Mario Simard

Mr. Speaker, the Premier of Quebec is right to demand an opportunity to speak at the Canada-European Union summit. He could even claim a seat at the negotiating table, because the federal government is negotiating with Europe on labour mobility, energy, critical minerals and more. All of these areas fall, in whole or in part, within Quebec's jurisdiction. Excluding Quebec violates the [more]

Mr. Speaker, there is a fourth certainty: the federal government's lack of respect for Quebec. Minister of Industry Whether a certain minister likes it or not, geopolitics is not a matter of federal jurisdiction. Quebec has the right to conduct its own international relations in all areas that fall wholly or partly under its jurisdiction. That is the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine. The Prime Minister's [more]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to pay tribute to my friend Alain Lefèvre. In addition to being a brilliant pianist and composer, Alain is what Gaston Miron called a “ferocious beast of hope”, a man who has not lost faith in human nature despite the wars and ideological divisions of our time. Through his art, he promotes eternal values like love, friendship and peace. The man who helped us rediscover [more]

Leader of the Opposition Prime Minister Madam Speaker, I have a very simple question for my colleague. We know that thesent a letter to theasking him to put an end to the entirely legitimate demands that the government was making of the web giants because he was afraid that the Americans would retaliate with more tariffs. Does my colleague agree with that as a Quebecker, given our cultural [more]

Mr. Speaker, this warrants harsh judgment. My colleague is absolutely right. I will, however, take this opportunity to say that I have no doubt that every MP from Quebec has a strong sense of belonging. The difficulty is that they are forced to make compromises within the Canadian framework. Too often, those compromises are made at the expense of Quebec culture and autonomy. That is why there [more]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that a budget contains a lot of things and that, ultimately, we vote on the whole package. Members cannot just pick one part like that and ask why we voted against the budget when the rest of it is unpalatable. If I were to offer my colleague rotten fish and tell her that the potatoes were good, would she eat the whole dish? I do not think so. The same [more]

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague, and I would simply like to point out to him that the $600 million that has not yet been distributed is far less than what could have been collected through the levy. Does he think it is acceptable to reach into the pockets of all Quebeckers and Canadians instead of asking the greedy tech giants, which make $4 billion in profits each year, to do [more]

House leader of the Bloc Québécois Mr. Speaker, thegave a very good answer to a question about that earlier today. The $600 million that the government has proposed, but that no one has seen yet, will be paid by all taxpayers. Taxpayers who have no interest in Netflix or in these web giants will be forced to foot part of the bill. They will have no choice. Personally, I will never understand [more]

Mr. Speaker, in his excellent speech, my colleague demonstrated the government's cowardice. Today, it is trying to pass off taking $600 million directly out of the pockets of Quebeckers and Canadians as a solution, when the fact is that the web giants make $4 billion a year. I would like my colleague to talk to us about how levies might be a better solution than what the government is currently [more]

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of National Forest Week, I want to pay tribute to the thousands of men and women who work every day in our forestry sector. In our regions, the forest is more than just a resource: It is a vital pillar of our history, our economy and our connection to the land. This year, this recognition is all the more important as the industry is going through a particularly [more]

Madam Speaker, my colleague has already kindly briefed me, in private, on all the government's setbacks in the area of culture as it tries to please Donald Trump. Therefore, I would perhaps invite him to brief the House on all of these setbacks, since it is quite interesting and relevant, after all.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take a few moments to talk about a very decent man. Sylvain Bergeron is a tireless advocate for the rights of the unemployed in Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean. I can assure the House that he has probably assisted in more EI cases than all the members here combined, and that is saying something. He also advocates on behalf of the most vulnerable. He has been involved in [more]

Mr. Speaker, in less than 15 seconds, all I can say is that they must reinstate the levies. I would also like to say to my colleague that, unfortunately, the electoral map has been redrawn in a way that does not respect communities of interest. As a result, a significant portion of Lac-Saint-Jean now falls within the riding of Jonquière. It is always nice to learn something new.

Madam Speaker, the government is so out of touch. When we look at the number of jobs in each economic sector, the forestry sector ranks first. There are more jobs in Canada's forestry sector than in the energy sector and the auto sector. What is the government doing to support this sector? Absolutely nothing. Some of the forestry companies in my riding are still waiting for the federal [more]

Leader of the Opposition Madam Speaker, I was actually saying that I am coming around on the. I do not think that the Conservatives are opposed to developing the oil and gas sector; far from it. However, they must be clear-eyed enough to see that it is not right for us, collectively, to take on infrastructure risks when the oil and gas companies are making record profits. In July, Cenovus posted [more]

Madam Speaker, I just listened to my colleague's response. I wonder if he is aware that the Auditor General released a report on the excise tax today. In it, she pointed out what everyone understands: The wealthy benefit the most. I realize, as he correctly pointed out, that we need targeted measures for farmers and truckers. Their livelihoods must not be jeopardized by the rising cost of diesel [more]