I represent the agrifood technopole of Quebec, where agriculture is truly the economic driver of

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of problems with employment insurance: the spring gap, 15 weeks of disability benefits, and the list goes on. Add to that the fact that the EI eligibility criteria are sexist. We know a lot of women are in precarious jobs, which means they do not qua

Poverty  Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' proposed poverty reduction bill was the perfect opportunity to create a universal daycare system; create a universal pharmacare and dental program; create housing for everyone right now; improve income support programs; and ensure that EI is accessible

Housing  Madam Speaker, when I introduced Bill C-245, the Liberals opposed it and said they would do better. Now, with Bill C-87, they have not done better, they have done worse. Even so, I will support it because, really, who would vote against it? The problem with Bill C-87 is that we

Housing  Madam Speaker, in June, I called on the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development to develop a concerted poverty reduction strategy, something I have been calling for since I was first elected. We now have a strategy, but unfortunately, it lacks ambition and does not

Poverty  Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' poverty-reducing bill does not include any investments or new programs. Did those who are living in poverty really need to wait three years for that? In 2016, the Liberals voted against my bill, saying that they would do better, but they have shown a b

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, I speak for the citizens of Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot in the House. What I am hearing in my riding is that dairy, poultry, egg and beef producers are worried. The entire agri-food chain is worried because every percentage of market share given up in an international agre

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, from the beginning, we have been saying that the agreement the Liberals signed is bad for our farmers, bad for our SMEs and bad for Quebec. The federal government is not listening to its Quebec counterparts right now. The government does not seem to understand all t

Medical Assistance in Dying  Mr. Speaker, on the issue of medical assistance in dying, the government lacks sensitivity. It brought in a law that is too restrictive. Denise Bégin, a constituent of mine who has a serious degenerative disease, is seeking medical assistance in dying. However, her request was d

International Trade  Madam Speaker, now that the Liberals have their new agreement, millions of tonnes of American chicken, eggs and turkey are about to flood the Canadian market. Pierre-Luc Leblanc, president of Éleveurs de volailles du Québec, the provincial poultry farmers' association, says it m

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I listened carefully as my colleague talked about poverty, families and children, yet there are still 1.2 million children living in poverty in Canada, and 38% of aboriginal children live in poverty. Those statistics have not changed in 10 years. Once again this ye

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, clearly, pay equity is an important issue. The parliamentary secretary even decided to talk about it in his speech. Every step towards pay equity is important. My question is this: if it is so important, why wait three years, and why bury this important issue in an

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, my colleague is aware of my concerns regarding the important role we must play to reduce poverty in Canada. Despite the Canada child benefit, we still have 1.2 million poor children in Canada, and 38% of indigenous children are living in poverty. These statistics h