2019 Election  Mr. Speaker, in October 2017, the voters of Lac-Saint-Jean decided to elect a government member who puts family, economic development and equality of opportunity first. I am proud and honoured to be part of a government that has helped my region move forward on a number of key p

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the answer is likely forthcoming. When we wake up in the morning, we do not know what to expect. In politics, one never knows what could happen. I therefore encourage my hon. colleague to be patient. One never knows, there may be good news one of these days. What we

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the newspaper industry was hard hit by the 2008 economic crisis. The combined operating revenue of all newspaper publishers went from $5.5 billion in 2008 to $3.2 billion in 2016. During that time, 41 daily newspapers closed their doors, as did 235 weekly papers, and

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for South Surrey—White Rock. I am pleased to rise in the House to speak to an issue that is very important to me, namely the media. The media and local newspapers play a crucial role all across Canada. I am particularly prou

Non-profit Entrepreneurship Centre  Mr. Speaker, this month, the former Juvénat Saint-Jean in Dolbeau-Mistassini began welcoming new students enrolled at the Centre spécialisé en entrepreneuriat multi-ressources. A class of about 15 forestry entrepreneurs just started their training. This building has been renovat

Pascal Cloutier  Mr. Speaker, last week, the Forest Products Association of Canada presented Pascal Cloutier, mayor of Dolbeau-Mistassini, with the forest community champion award at its annual dinner in Vancouver. This award is presented to leaders who demonstrate support for the forestry sector

Wine Festival  Mr. Speaker, last week, as a lead up to the Cépages en fête wine festival, Dolbeau-Mistassini held its 13th annual Gaspé dinner hosted by Hermel Bujold, a proud entrepreneur from the Gaspé who has been living in Lac-Saint-Jean for over 10 years. The event was an opportunity to di

Small Business Week  Mr. Speaker, last week was Small Business Week, and I had the opportunity to visit a number of ridings in Quebec to meet with innovative and creative entrepreneurs. I also had the opportunity to welcome the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, Mélanie Joly

Bike Across the Lac Saint-Jean  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an organization in my riding that recently received a tremendous honour. Once again, Bike Across the Lac Saint-Jean beat two other finalists from across the country to win the Pursuit Adventure/Outdoors Award at the 2018 Canadian Tour

Desjardins Maria-Chapdelaine Theatre in Dolbeau-Mistassini  Mr. Speaker, built in 2008, the theatre in Dolbeau-Mistassini is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in Quebec. Inspired by 19th-century theatres in Europe, its smaller scale provides for a better acoustic experience. Its scarlet velvet, black and gold accents and incredible l

Unmanned Aerial System Centre of Excellence  Mr. Speaker, the town of Alma in Lac-Saint-Jean provided the setting for a major event this week, a trade show hosted by the Unmanned Aerial System, or UAS, Centre of Excellence. The TECH DEMO event was organized to showcase the latest technology developments in the UAS industr

Petanque World Championship  Mr. Speaker, from September 13 to 16, Desbiens, a community in my riding, welcomed the world to the 48th edition of the petanque world championship. Lac-Saint-Jean played host to participants from over 35 countries for this major competition. The players were also lucky enough t

Saint-Jean-Baptiste  Mr. Speaker, seeing as we will soon be leaving for the summer, I would be remiss if I did not mention Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebrations. For a long time, Saint-Jean-Baptiste was a Catholic feast day. In 1834, it became French Canadians' national holiday. Now known as Quebec's nat

National Canada Survivors Day  Mr. Speaker, National Cancer Survivors Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of June each year. The day is meant to demonstrate that life after a cancer diagnosis can be a reality. Our government understands the impact that a cancer diagnosis can have on families and their loved

Mélanie Paul  Mr. Speaker, Mélanie Paul is a well-known businesswoman in my riding. Originally from the community of Mashteuiatsh, Ms. Paul used her background in both social service and entrepreneurship to establish many business partnerships that make use of indigenous knowledge and address