Jacques Gourde

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer's latest report revealed that the deficits over the next five years will total more than $330 billion. In addition, the Alto project represents another $150 billion. The Liberal government is digging itself deeper and deeper into a bottomless pit of debt. Can the Liberals confirm whether or not the $150 billion for the Alto project is included in the [more]

Madam Speaker, after 11 years of Liberal taxes and inflationary spending, Canadians are facing ever-higher costs for food, housing and transportation while their wages are not keeping up. Food banks recorded an all-time high of 2.35 million visits in March, including nearly 776,000 visits by children. Inflation hit 3.1% in September, and gas prices jumped 27.8% in one year. When fuel costs go [more]

Madam Speaker, 600,000 Quebeckers use food banks every month. The Liberals voted against a Conservative motion to eliminate taxes on gas and diesel and to acknowledge the affordability crisis. They voted against the motion. Practical solutions are needed to stop hunger from worsening. Will the Liberal government vote in favour of our Conservative plan to reduce grocery bills by eliminating all [more]

Madam Speaker, Food Banks Canada's new 2026 report slams the Liberal Party's promise. Food banks saw an increase of 189,000 visits compared to the previous year, representing an 8.7% increase. Since 2019, the number of visits has risen by 117%. Working people account for 23% of those receiving food assistance in Quebec. It is scandalous. Have the Liberals broken their promise to Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has thrown taxpayers under Lion Electric buses. Liberals talk about calculated risks and rigorous verification, Canadians paid the price for this fiasco. The RCMP searched Lion Electric's headquarters as part of a financial fraud investigation. This is another clear indication that we must put an end to economic patronage. Has the Liberal government put in [more]

Madam Speaker, yesterday, at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, we learned that Alto, a project commissioned by the Liberal government, has been signing non-disclosure agreements with property appraisers, surveyors, well-known law firms, local authorities and even the former Quebec government, with the objective of accelerating the expropriation of agricultural land along the [more]

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Durant, I'll be blunt. You said that Alto had a confidentiality agreement with the Quebec government. Is that true?

C‑15 There is a great responsibility at stake right now, Minister. This is 2026. We are not in the 1800s. Back then, the territory was less densely populated than it is today. We live in a democracy. Billhas been introduced, which strips producers of any right of redress in the event of expropriation. They can do nothing about it. The government can send them a three-month eviction notice, [more]

Minister, will you be monitoring the process closely? When the time comes for expropriations, will your name and signature appear at the bottom of the expropriation letters?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Food security means respecting those who produce our food, and there aren't that many of them left in Canada. The number of people who want to enter this profession in the future is still falling. Being a landowner entails enormous responsibilities. However, we never imagine that our land might be taken away from us or split in two. Having your land split in two or having [more]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Minister, I would like to believe that your government cares about agriculture and considers it as a priority. You have announced a $1 billion strategy which simply amounts to allowing Farm Credit Canada to lend more money to farmers and processors. I did say “lend”, not “give”. So they will have to pay the money back. They will bear the burden of that loan. I'm going to [more]

Okay. It's really important. If you can send us that information, please do. You also said that the Quebec government had 30 days to terminate the agreement. Is that a 30‑day period starting from the date of the signature, or is it a 30‑day period at any time?

Do you think that it would be a good idea for the new Quebec government, which was elected last Monday, to immediately terminate this contract so that it would have a free hand to stand up for the farmers who voted it into office?

I shall continue, Minister. It will be simpler that way. You said that you were working very closely with the Union des producteurs agricoles, or UPA, and with Mr. Martin Caron. You spoke about this before the Standing Committee on Finance on June 1. However, Quebec's UPA is opposed to Alto. It announced this with great fanfare. Yet your government is in favour of Alto. Where is this great [more]

Is it ethical for Alto to have already hired all the property evaluators and awarded contracts to Quebec's largest law firms in order to tie the farmers' hands in the future?