Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, what I can tell my colleague is that we dream similar dreams but have different ideas about how to achieve those dreams. He dreams of a great nation from coast to coast to coast with rules that apply from coast to coast to coast to everyone who lives from coast to

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I want to begin by saying that I agree with my colleague from Jonquière. He is very reasonable. I would add to the list of the problems with this government the fact that it has been unable to issue paycheques properly for years. I have been a member of the House

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the myth, the legend, that is what we are talking about today. Beyond the legend, there is a constitutional problem, because health is not a federal responsibility, but rather a provincial one. There is also a problem in relation to the Charter of Rights and Freedo

Justice  Mr. Speaker, the notwithstanding clause has basically only been used by Quebec, in order to protect and promote our national language and our unique values. It is no coincidence that the Liberals and the NDP are attacking it today. They want to contest Bill 96, which protects Fr

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I am going to talk about the notwithstanding clause, the only bit of autonomy that the Constitution guarantees Quebec and the provinces. It was the compromise that Prime Minister Trudeau senior came up with so that the provinces would agree to his Constitution, which

Justice  Mr. Speaker, it seems complicated and difficult. Maybe my colleague should reread the Constitution, or perhaps read it for the first time. Nowhere in section 33 does it say that the notwithstanding clause represents the first or the last word. It is exclusively up to Quebec and t

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. He is a passionate man who, in my opinion, respects the rights and freedoms of individuals and peoples. I have two questions for him. First, am I to understand from his speech that he supports the Constitution Act, 1982, except

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, whom I respect, for his question. I will repeat what I said when finishing my speech because he is addressing an important matter. I briefly spoke about this at the end of my speech. This is what democracy is all about: I do not have to agree

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the answer is short and sweet: yes. The Supreme Court said it, and I will say it again: yes. Decisions by the provinces do not concern the federal government, as long as those decisions are legal. The courts will overturn legislation or not based on a broad range o

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question, which is pertinent, as always. She is right. This touches a bit on what my colleague across the way was asking a few moments ago. Should the federal government stand idly by? If the federal government is not satisfied with it

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, Ottawa has the right to provide comments. We all have the right to provide comments, because we live in a free country. Freedom of expression is important. I am not saying it does not have the right to comment. I am saying that this is a provincial matter. My coll

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Trois-Rivières. I have only one river and he has three, but we will still share the time equally. Today's motion states, and I quote, “That the House remind the government that it is solely up to Quebec and the provinc

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, Bill C‑291 is a bill that could, in other circumstances, be described as practically useless. It only changes some words. Changing the title of a bill and the name of a crime in the Criminal Code may seem rather inconsequential. In this case, there is absolutely n

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I was saying that in the case of Bill C-291, words carry weight. We are debating replacing the term “child pornography”, which is currently used in the Criminal Code, with “child sexual abuse material”. The RCMP proposed the use of the term “child sexual exploitat

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, next time I will remember to ask for a lectern. As I was saying, child sexual abuse has a significant connotation. It is pedophilia. When people talk about pornography in today's society, there is apparently some ambiguity around that word. The meaning and signifi