Shefford  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to speak in the House for the first time. I want to thank the people of Shefford for giving me their trust. I will devotedly represent them here in the House. The city of Granby is one of 13 municipalities in Quebec that will soon be welcomi

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank and congratulate my colleague for her first speech in the House and wish her all the best in 2016. In the throne speech, our government announced investments and tax cuts for the middle class. I would like to ask my colleague how these measures

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I listened very carefully to my colleague's speech. I want to congratulate him and thank him for raising such a timely issue. My riding, Shefford, is 80% agricultural, so a huge part of our economy depends on the agriculture and agri-food sector. We have many dair

Shefford  Mr. Speaker, my riding is home to the Grand Prix Ski-doo de Valcourt, the biggest snowmobile race event in the world. Valcourt, the birthplace of the snowmobile, first hosted this event in 1983. With 1,000 athletes from around the world, 250 volunteers and plenty of family acti

Agiculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, Canada's dairy industry is second to none. It has more than $6 billion in farm gate sales and $15 billion in sales in the processing sector and supports more than 100,000 jobs across the country. Furthermore, the industry is a leader when it comes to environmental co

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague on his informative speech. The key to developing our organizations is co-operation and partnership between unions and employers. How will this new bill ensure fairer and more balanced protections for employer-union relations?

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, since being elected, I have met many incredible people and groups in my riding. I think that the people in my riding should have more access to their MPs and that it is too bad that we sometimes have to refuse, cancel, or put off such meetings. Can the Leader of the

Granby International Song Festival  Mr. Speaker, the Granby international song festival is held in my riding and is in its 48th year. This festival can be proud of the fact that it is the largest French-language song competition in Canada, if not the world. Today, it is a non-profit organization that attracts 45,00

Canadian Heritage  Mr. Speaker, excitement is growing following the recent announcements about the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 2017. It will be a year of great celebration. Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage tell the House more about the vision and the main themes of Canada 1

Jean Lapierre  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to pay tribute to Jean Lapierre, who left us far too soon under tragic circumstances on March 29. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family and friends. Jean Lapierre was a popular man of the people. He served as the MP for my riding of Shef

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I would first like to congratulate my colleague on his passionate speech and his hard work on behalf of his community. The budget tabled by our government is a breath of fresh air for the vast majority of Canadians and for the people of Nova Scotia. People across

Jean-Yves Phaneuf  Mr. Speaker, it is my immense pleasure to pay tribute to Jean-Yves Phaneuf. He is affectionately nicknamed Johnny and is known as Mr. Soccer in my riding. He was named volunteer of the year in Quebec at the annual Sports Québec gala last week. Mr. Phaneuf devoted more than 40 ye

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I should begin by telling you that I will share my speaking time with the member for La Prairie. I am happy to be able to take part in this debate today, as the Canadian dairy industry plays a key role in our economy and in the food security of Canadian families.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, it will be a 10-minute speech. I will pick up where I left off. How can the Conservatives claim to defend our Canadian producers while questioning an innovative system that guarantees them a fair income to feed and house their families while they do work they love

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I am very proud to be able to answer my colleague's question. As I mentioned earlier, agricultural land accounts for 75% of my riding, and I am proud to see that farmers are taking charge of their affairs. They came here to mark World Milk Day and to tell us that