Joël Lightbound

leader of the Bloc Québécois Mr. Speaker, when I get up in the morning, I am certain of three things: The sun will rise in the east, theand Bloc members will be outraged by anything and everything, and Bloc members will claim to speak on behalf of all Quebeckers. Those are certainties. Quebeckers are asking for closer ties with the European Union. Obviously, they want that to be done in [more]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the Bloc Québécois's outrage over everything. All summer long, the Bloc criticized us for doing too much for Quebec: too much for infrastructure, with $10 billion in investments; too much for the Davie shipyard in Lévis, with 5,000 jobs in Quebec; too much for Alstom in La Pocatière and Saint‑Bruno‑de‑Montarville. The Bloc Québécois criticized us for supporting the [more]

Mr. Speaker, doing the right thing means strengthening our ties with the European Union, which represents 450 million consumers and 18% of the global economy. That is exactly what we are doing in the interests of Quebec and in the interests of Canada as a whole. I want to commend the Quebec delegation for the work it did in preparation for this summit. I also want to point out that the Premier [more]

Mr. Speaker, let us not forget that the European Union represents 450 million consumers and 18% of global GDP. I am very proud that there is a rapprochement happening between the European Union and Canada. Our diplomatic efforts are bearing fruit. It should also be noted that the benefits that Canada negotiates in the interest of Canadians are in the interest of Quebec. These are opportunities [more]

Mr. Speaker, no one can remain indifferent to the account he shared concerning his constituent. Keeping in mind those families who are struggling to make ends meet, for example, let us look at the Conservative reality. At every turn, they vote against measures that have a real impact on people's lives. I am thinking of the member opposite and, more specifically, his riding of [more]

Mr. Speaker, I will leave it to the leader of the Bloc Québécois to choose his own analogies, but I believe that is a bit of a stretch. Chicoutimi—Le Fjord Does the member know what I am hearing from the Quebeckers I meet? I am talking about the Quebeckers who elected 44 Liberal members from Quebec, including the recent election in, where the Liberal candidate received more than 50% of the vote. [more]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Québec Centre. He is right. We made a choice: to invest in Canadian businesses and create good-paying jobs. That is exactly what we are doing with the productivity mega deduction, which will generate $22 billion in annual economic benefits and support up to 80,000 new jobs each year. In fact, what we are doing is making Canada the OECD country [more]

Mr. Speaker, what we hear in Quebec City, what we heard today and yesterday, is that Quebeckers want us to pursue our efforts to diversify our markets, especially with the European Union. Why? It is because the EU represents 450 million consumers and 18% of global GDP. Also, Canada negotiates in the interest of Canada, in the interest of all the provinces and in the interest of Quebec. I commend [more]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that the Premier of Quebec was invited to welcome the dignitaries and attend the dinner, as were several other provincial premiers who will be there, as well as a number of representatives of major industries, major businesses and major institutions in Quebec who will also be there. The invitation is still open. I think it would be good for the Government [more]

Mr. Speaker, there is far too much to unpack in that question. First, he said we are “all talk and no action” and that there have been few results, but I would point out that our non-U.S. exports have increased by $33 billion in recent years. That is an 11% increase at a time when we are seeing a realignment of the Canadian economy to be more resilient and more self-reliant. Now, whenever he [more]

Mr. Speaker, I am left completely perplexed when I hear the Conservatives talk so much about inflationary programs without ever defining what an inflationary program is. Is it, for example, the 219,416 children in Quebec who receive more than $800 million through the Canada child benefit every year to help their families pay their bills? Is that an inflationary program? The Conservatives voted [more]

Mr. Speaker, hearing the member speak like that, I can understand exactly why Quebeckers rejected the Conservative approach. On this side of the House, we believe that we can grow the economy with major projects, such as the high-speed rail project, the Contrecoeur port project, the Nouveau Monde Graphite project and the Port of Québec project. We also believe that the government has a role to [more]

Madam Speaker, I would also like to pay tribute to the organizations in my colleague's constituency. They are undoubtedly doing remarkable work, as we have seen happening across the country. Similar organizations in my constituency were the first to welcome the Canada child benefit and to see the impact it has on the lives of households in my constituency. I am sure this is also the case in my [more]

Madam Speaker, there is a lot of talk about this bill, but the right to strike is protected. The goal is to add guardrails around section 107 and its use. We want to ensure balance, and we want negotiations to start early to avoid strikes as much as possible so that we have greater predictability and certainty as we build this country, build major projects and build a strong economy.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question and for his commitment to official languages. I share that commitment, as does everyone on this side of the House. This also gives me an opportunity to thank the interpreters, who do an outstanding job every day to ensure that we can continue our work. With regard to the Translation Bureau, we are meeting the demand from Parliament. [more]

Madam Speaker, again I thank my colleague for the question. I want to assure him that we will always endeavour to maintain the highest standards of quality in interpretation and translation at Parliament. As for the interpreters, I want to assure my colleague that there is no lowering of standards in terms of accreditation. In fact, we want to ensure that we have the next generation of [more]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) and in accordance with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the French Republic on the Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information”, done at Ottawa on June 10, 2026, and the treaty [more]

Madam Speaker, my colleague wants practical solutions, yet he has voted against practical solutions for the past 10 years. One practical solution is the Canada child benefit, which provides 21,316 children with an average $3,237. That amount of assistance is considerable and substantial for families. He voted against it. Another practical solution is the Canadian dental care plan, which 19,770 [more]

Madam Speaker, first of all, we need to clarify one thing. There are interpreters, and there is the Translation Bureau. They do not perform the same function. I just want to be clear. The Translation Bureau is responsible for translating documents, while interpreters provide services to the House and its committees. I want this distinction to be clear. It seems to me that the Bloc Québécois is [more]