Steven Guilbeault
Laurier—Sainte-Marie, Quebec · Liberal · Canada
“[ English ] I was onstage in Edmonton in 2015 when then NDP premier Rachel Notley announced her climate leadership plan. Again I was roundly criticized by some environmentalists for doing so, but I have always believed in collaborating with provinces within the framework of the scientific reality of climate change.”
“These intense, demanding and deeply meaningful seven years have been among the most formative of my life. I leave proud of what we have accomplished together.”
“[ English ] The experience made me realize not only how crucial the climate crisis and, as I would later discover, the nature crisis are, but also how important international collaboration is to finding solutions to these complex issues.”
“Mr. Speaker, a few months after I turned 25, I embarked on my first overseas trip, one that, without my knowing it, would set the course of my entire life. I was heading to Berlin for what was then a little-known gathering: the very first conference of parties on climate change, COP1.”
“As an environmentalist with deep understanding of the scientific consensus on the urgency and need to rapidly reduce heat-trapping gases, I had opposed a number of oil and gas projects and had criticized the Trudeau government for moving ahead with the purchase of TMX.”
“Trudeau, supported in particular by our former foreign affairs minister and current minister responsible for economic development, did not hesitate to support me in embarking on this adventure with the entire Canadian community, including NGOs, indigenous peoples and many private-sector companies.”
The complete record
Every one of 101 lines we hold for Steven Guilbeault, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 3.
“Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to correct what my hon. colleague just said. More than 28,000 people participated in the pre-budget consultations. We have had many conversations with the opposition parties, including the Bloc Québécois. I had some of those conversations myself. Several of my colleagues, including the Minister of Finance , have had them as well. We have worked with all parties in the House. There will be significant investments in a number of areas in tomorrow's budget. The question is what the Bloc Québécois will do. Will that party vote to support Quebeckers and all Canadians, or will it vote against them?”
“Mr. Speaker, in fact, between 2015 and 2024, the government doubled the funding for the arts and culture sector in this country. It has doubled the funding for the Canada Council for the Arts. We will continue to be there for our artists and for our cultural sector.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. Just last Friday, my colleague from Les Pays-d'en-Haut and I visited the Crête Group plant in the Laurentians to discuss federal assistance. The Business Development Bank of Canada is providing $700 million, and another $500 million is available for business modernization. Softwood lumber is a key sector all across Canada. We will be there to support it during these difficult times.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is rather interesting to hear the Bloc member talk about all peoples when the Quebec government just tabled a draft constitution without even consulting Quebec's indigenous peoples. Quebec did not even have the decency to sit down with the first nations and ask if they could talk before tabling a draft constitution. That is not how collaboration works. On this side of the House, we believe that Canada is stronger when it is united. We believe in reconciliation with indigenous peoples. We consult with indigenous peoples on all of our environmental legislation. That is how we will move our country forward.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are facing very significant global challenges. On this side of the House, we believe, as most Quebeckers do, that we are stronger if we face these challenges together, rather than apart. If the Bloc Québécois wants to continue to focus on division, it is free to do that. On this side, we will continue to focus on unity and on the fact that we are stronger together than apart.”
“Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers and Canadians went to the polls a few months ago, and the people of Quebec elected twice as many Liberals as Bloc Québécois members. I knocked on hundreds of doors and spoke with hundreds of people on the phone, and no one asked me for a referendum. People said that they want life to be more affordable, that they want a budget to build Canada, and that is exactly what we are going to deliver next Tuesday.”
“Mr. Speaker, last summer, the Canada Strong Pass allowed families to discover our incredible country while making it affordable to do so. It was a huge success. Over 200,000 children received free admission to the national museums, which saw a 15% increase in visitors. Provincial museums saw a 26% increase in young visitors. Some Parks Canada sites saw a 20% increase in use. In addition, Canadian families saved $6 million on VIA Rail. Given this enthusiasm for the program, we are very pleased that the Canada Strong Pass is returning this winter and in summer 2026 so that families can continue to discover the most beautiful country in the world.”
“Mr. Speaker, just last Friday, I was with my colleague from Les Pays-d'en-Haut to meet with representatives from one of these companies to discuss the measures that the federal government has put in place: $700 million in liquidity supports through the Business Development Bank of Canada and $500 million to modernize these businesses. We are supporting the sector. We will be there for the softwood lumber sector from coast to coast to coast. I am from La Tuque. I know exactly what is at stake. We will be there for workers, and we will be there for communities.”
“Mr. Speaker, when a member opposite asks a question like that, I have to wonder whether they have even read the Food Banks Canada report. Let me quote four of the recommendations I have here from that same report. What does the report propose to help with affordability? It proposes "finalizing the Canada Disability Benefit [or CDB]". The Conservative Party and the member voted against that. The report proposes "rolling out the Canadian Dental Care Plan [or CDCP]". The Conservative Party and the member voted against that. The report calls for "launching a national school food program". One of the member's colleagues referred to that as "garbage". Finally, the report proposes "updating the National Housing Strategy". The Conservatives have already told us that they are going to vote against that.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my honourable and kind colleague. No one on this side of the House is slapping anyone around. The Prime Minister , the House leader and the Minister of Finance all met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois. I also met with him to hear about what the Bloc Québécois wants to see in the budget. There are measures on housing and affordability in the budget. The Bloc Québécois will have plenty of time to help us help Canadians.”
“Bill C‑13. Second reading moved that Bill C-13, An Act to implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership , be read the second time and referred to a committee.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think I am going to ask you to help me because I am having a very hard time understanding the Bloc Québécois's position. A meeting was held between the leader of the Bloc Québécois , the Prime Minister , the Minister of Finance , the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and me. The Bloc Québécois presented us with a series of demands and then said that it would not vote in favour of the budget. I have a hard time understanding that. Are the Bloc members ready to negotiate? If so, we are ready to negotiate. If not, then they are not ready to negotiate, but they cannot just sit on the fence like that.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois to talk about the budget. The Minister of Finance and National Revenue met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois to talk about the budget. The Prime Minister met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois to talk about the budget. I myself met with the leader of the Bloc Québécois to talk about the budget. Even before the budget was made public, the Bloc Québécois told us that it was not interested and that it would not vote for it. The Bloc members will not vote for measures that will allow millions of Canadians to save on their taxes. They will not vote for a budget that will help build hundreds of thousands of housing units. To me, the Bloc Québécois's position is unacceptable.”
“Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Bloc Québécois seems to change his mind as often as he changes his shirt. After the election, he told us that he was prepared to work with the government and that he wanted to give us time so that we could help Canadians and Quebeckers. Now what is he saying before he has even read the budget? He is telling us that he will not vote in favour of it. I would like to know, and I think that everyone in the House would like to know, where the Bloc Québécois stands. Will the Bloc members at least read the budget before saying that they will not vote for it?”
“Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague opposite, he knows full well that our government did more for official languages than any other government in the history of this country with the reform of the Official Languages Act. We have invested $2 billion in official languages. For the first time in the country's history, we are set to meet our targets for francophone immigration outside Quebec. Not only that, but we are going to double or even triple them by the end of the year. We are the first government to have done that. We are also making investments like this for francophone communities outside Quebec. What the member is saying is patently untrue.”
“Mr. Speaker, Bill C-9 is currently before the Standing Committee on Justice. The Bloc Québécois is free to make proposals regarding this bill and we invite its members to do so. We will hear from experts on this issue and we are ready to work with the Bloc Québécois and all parties in the House to ensure, once again, that hate speech has no place in our country.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have said it before and I will say it again: Hate speech has no place in Canada. The Minister of Justice has offered to work with the Bloc Québécois on reforms that are before the House as part of Bill C-9 . We are prepared to work with the Bloc Québécois to improve the situation and ensure that hate speech has no place in this country.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think those of us on this side of the House share the Bloc Québécois leader's concern. Hate speech has no place in Canada. That is why the Minister of Justice introduced amendments in Bill C‑9 specifically to address hate. In the last Parliament, we introduced a bill on online hate. We will keep working to ensure that hate speech has no place in Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, in addition to the bill on online hate speech that we introduced during the last Parliament, Bill C-9 , which is currently being studied in the House and will be debated in the coming weeks, contains a provision that specifically addresses the issue of hate speech. The federal government is very proactive on this issue and will continue to be.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleague pointed out, a lecture was indeed cancelled on the grounds that it constituted hate speech. We have a number of tools at our disposal. In the last Parliament, we introduced a bill to tackle hate speech, particularly online. I will be working on this file as heritage minister. We will keep working to tackle hate speech in all its forms across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, hate speech has no place in Canada. The federal government has a number of tools at its disposal to fight hate speech. We will do everything we can to work and ensure that Canadians are not subjected to such speech.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a little news flash for my colleague across the aisle. We are the government that has done the most for official languages in Canada. We modernized the Official Languages Act and, as part of the process, made a historic $4-billion investment in our official languages across the country. For the first time in the country's history, we met our target of 4% for francophone immigration outside Quebec. We are at 7%. We are going to hit 8% and then get to 12%. This is historic. It is unprecedented. That is my little news flash for my colleague across the aisle.”
“Mr. Speaker, I strongly disagree with what my Bloc Québécois colleague just stated. Our intervention before the Supreme Court is intended to defend Canadians' rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. No part of our intervention before the Supreme Court of Canada will prevent the provinces from continuing to use the notwithstanding clause if they so desire. However, when using the notwithstanding clause results in the violation of Canadians' rights, we want the courts to be able to adjudicate on that.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his commitment to our official languages. Our government has already announced over $732 million to support French-language education across the country, from preschool to post-secondary education: over $13 million in Yukon, $15 million in the Northwest Territories, $43 million in Saskatchewan, $523 million in Ontario and $133 million in New Brunswick. More announcements are coming. Bilingualism is central to our Canadian identity. It is a great source of pride for all of us.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my hon. colleague that, of all the countries in the world, Canada has the best agreement with the United States and the lowest tariffs: 85% of our economy is exempt from the U.S. tariffs. I think that all the Canadians watching us know that the situation with the United States is complicated right now, but despite that, our country is faring the best. Every month since the beginning of the year, Canadians' incomes have outpaced the cost of living. The Prime Minister is the best person in the world to help us face these challenges.”
“Madam Speaker, I think that we have a good example why the Bloc Québécois will never be in power. Canada Post's accumulated deficit over the past few years is $4 billion. Seventy-one million dollars out of $4 billion does not make much of a difference. It is important in our democracy to have our Governor General as head of state. This has been part of our democracy since the very beginning. We will continue to support our democracy. It would be nice if the Bloc Québécois got on board.”
“Madam Speaker, the Governor General plays a very important role in our democracy, and she is making an effort to learn a third language. She is already bilingual. I think we should be encouraging her, not discouraging her. I admire her efforts to improve her French, and I would point out that her French is improving. What the member opposite said is not true. I have spoken with her, and have done so in French. Her French is not perfect, but she is working on it. She should be commended for that.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague that, in the last election, Quebeckers voted in twice as many Liberals as Bloc Québécois representatives. I repeat, twice as many. Why did they do that? It is because they know that we will be there to defend their rights, but they also know that we are capable of working with the provinces and territories. Just last week, I was with two Quebec government representatives to announce a 20,000-unit project, including 10,000 non-market housing units. We are capable of working with the provinces and territories while defending the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am very sorry, but what my colleague is saying is simply not true. Our intervention before the Supreme Court is aimed at defending the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We are the party of the charter. We have always defended it, and we will always continue to defend it. Just last week, one province announced that it would be using the notwithstanding clause in three bills at the same time. That is three bills in one province. When provinces and territories decide to invoke the notwithstanding clause, we want the courts to be able to tell the citizens of those provinces that their rights are being violated. That is what we are asking the Supreme Court to do.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned exaggeration. Considering the speech she just gave, that is a bit rich. She is well aware that the answer to her question is in her question. Obviously, the courts cannot change the Constitution. The point of our intervention is not to enable the courts to change the Constitution. As she said yesterday, the only entity that can change the Constitution is Parliament. The point of our intervention is not to change the Constitution, but to protect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am a very proud Quebecker. There are a lot of very proud Quebeckers on our side of the House. We have been defending the Quebec model for years if not decades. What the member opposite is saying is simply not true. We are the first federal government to have acknowledged the decline of French and to have invested $4 billion in official languages. For the first time in history, we achieved the target of 4% francophone immigration outside Quebec. We are heading toward 7%, and after that, 8% and 12%. Our party is going to keep defending French. That is what we are doing, together.”
“Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague, what she is saying is misinformed. The federal government's intervention before the Supreme Court will not prevent the provinces or territories from continuing to use section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Canadian Constitution and to use the notwithstanding clause if they want. The Minister of Justice , who is seated next to me, would very certainly be pleased to explain to her the process we are proposing. We will always stand up for Canadians' rights and freedoms. We are the party of the Charter and we always will be.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows full well that the federal government's intervention in the Supreme Court case will not prevent any province or territory from continuing to use the notwithstanding clause. That is very clear, and she knows it. If there are any problems, I would be happy to ask the Department of Justice to offer a briefing, but the purpose of our intervention is to protect Canadians' rights.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is responsible for defending one of the pillars of our democracy, that is, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. All across Canada, the government must stand up for the rights of all Canadians. It is our job to defend this charter and to ensure that everyone in this country is protected. We are doing our job. The matter is before the Supreme Court and we will be following it closely.”
“Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the members opposite are saying, it is important to know what we are talking about. I am a founding member of a housing co-op. I know very well that in order to get these projects off the ground, we need to work together, not against each other, because that does not work. The Conservative approach, which is to cut, cut, cut, does not work. That is not the right way to build homes. Furthermore, expecting the private sector to step up and build affordable, social housing is certainly not how we will get this done. That is why the federal government is working in partnership with provinces, municipalities and community groups to help all Canadians have access to housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, what we need to do to address the housing crisis is co-operate with municipalities, provinces and people on the ground. That is the opposite of what the Conservative Party is proposing. The Leader of the Opposition has repeatedly criticized the mayors of cities like Quebec City, Montreal and others across the country. Yesterday, my friend and colleague, the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure , and I announced 20,000 homes, 10,000 of which will be non-market, in other words, social and community housing. That is how we are going to address this crisis. It is not by insulting our partners on the ground.”
“Mr. Speaker, to build more housing, we need to work together. We need to work with municipalities. We need to work with stakeholders on the ground. We need to work with the provinces. Unlike the Conservatives, who think we need to insult people, we believe we should work together. That is what we did this morning, when the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and I made a historic announcement to build 20,000 homes. That is 20,000 homes in a single announcement, and that is just the beginning. We are going to do this across the country. From coast to coast to coast, we are going to build more homes with our partners.”
“Mr. Speaker, this morning, I was with my colleague and friend, the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure , our colleagues from the Quebec government, and the mayor of Montreal. At that time, I had the pleasure of announcing a project to build 20,000 housing units. That 20,000 units includes 6,000 affordable off-market units—social housing to help families and young Montrealers. We are going to be doing this across the country.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Mont-Saint-Bruno—L'Acadie for his commitment to his community. Our government's celebrate Canada program supports more than 1,500 events across the country to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, Saint‑Jean‑Baptiste Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day, Canada Day and National Acadian Day. Concerts, cultural festivals and community gatherings are all opportunities to celebrate our diversity and to strengthen the social fabric that unites us from coast to coast to coast.”
“Mr. Speaker, there is no better time to choose Canada, which is why today we unveiled the new Canada Strong Pass. All summer long, admission is free for national parks and historic sites, with major discounts on camping as well. What is more, kids get free access to national museums and galleries, and free or discounted fares on Via Rail. We are encouraging people of all ages to explore the places and stories that unite us from coast to coast to coast. With the Canada Strong Pass, it has never been easier to get out and discover the best country in the world, Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, even Google agreed that it should do this. Google will pay $100 million to help Canadian journalism in this country. An international, U.S.-based company, is agreeing to do that, but the Conservative Party of Canada would vote against it, would prevent it from happening and would want to prevent our media from getting $100 million so there is more local content and more journalists hired in our newsrooms across the country. It is simply unthinkable. It is immoral.”
“Mr. Speaker, just about everything the member said in her intervention is wrong. Bill C-11 ensures that Canadian artists get rewarded, as they should, by online platforms. Bill C-11 makes sure that Canadian content can be discovered by Canadians, by my kids, by all of our kids, instead of just international artists. That is exactly what Bill C-11 does. It gives the opportunity for Canadians to discover Canadian artists, something we should all support.”
“Mr. Speaker, for decades, we have witnessed journalists losing their jobs, newsrooms shutting down and local media going bankrupt. Access to fact-based information from coast to coast to coast is essential to keeping Canadians informed. Unfortunately, my Conservative colleagues do not believe that preserving this pillar of our democracy is important. On our side, we chose to pass the Online News Act to ensure that journalists can continue their important work for our country, our democracy and our Canadian unity.”
“Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I would like to remind my colleague that we still have carbon pricing for large corporations, for major emitters, that results in three times as many emissions reductions as consumer pricing. We have a robust carbon pricing system, and the federal price per tonne is almost double the Quebec price. Quebec's price is $59, and the federal government's price is $95. We will continue fighting climate change while building a robust economy for Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, I sincerely believe that we are comparing apples and oranges here. The Quebec system is based on a cap-and-trade mechanism, not a pricing mechanism. The federal system, on the other hand, is based on a mechanism that sets a price per tonne, which sends a signal to the market and consumers to reduce their emissions. These are two completely different systems. The federal government has long recognized Quebec's leadership and, for several years, we have recognized that the Quebec system is equivalent to the federal system.”
“Mr. Speaker, my Bloc Québécois colleague knows I hold him in high esteem, but I think he is pushing his luck a bit today. As he knows full well, Quebec's system is quite different from the federal system. Currently, Quebec's price per tonne is $59, whereas the federal price is $95. That means that, for years, Quebeckers paid half as much for carbon pricing as all other Canadians were paying. He never mentions that.”
“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 “Audiovisual Co-production Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of South Africa”, signed at Capetown on September 3, 2024.”
“Madam Speaker, our government has long expressed reservations about the Government of Quebec's Bill 21, especially regarding what we consider to be its misuse of the notwithstanding clause. We made up our minds a long time ago that we were going to intervene. What we are doing now is preparing to intervene, since the matter in question extends beyond Quebec's borders. As my Bloc Québécois colleague is well aware, a lot of people, including Quebeckers, are very concerned about this bill.”
“Mr. Speaker, what the member opposite is saying is simply not true. We have, in fact, been working with local authorities. Parks Canada provided funding to compensate for some of the loss in revenues last year because of the closure as we are trying to tackle this very important crisis. It is totally irresponsible for the member to somehow suggest that we should just let the zebra mussels spread all around Manitoba. Imagine the impacts for local drinking water, for commerce and for businesses all across the province. This is totally irresponsible.”
“Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, in that lake and that region, we are facing a zebra mussel invasion on which we must intervene to control. Otherwise, it could spread in the region to other water basins around that area. That is why, with Parks Canada, with local partners and with indigenous partners who support what Parks Canada has been doing, we are trying to tackle this issue as rapidly as possible.”