Small Business  Mr. Speaker, there must be a limit to the federal government's intransigence. We are talking about 250,000 businesses that could go bankrupt as early as 2024 if the government does not postpone repayment of the CEBA loans. That is 250,000 bankruptcies and countless job losses. No government in the world would stand for that.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, no one is satisfied with that answer. The premiers of Quebec and the provinces and territories are all calling for a one-year extension. All parties in the Quebec National Assembly are calling for an extension. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is calling for an extension.

National Strategy for Eye Care Act  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us seeks to establish a federal eye care policy. The federal government fails at almost every one of its basic mandates, like having a half-decent foreign policy and a border that is not a firearms drive-through. I will not even mention passports. It is therefore not surprising for the government to try to change the channel by undertaking something outside of its jurisdiction.

Indian Act  Mr. Speaker, the foundation of a solid house cannot be built on sand. Unfortunately, this bill is yet another pillar or beam in a house that the government is trying to build on a very shaky foundation, namely the Indian Act. After hearing my colleague's speech, I would like to ask him a question that reflects the Bloc Québécois's position.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, since I have only 30 seconds, I will simply say that there is a real a problem with the current government's emphasis on belt-tightening and with its plan to ask companies to repay their Canada emergency business account loans. Meanwhile, way too much money has been wasted on apps.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I was a member of the committee my Conservative colleague alluded to, and we asked the Auditor General about the progress of ArriveCAN. The first question I asked her was whether she had or had not received any information from the RCMP about the fact that it was also investigating the matter.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, our SMEs are unable to repay their CEBA loans on time after being squeezed by inflation. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, 250,000 businesses will go bankrupt next year if the federal government does not offer them some flexibility. The Quebec National Assembly has heard this dire warning.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, in case it was not clear enough, I am talking about the Canada emergency business account. All the parties in the Quebec National Assembly are saying the same thing. We are headed towards 250,000 small and medium-sized businesses going bankrupt unless Ottawa assesses each case and offers deferrals, as needed.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, a wave of bankruptcies is coming for our small and medium-sized businesses if the federal government does not wake up. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business sounded that alarm today on the Hill. The government is giving SMEs an extra 18 days to get bank loans, but that is not going to help the SMEs that are in debt up to their eyeballs and have been struggling for three years to pay back their emergency loan.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, our small businesses are not asking for charity. They simply want to avoid bankruptcy while paying their fair share. The government could enter into payment agreements with businesses that are struggling without losing any subsidies. The government could then prevent closures and job losses and recover what it is owed, instead of losing it in a massive wave of bankruptcies.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, a cloud of bankruptcy is looming over our companies, and this is only just the beginning. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, 250,000 small and medium-sized businesses, or SMEs, are at risk of closing this year because they are unable to repay their CEBA loans on time.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, 18 days or three months will not fix everything. One thousand, nine hundred companies already went bankrupt last year, and that is just the start. The Canada emergency business account is a government program, not a banking service. It was created by the government, and struggling businesses want to negotiate and sign agreements with the government.

350th Anniversary of City of Terrebonne  Mr. Speaker, I would like to say hello to my dad. I would like to wish a happy anniversary to the residents of Terrebonne, who are celebrating their city's 350th anniversary this year. Since it was founded in 1673, the face of Terrebonne has been shaped by the construction of a flour mill, and then by the arrival of the textile industry.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her speech. Fundamentally, we agree. The housing crisis has reached catastrophic levels. We need to build 1.1 million housing units over the next 10 years. That is how many units it was determined we need. However, in the last five years, the federal government managed to build only 200,000.

Government Business No. 26—Amendments to the Standing Orders  Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate my hon. colleague for her excellent speech, which stands out from the other speeches that were all about lofty theories and the broad principles of modernization. She showed us what real democracy is. It means taking care of one another above all else.