Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault
Madawaska—Restigouche, New Brunswick · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear what my colleague has to say about the fact that, through the economic update, we are continuing to implement our action plan for official languages, with $4.1 billion to support the vitality of francophone communities everywhere outside Quebec.”
“Mr. Speaker, after the economic update was released, several unions praised our initiative to develop the team Canada strong initiative to recruit up to 100,000 new skilled workers. We implemented a series of measures to help these people, particularly apprentices, on their journey to certification.”
“Madam Speaker, the Conservative Party used to call itself the party of law and order. Unfortunately, today, the Conservatives no longer have any credibility on this issue. When the time comes to better protect victims, what do the Conservatives do? They vote against it.”
“Today, we are focusing specifically on the proposed Senate amendment to add the noose to the list of symbols of hate. The Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights has heard from numerous witnesses and organizations who have stated that the noose is a recognized symbol of terror and intimidation against Black people and that it should be…”
“This is how we strengthen our shared way of life and the truly Canadian values of respect, equality and dignity. I will use the last few minutes of my time to say that I am disappointed by the excessive partisanship we have seen in the debate on Bill C‑9 .”
“I do not believe this is commensurate with the issues before us, and I find it deplorable. Lastly, beyond the issue of hate symbols, Bill C‑9 is an important step forward in a number of ways.”
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“The work that forestry operators do is essential. They are the ones who harvest the wood in the forest. These businesses play a critical role and the current circumstances are a challenge for them too. That is why I am making sure that their concerns are heard during discussions of the softwood lumber file. The same goes for our companies specializing in forestry machinery or industrial equipment. In conclusion, jobs in the softwood lumber sector have deep roots in our communities and, I repeat, our government is determined to protect the sector and Canadian workers, including workers in Madawaska—Restigouche.”
“For example, we want to double the pace of residential construction, support numerous infrastructure projects, and back major projects of national interest. We will do so with Canadian resources, giving preference to domestic lumber. In this way, our government is strengthening domestic demand in order to reduce exposure to volatile U.S. tariffs. As a member of Parliament, I am in constant communication with the workers and business owners in my region so that I can clearly understand their reality. This helps me stand and fight for specific local issues in Ottawa. One of many examples is the particular situation of the eastern white cedar. I also promote the importance of key players in the sector, including forestry operators. They often own small or or medium-sized businesses and provide good jobs back home.”
“There will also be an extra half-billion-dollar investment in various forestry-related programs to help the sector diversify, grow its activities and support value-added production. Other measures announced in the budget will also support both businesses and workers affected by this tariff dispute through the strategic response fund. In fact, the Forest Products Association of Canada, which represents several members of my riding, has described these budgetary measures as welcome assistance. We have launched our buy Canadian policy. In the past, we literally built Canada from our forests and the work of our forestry workers. Today, we want to continue building our country with our wood. At the heart of our strategy is the desire to buy Canadian and become our own best customer by using more Canadian lumber in our projects.”
“Of course, we want to negotiate a new economic relationship with the United States, including a softwood lumber agreement, but it must be on favourable terms. In these times of economic turmoil, our government has implemented a series of measures to help businesses and workers affected by U.S. tariffs. I am pleased to note that budget 2025 did not overlook the softwood lumber sector. We have put in place a $700-million program administered by the Business Development Bank of Canada that provides guarantees to financial institutions to facilitate access to financing and letters of credit. The goal is to give businesses quick access to the liquidity they need to maintain their operations. This support will be targeted at the businesses most affected by these unjustified tariffs because they export to the United States.”
“I grew up witnessing every day just how much the forestry industry contributes to the economic vitality of my region. The jobs it creates are the main source of income for many families in my riding. Our businesses are firmly rooted in our communities, contributing financially to many local initiatives. The economic benefits of the forestry industry have a positive impact on all other industries in my riding. That is why this issue is so important to me as the member for Madawaska—Restigouche. I want to emphasize that the tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration are unjustified and harmful to workers, businesses and families on both sides of the border. Our government is working with all levels of government to resolve the current softwood lumber dispute.”
“Madam Chair, U.S. tariffs are having a major economic impact on the Canadian softwood lumber industry, a pillar of our Canadian economy and a key economic driver in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. As a member of Parliament, this issue is top of mind for me in Ottawa, and I am actively engaged in discussions with my colleagues to advance our interests on this matter. I understand very well the importance of the forestry sector for our communities. My father works in the woods as a forester. My neighbours, friends and, in particular, people from across my riding work in this sector, in our sawmills, directly in the forest, in transportation, in machinery, in pulp and paper production, and in various related economic activities. I live in the forest in Kedgwick River, and I see trucks going by my house every day to supply our sawmills.”
“In addition, with our budget, we are also investing in preventing crime from happening in the first place, and that is very important. Bill C‑220 will not make Canadians safer. It will not build trust in the justice system. It will only lead to injustices, inconsistencies and predictable constitutional challenges. Our role is to build an effective, fair and evidence-based justice system, not to build one based on political slogans. However, the bill from the member for Calgary Nose Hill puts rhetoric ahead of sound, evidence-based policy. Justice must not be blind to the consequences of its own decisions. Bill C‑220 calls for exactly that, and for these reasons, I will be voting against the bill, and I am asking all my colleagues from all parties to vote against it.”
“I am also thinking of all the investments being made in the 2025 budget. This demonstrates how serious our new government is about public safety. I am thinking of our border plan, the largest investment ever made Canada to ensure that our borders are secure. This is an important issue in my riding given that it has more than five border crossings. I am also thinking about our investments to increase the number of RCMP officers and CBSA agents. When we invest in public safety, we also understand that we must prevent crime upstream. That is why we are investing in housing, mental health and youth supports—to address the issue of petty crimes and property crimes before they even happen. With Bill C‑14, we are strengthening actions against those who pose the greatest risks.”
“We want to make it more difficult for criminals, particularly violent repeat offenders, to obtain bail and ensure that sentences are truly proportional to the crimes committed. We are very serious about safety in our communities. I invite my colleagues to support us in our legislative work on Bill C-14. Other initiatives that come to mind are Bill C‑12 , which aims to strengthen border security; Bill C‑9 , which aims to combat hate crimes in our communities; and our commitment to better protect victims of intimate partner violence. There is also our strategy to combat fraud and financial crimes that typically impact vulnerable people such as seniors. Our government is serious. We are going to implement the first anti-fraud strategy, and we have allocated resources in the 2025 budget to support these initiatives.”
“Bill C-220 and other private members' bills introduced by colleagues from the official opposition would be struck down by the courts. This is simply a waste of time, a waste of resources and results in disappointment for Canadians. On our side of the House, we understand that, and we make sure that we propose legislation that is truly tailored to the situations we are dealing with. We also ensure the proposed legislation is constitutional. For example, I am thinking of Bill C-14 , which proposes a major overhaul of the Canadian bail and sentencing system. This bill proposes more than 80 amendments to the Criminal Code that are, I repeat, in line with our Constitution.”
“Yes, a two-tier justice system, that is what our Conservative colleague wants to set up with Bill C‑220 , and it is the opposition's bill that would create that injustice, not the courts. Our government opposes Bill C‑220, particularly because it is ill-conceived, because it is not based on evidence, because it violates the principle of proportionality, parity and fundamental justice, and because it would undermine judicial independence, a pillar of the rule of law. When someone proposes measures to amend the Criminal Code, when they say they want to improve public safety, they need to approach it seriously in the House. They need to ensure that the proposed measures truly respect our Constitution. That is not the case here.”
“(1900) The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act states that a sentence of six months or more means an automatic loss of the right to appeal a deportation order, and a sentence of more than six months or an offence punishable by 10 years means that it is possible to be deemed inadmissible on the grounds of a serious crime. Those consequences are not part of the Criminal Code. They are the result of a parallel administrative regime created by Parliament. Prohibiting judges from considering those consequences means accepting or even institutionalizing the fact that two people convicted of the same offence will experience fundamentally different consequences.”
“Two people who commit the same crime will not necessarily have the same history, vulnerabilities or family responsibilities, nor face the same consequences. The courts already take a wide range of collateral consequences into account for all Canadians, not just for immigrants. Collateral consequences can include the loss of a job, the risk of homelessness, a lengthy family separation, mental health impacts and, in some cases, the inability to pursue an education. Why, then, single out only one category of consequences—immigration consequences—and prohibit judges from considering them? This inconsistency clearly shows that Bill C‑220 is not founded on legal logic, but on political logic. In reality, the effects of a criminal sentence vary widely depending on the immigration status of the person convicted.”
“However, today, the Conservatives are proposing to abolish that jurisprudence. They were in power when that decision was made. They had two years to do something about it, if they thought it was really a problem, but they did not do so. The member for Calgary Nose Hill and the Leader of the Opposition , who was the member for Carleton at the time, were government members then. However, they did nothing at the time. That tells us that what they are trying to do today is not to correct an injustice, but to recycle a punitive policy that, at the time, had already been subject to constitutional challenges on a number of occasions. Anyone familiar with criminal law knows that. Sentencing is based on a fundamental principle: individualization.”
“That is not justice, it is not proportionate and it is certainly not what our Constitution requires. In 2013, under a Conservative government, the Supreme Court of Canada clearly stated that some of the very real consequences of sentencing include consequences related to immigration status and, as such, they can be considered by the courts. The court made two key points on the matter. Yes, a judge can take into account immigration-related consequences to ensure that the sentence, as a whole, remains proportional to the crime committed. The court also said that, no, those consequences cannot outweigh the seriousness of the offence or the moral responsibility of the accused, no matter what Conservatives say. The framework we have is balanced, reasonable and constitutional, and it has been working for over a decade.”
“The bill therefore proposes a heavy-handed and rigid solution to a problem that simply does not exist. The bill creates a new section 718.202 in the Criminal Code that would explicitly prohibit judges from considering any immigration-related consequences when sentencing someone who is not a Canadian citizen. In other words, even if a sentence of six months, rather than five months and 29 days, automatically triggers the loss of the right to appeal a deportation order, the court would be legally obligated to ignore the very real impact and serious consequences this would have. Citizens serve their sentence and return to their community. Permanent residents and people who came to Canada when they were children could be sent back to a country they do not know. Judges would be forced to pretend as though this reality does not exist.”
“It seeks to take away some of the critically important discretion judges have and to overturn, without justification or evidence, the Supreme Court of Canada's unanimous jurisprudence. This should be of concern to us all. According to the Conservative member who introduced this bill, the courts give preferential treatment or overly lenient sentences to non-citizens when they consider the consequences of immigration, such as the loss of the right to appeal or the possibility of removal from Canada. The facts do not support this claim. No study, no analysis and no attorney general, either federal or provincial, has indicated that the courts are misusing the existing jurisprudence. When very minor sentence reductions occur, such as a one-day reduction, they are rare, transparent and entirely subject to appeal.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak today to private member's bill, Bill C‑220 , an act to amend the Criminal Code with regard to immigration status in sentencing, introduced by the member for Calgary Nose Hill . This bill raises fundamental questions about our justice system, such as the individualization of sentences, proportionality, parity and, above all, the key role the judiciary plays in determining fair sentences that are tailored to the circumstances of each case. It also touches on the delicate but very real intersection between our criminal justice system and our immigration system. However, far from improving this system, Bill C‑220 weakens it.”
“Mr. Speaker, public safety is an important issue for my colleague's riding, and in the budget we are making important investments to strengthen public safety. Since we formed government last spring, we have put forward many pieces of legislation regarding public safety. I would like to hear the member's views on how those investments are going to benefit her riding.”
“Mr. Speaker, I was very surprised to see my colleague vote against the budget the other day, because there are several infrastructure projects that will have a significant impact on Quebec's economy. I am thinking of the Contrecœur container terminal project, the eastern energy partnership, and the Alto high-speed rail project, not to mention all the other infrastructure projects that the Bloc Québécois has been calling for for a long time, such as the extension of the runway at the Magdalen Islands airport. I would like to know how my colleague can oppose infrastructure projects that will have major benefits for Quebec's economy.”
“Mr. Speaker, I represent Madawaska—Restigouche, a rural riding. I am also a member of our rural caucus, and I can attest to the fact that our colleague, who is the chair of that caucus, is a strong advocate for regional interests. I would like to ask her what our budget says about temporary foreign workers. This is an important issue for our caucus.”
“Mr. Speaker, today I rise to present a petition from a group of citizens from Madawaska—Restigouche regarding malnutrition. They are calling on the government to convene a Canada-wide summit on malnutrition to begin discussing a framework for action on malnutrition care in Canada, expand Canada's healthy eating strategy and mandate the collection and reporting of malnutrition data by the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Statistics Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, I was very surprised to hear my colleague say that he voted against the budget, especially given that there are several projects that will have a direct and significant impact on Quebec's economy, which is the province he represents in the House. I am specifically thinking about the Contrecoeur container terminal project, the eastern energy partnership and the Alto high-frequency rail project in the Quebec City-Toronto corridor, which will have a direct impact on the region my colleague represents. Why is my colleague opposed to projects that will have a significant impact on the economy of the province he represents in the House?”
“Madam Speaker, health is a top priority for the people in my riding. My colleague highlighted some of the investments we are making in the budget for it, such as the investment in research and the new health infrastructure fund. We are also going to increase transfers to provinces over the next five years. I would like to hear the member's view on why the investments in health are so important for the people in her riding of Don Valley North, for the people in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche and for all Canadians.”
“Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague on his excellent speech. I would like to follow up on the previous questions. Through the action plan for official languages 2023-2028, we made the largest investment ever made in official languages in Canada. I am talking about $4.1 billion over five years for education, health care, early childhood education and various other sectors. In budget 2025, we doubled the funding for National Acadian Day and made it permanent. We also set an ambitious new francophone immigration target, which will help increase the demographic weight of francophones. My colleague recently attended the general meeting of the Société nationale de l'Acadie. How do francophones outside Quebec feel about these investments in official languages and our ambitious francophone immigration targets?”
“Mr. Speaker, the various items will be carefully considered. We are definitely facing challenges right now. We had to invest in infrastructure, housing and all sorts of things. We have allowed ourselves some flexibility. We are going to spend less so that we can invest more. We are going to invest over $300 million in the new youth employment strategy.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Canada summer jobs program is essential for our young people and for our small businesses and community organizations. Last summer, I visited day cares, summer camps, museums and festivals. I met people in public works and people who performed a variety of tasks. Without this program, their employers simply might not have been able to afford to hire them for the summer. This provides our small businesses and community organizations with the tools they need and gives them access to a workforce during the summer. It also gives young people in our regions the opportunity to gain relevant work experience. Many of the young people I spoke with were gaining work experience for the first time. For others, it was experience related to their field of study. This program has a major impact.”
“I have no doubt that with the investments we are making with Build Canada Homes, we will see more and more construction projects across the country, including in my riding.”
“Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis is real. There is a shortage of housing across the country, including in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. When faced with a situation of this magnitude, the government must take action. Through the Build Canada Homes program, we will invest more than $13 billion to stimulate housing construction across the country. Evidently, significantly increasing the number of available homes could put downward pressure on prices. It is a matter of supply and demand. Funds will also be set aside for affordable housing through Build Canada Homes. Thanks to federal funding, we have already seen a lot of construction of this type of housing in my riding, in cities such as Edmundston and Campbellton.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to my colleague that the fight against climate change is both a moral and economic imperative. It is important to have a variety of measures in place to reduce our carbon footprint. As for consumer carbon pricing, it is important to note that there was a rebate system. Yes, people paid a little more at the pump, but there was a rebate. As I mentioned in my speech, this policy had become controversial. It no longer had widespread support. The fight against climate change is so important. We need to build a greater consensus among Canadians to really ensure that we implement ambitious climate measures that are tailored to the challenges of the day.”
“This measure, this investment, will have a meaningful impact on the lives of families in Madawaska—Restigouche, as well as seniors, vulnerable individuals, and workers. On this side of the House, when we talk about measures to help people cope with the cost of living, we follow up with concrete action. I look forward to voting in favour of Bill C-4 so it can pass and become law.”
“This will give people in Vallée‑des‑Rivières, Grand Falls, Saint‑Quentin, and Kedgwick access to flexible, affordable, high-quality public transit that is truly tailored to the needs of rural communities. This is in addition to initial federal funding that made it possible to launch this service in the Edmundston region, in Madawaska. A person from Saint‑Quentin will be able to travel to Edmundston for only $5. This means seniors who do not have transportation will be able to visit their families or get to their medical appointments. Workers will be able to commute between their homes and their workplaces. Post-secondary students will be able to travel to the Edmundston campus of the Université de Moncton.”
“On this side of the House, we understand that a strong Canada requires strong families. We have also maintained the Canada disability benefit, which helps more than 465,000 people across the country. We are also continuing with the Canada workers benefit, which benefits more than three million people. All the other investments we are making in infrastructure can also have spin-offs that will help make the cost of living more affordable. I would like to give a concrete example of an announcement that was recently made in my riding regarding public transit. Last week, I had the opportunity to announce, on behalf of the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing , an investment of more than $700,000 to expand public transit service in various communities in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche.”
“These include the Canada child benefit, which is received by more than six million parents across the country. This program transfers over $40 million to my constituents to meet their children's needs. We recently learned that more than five million Canadians are now enrolled in the Canadian dental care plan. This plan is having a real impact. I remember someone in my riding who told me she had dental issues. She simply could not afford to go to the dentist, and this situation had been going on for years. Because eligibility was expanded to all age groups in May, this person was able to access much-needed affordable dental care this summer. This is yet another example of a concrete measure that is improving people's lives. We have also maintained our national affordable child care program, which benefits more than 900,000 children.”
“This program gives young people access to a job that could potentially help them pay for their education. The Canada summer jobs program often provides young people with their first work experience. In budget 2025, not only did we maintain funding for this program, we increased it. Last summer, I visited over 200 workplaces in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. I can attest to this program's importance to the young people in my riding. We are also proposing plenty of other measures to help young people get jobs. For example, through budget 2025, we are going to invest $300 million in the youth employment and skills strategy over the next two years. It is very important to know that we made sure that budget 2025 would protect all the essential social programs that are helping Canadians cope with the cost of living.”
“A new measure will be implemented for automatic tax filing for people with low incomes and simple tax situations. This is a concrete measure to ensure that the system guarantees that the people who need federal benefits the most can access them. We also announced a tax credit for personal support workers worth up to 5% of their earnings or $1,100 per year. This is a concrete measure to help our personal support workers, who do essential work. These are the people who take care of our seniors. These are the people we call upon to take care of our parents and grandparents. They do essential work for Canadians, and we recognize that work. That is why, in budget 2025, we are proposing a tax credit to help them. The Canada summer jobs program is another example.”
“An agreement has been signed with the Province of New Brunswick to expand the school food program to many schools, including some in my riding. I am thinking in particular of the Marie-Gaétane school in Kedgwick, which I graduated from several years ago. It benefits from this program, and so do several other schools in my riding. This is an essential program that is having a tangible impact on our children's lives. In budget 2025, we are making it permanent. We have also announced the introduction of automatic federal benefits. (1705) We saw that there was a problem. Many people need and are entitled to federal benefits like the Canada child benefit, the Canada disability benefit and GST rebates. However, some of these people were not accessing the benefits to which they were entitled because they did not file their tax returns.”
“One example I am thinking of is our climate competitiveness strategy, which was announced in the 2025 budget, as well as all the other measures we are putting in place. What does this mean? It means that Bill C-4 is part of a series of measures that our government is implementing to help people cope with the rising cost of living. Budget 2025 includes several tangible measures. I am thinking of the fact that we have made Canada's national school food program permanent. This program ensures that children start their day with a full stomach. Children want to have a productive day at school and want to learn, but they cannot do it an empty stomach. We understand this, and we are here for children across the country.”
“Finally, in Bill C‑4 , the government also announces that it is eliminating carbon pricing for consumers. When that was done on April 1, people very quickly saw prices drop at the pump, including in Madawaska—Restigouche, New Brunswick. It also had a tangible impact on heating costs in the Atlantic provinces, because many people there still use gas to heat their homes in the winter. I want to be clear: This in no way undermines our commitment to fighting climate change. Carbon pricing had unfortunately become a divisive and controversial policy. The fight against climate change is so important that we cannot afford to maintain a policy that overshadows all of our other climate efforts.”
“We want to help Canadians become homeowners, whether they are young people, young families or long-time renters who want to get into the housing market and become homeowners. We want to help Canadians achieve this dream, and we want it to be affordable. That is why we are eliminating the GST on the purchase of a first home, on top of all the other housing measures we are putting in place. In budget 2025, we are investing over $13 billion through Build Canada Homes to stimulate housing construction across the country, including affordable housing. In addition to everything we are doing through Build Canada Homes, we hope that removing the GST on the purchase of a first home will provide a financial incentive to buy a home and encourage property developers to increase the stock of available homes nationwide.”
“In our desire to strengthen the Canadian economy, there is one principle that is very important to us: to ensure that the economy works for everyone. By making our economy stronger, we can fund measures that are important for making life more affordable for Canadians. Early in our mandate, we introduced Bill C-4 in the House, which includes three key measures that will have a real impact on people's lives. First, we are proposing a tax cut for the middle class. The lowest tax bracket will have its tax rate reduced from 15% to 14%. This measure will benefit more than 22 million Canadians and will save each family up to $840. That means more money in people's pockets that they can use for the things that matter to them. The second important item in Bill C-4 is the GST rebate on new homes valued at $1 million or less.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Québec Centre. Our new government was elected in the spring with a mandate to build a stronger, more resilient economy. We got straight to work from day one. I am thinking of all the investments we have made in housing and infrastructure that are going to stimulate the economy, the creation of the Major Projects Office or even the removal of interprovincial trade barriers. I am thinking of our buy Canadian policy, which will put the federal government's purchasing power to work for our businesses to once again stimulate our economy. I am thinking of all the agreements we are currently negotiating or have already signed with various countries around the world. What is behind all this?”
“Mr. Speaker, I gather from his speech that my colleague from Mirabel believes it is important to be there for the people who need it the most. Budget 2025 includes several measures such as automatic benefits to ensure that everyone who really needs federal benefits receives them. We made the national school food program and a tax credit for personal support workers permanent. However, when it came time to vote on this budget, our colleague voted against it. It is a bit like spending years calling for funding to extend the runway at the Magdalen Islands airport and then voting against that funding when it is granted. My question for my colleague is as follows. Will he commit to voting for Bill C-4 this time? It includes a tax cut for the middle class and a GST rebate for first-time homebuyers, so it will truly help Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am a first-time MP and I have only been in the House for a few short months, but let me tell the House what I have observed. On this side of the House, when we talk about helping Canadians cope with the cost of living, we are introducing concrete measures, and when the time comes to vote, we are voting in favour of these measures. As for members of the official opposition, they had a lot of questions for us lately about the cost of living and they got all riled up during question period, but when the time came to vote for concrete measures, they voted against measures to support affordability. My colleague is a seasoned MP, so I would like to ask him whether it is common practice for members of the official opposition to oppose measures that provide support for Canadians.”
“Madam Speaker, a healthy democracy requires a strong and independent press, especially in this era of disinformation, which spreads online. This additional $150-million investment in our public broadcaster is an investment in a credible, high-quality source of information for local, regional and national news. Back home in Madawaska—Restigouche, I listen to La matinale , or Information Morning on CBC in the morning. In the evening, I watch Téléjournal Acadie . I read the news on the CBC mobile app, thanks to the support we give our public broadcaster. It is essential for a healthy democracy and informed citizens.”
“The youth employment and skills strategy includes funding for mental health counselling. There is also a whole section on improving access to health care in the north and in the Arctic. These are just a few examples of what our government is doing to support health care.”
“Madam Speaker, I am pleased that my colleague mentioned the $5 billion in federal investments in health care infrastructure. It is important to understand that this is complementary to all our other health care investments. The budget allocates $54.7 billion to the Canada health transfer for 2025-26 alone. This amount will increase to $65 billion in 2029-30. This represents a $300-billion investment through the Canada health transfer, in addition to the $4.3 billion planned for 2025-26 for transfers under the health care agreements with the various provinces and territories. We are also going to invest in workers. I am thinking in particular of the tax credits for personal support workers and the investments we will be making to improve foreign credential recognition, which will include health care professionals.”
“Madam Speaker, at a time of economic turmoil due to the tariff war with the United States, the responsible thing to do is to be there for Canadians, to invest in our infrastructure and housing so we can boost and strengthen the Canadian economy, to be there for businesses and workers in the sectors that have been hit the hardest by the tariff war, to be there to build our economy's resilience and protect all the social programs that Canadians depend on. That is the responsible thing to do, and that is what we are doing with budget 2025. Voting against this budget would be irresponsible.”
“The target is 9% starting next year and increases gradually to reach 12% by 2029. That is huge. For the first time in our country's history, the government has set targets to not only halt the demographic decline of francophones outside Quebec, but to reverse the trend and to put the demographic weight of francophones on track for growth. That is huge. It will have a real impact on all francophone communities across the country, including on communities in Madawaska—Restigouche. In closing, budget 2025 is full of great news for my riding. I could easily give many other examples if I had an extra 10 minutes, but I see that my time is almost up. I look forward to taking questions from my colleagues.”
“For more than 50 years, the demographic weight of francophones outside Quebec has been declining. It fell from 6.1% in 1971 to 3.5% in 2021. During this time, francophone immigration levels outside Quebec were very low. In fact, the first time Canada exceeded the 2% threshold for francophone immigration was in 2019. However, immigration is the main driver of population growth in Canada. The very low level of francophone immigration outside Quebec is a factor that has contributed to accelerating the decline in the demographic weight of francophones. In 2022, the 4.4% target for francophone immigration was met for the first time. We exceeded 7% in 2024, and this year, we are on track to meet a target of 8.5%. In the budget, we presented the new immigration levels plan, which includes very ambitious targets for francophone immigration.”