International Development  Mr. Speaker, the Syrian crisis sparked an outpouring of sympathy on the part of Canadians, who responded with tremendous generosity. Our communities have welcomed over 25,000 refugees and continue to do so. People have donated a great deal to help those who are settling in their

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on her speech, which was eloquent as usual. She gave a very complete overview of all the benefits of this budget. I would like to hear more from the member about investments in the national capital region. We are both active members of

National Volunteer Week  Mr. Speaker, last night, as part of National Volunteer Week, my colleague from Hull—Aylmer and I were honoured to attend the fifth annual volunteer recognition ceremony at the Buffet des Continents in Gatineau. Volunteers were lauded for taking action and getting involved in org

Fairness in Charitable Gifts Act  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Provencher on his initiative. I rise today to speak to Bill C-239. Although I recognize its spirit and good intentions, I cannot support the bill given the serious economic impact it would have. The fact is, the bill would increase

Pierre Bergeron  Mr. Speaker, during a ceremony on February 12 at Rideau Hall, Gatineau resident Pierre Bergeron was awarded the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour, for his contributions as a champion of Canada's francophonie. This past Saturday, Mr. Bergeron also received the Pri

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to protecting the integrity of Canada's tax system by focusing on the fight against tax evasion and international tax avoidance. Can the Minister of National Revenue inform the members of this House of any new steps that have been taken t

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. An unemployed Canadian is one unemployed Canadian too many. What the energy sector is going through today is the same situation we have experienced in the forestry in Quebec, the mining industry in New Brunswick, and indeed, the

Outaouais Region  Mr. Speaker, in keeping with the Liberal government's promise to be open and transparent, on January 19, I joined my colleagues from the Outaouais region, the members for Hull—Aylmer, Pontiac, and Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, to hold prebudget consultations with approximately 25

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech. As an MP from Quebec, like me, he has likely seen many situations where members have engaged in political pandering by calling national unity into question. That is what the Conservatives seem to be doing by bringing up the

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I was very proud to run in the election as part of the Liberal Party, which has promised to give Canadians a fair tax system that will give hope to the middle class and those who aspire to be part of it. I do not know where the hon. member gets his statistics with r

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, one of the great legacies among the many legacies of Liberal governments in this place is a strong competition framework. I know the Competition Bureau, which works at arm's-length from the government, will work hard and will keep its eye ri

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to inform you that I will be splitting my time with my colleague, the hon. member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles. As this is my first speech in this place, I would like to take the time to thank the people of Gatineau for putting their trust

Public Service of Canada  Mr. Speaker, as the member for Gatineau, I know just how much our federal public service stands out for its professionalism. Like my colleagues, I have met thousands of our public servants who expect their government to respect them and value their contributions. This government

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to be here representing the people of Gatineau. I congratulate my hon. colleague on his speech. I know him well. Considering his background, I wonder if he might comment on francophone minority communities and the French language and bilingualism in C