Serge Cormier
Acadie—Bathurst, New Brunswick · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to a true hero from my region, Corporal Sylvain Bergeron of the Lamèque RCMP detachment. On June 2, in Chiasson Office, a teenage girl in severe distress entered the icy, choppy waters and was found more than 100 feet from shore.”
“Madam Speaker, I find it very funny that one member of the Conservative Party was talking about sending emails to the minister when his leader was asking the members of the Conservative Party not to send letters of support for projects under the housing accelerator fund. Can members imagine that?”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague said that he was a mayor before being an MP. There was a program that was very helpful for municipalities. It was the housing accelerator fund, just like the Build Canada Homes program. This is what their leader was telling them.”
“Mr. Speaker, I too want to thank my riding neighbour for his speech. He talked a lot about infrastructure. There is an infrastructure fund that has been very useful for his riding and mine. The Conservatives voted against that fund. It is the rural transit solutions fund.”
“Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague talked a bit about diversification. In their speeches, Conservative MPs like to talk a lot about market diversification to help our economy, but the only market diversification deal the Conservatives were able to strike was when they exported their leader from a riding in Ontario to a riding in Alb…”
“Mr. Speaker, and I just want to thank my colleague for her speech. It is wonderful to work with her. She is a new colleague. She is doing great work. I know how good she is. She is representing a rural riding just like me.”
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“On behalf of all the citizens of Acadie—Bathurst and the members of the House of Commons, I extend to him our most sincere thanks, our deep gratitude and our utmost admiration. I also wish the young lady a speedy recovery.”
“Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to a true hero from my region, Corporal Sylvain Bergeron of the Lamèque RCMP detachment. On June 2, in Chiasson Office, a teenage girl in severe distress entered the icy, choppy waters and was found more than 100 feet from shore. Upon arriving at the scene, Corporal Bergeron realized she was in imminent danger. Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped into the water to rescue her. Risking his own safety, he swam out to her, kept her from drowning and brought her safely back to shore, despite the extremely difficult conditions. Sometimes, in the darkest moments, there are people who choose to act with remarkable composure. On that day, Corporal Bergeron embodied the best of what public service represents: dedication, compassion and courage.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague said that he was a mayor before being an MP. There was a program that was very helpful for municipalities. It was the housing accelerator fund, just like the Build Canada Homes program. This is what their leader was telling them. This article says, “Conservative MPs frustrated after [their leader] bars them from promoting housing fund”. The Conservative leader “instructed Conservative MPs to stop advocating on behalf of municipalities in their ridings who want to obtain funds [for housing].” The member said that he was a mayor. Was he one of the members who were told not to send a letter of support for a housing project in his municipality?”
“Madam Speaker, I find it very funny that one member of the Conservative Party was talking about sending emails to the minister when his leader was asking the members of the Conservative Party not to send letters of support for projects under the housing accelerator fund. Can members imagine that? We welcomed the minister in New Brunswick a couple of months ago for a wonderful announcement, a $300‑million agreement with New Brunswick to be able to build up to 1,500 N.B. homes. Can the minister elaborate a bit more on this wonderful agreement we signed with New Brunswick? There are actually announcements happening right now across New Brunswick about some of those projects.”
“Mr. Speaker, I too want to thank my riding neighbour for his speech. He talked a lot about infrastructure. There is an infrastructure fund that has been very useful for his riding and mine. The Conservatives voted against that fund. It is the rural transit solutions fund. My riding and my colleague's riding are now connected by a public transit system, which is something our ridings did not have before. My colleagues can imagine how hard it was not having public transit. Now we do have public transit in our ridings thanks to the programs that the government implemented. Could my colleague tell us how this program has helped people in his region get to other regions? Could he also tell us how even tourists to our region are now able to benefit from this new service?”
“Mr. Speaker, in his speech, my colleague talked a bit about diversification. In their speeches, Conservative MPs like to talk a lot about market diversification to help our economy, but the only market diversification deal the Conservatives were able to strike was when they exported their leader from a riding in Ontario to a riding in Alberta. Can my colleague talk about the investments the Prime Minister was able to bring to this country that will help his riding and our country?”
“Mr. Speaker, and I just want to thank my colleague for her speech. It is wonderful to work with her. She is a new colleague. She is doing great work. I know how good she is. She is representing a rural riding just like me. In the last spring economic statement, there was $1 billion for small craft harbours, and I know that she was a big part of this investment. She was talking about some of the amendments that are in this bill, and she was talked about mining. I had a lot of mining industry in my region back in the day, but it has closed. There were 2,000 people laid off at a mine in my region back in 2013. Now with these new amendments that are being putting forward and this new process, we see new mine projects coming into play. Can the member tell us if amendments like that would also help her riding with new projects of this kind?”
“Mr. Speaker, in the last Parliament, I introduced a bill in the House to create a school food program. Every Bloc Québécois member voted in favour of the bill. We now have a school food program across Canada. During consideration of the latest budget, the Bloc Québécois voted against the measure that would make this program permanent. The member mentioned seniors. The Canada groceries and essentials benefit will help some seniors get through these tough times. Why does the Bloc Québécois sometimes vote in favour of certain measures that benefit families, yet suddenly vote against other such measures when it comes time to help those who need it most?”
“Madam Speaker, it always makes me smile when I hear the Conservatives say they are interested in culture. I remember the Harper government's cuts to culture quite clearly. Some artists in my riding took to the streets to call for help, but the government of the day refused to listen. Let me once again remind my colleagues what Stephen Harper said in the beginning. He said that artists were complaining with their mouths full and that regular people were not interested in culture. Imagine saying things like that about artists. Of all the great investments that we have made in culture since 2015, the one nearest and dearest to my heart was the decision to fund National Acadian Day permanently and at double the amount. I hope that my colleague can clarify for me what support we have provided to artists over the years.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about helping others, helping Canadians and helping people in his riding. The Conservatives are saying that they are standing up for people, but when I presented a PMB in this room to create a school food program, the Conservatives voted against it. Can my colleague tell me how this helps kids in schools in his riding? I know he visited some of them, just like I did in my riding.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to welcome the Minister of Finance to my riding a few times already, and I know that he has seen all the benefits that our programs have delivered for families since we were both first elected in 2015. Earlier, I heard Conservative members say that they would stand up for Canadians. However, when it came time to do so, for example on the Canada child benefit or the national school food program, a bill that I introduced in the House, they voted against those things. Those measures would have helped the families in those members' ridings, but once again, these are the kinds of things that they do to avoid helping families. I would like to ask the Minister of Finance to tell us how all these programs have benefited families in my region and in his.”
“I want to congratulate Robin, Rébecca, Charlotte, Rosalie and Mélodie LeBlanc, not to mention JP LeBlanc, on their outstanding accomplishments and thank them for shining a spotlight on our beloved Acadia.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to some fabulous artists from my riding of Acadie—Bathurst. First, there is La Famille LeBlanc, a family of extraordinarily talented musicians who just won the Francophone Acadian artist of the year award at the East Coast Music Awards. For years, this family has been generously sharing the traditional Acadian music that brings generations closer together and strikes a chord deep within our communities. Their authenticity, stage presence and love of music make them true ambassadors of our Acadian culture and identity. Second, I want to applaud JP LeBlanc for winning the blues release of the year award. His exceptional gift and his passion for music are helping to put New Brunswick and Acadia on the musical map.”
“Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Finance would say, it is already Thursday, but we still have good news. [ Translation ] In my home province of New Brunswick, the forestry industry accounts for 25,000 jobs and contributes more than $1.5 billion to our economy every year. The United States has imposed unjustified tariffs on our softwood lumber. To support the industry, our government has already announced $2.5 billion, but we know that it still needs help. Can the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs tell us about the new support measures announced for our forestry sector?”
“Mr. Speaker, once again, I think my colleague is well aware that it is very important to our government to ensure that we build as much affordable housing as possible for as many Canadians as possible. As we all know, young families and young people want access to housing. With programs like Build Canada Homes and other existing programs, we will provide families and young Canadians with the housing they need. I think the Prime Minister has been clear. We want to see massive housing construction. That is what Build Canada Homes is all about.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague knows that we have always been able to collaborate with Quebec on plenty of files, including housing. Ultimately, what we want to do is build as much affordable housing as possible for as many Canadians as possible. I think that residents of the province of Quebec will continue to benefit from these programs. It will always be a pleasure for us to work with the Government of Quebec. I even think that some discussions have led to agreements with the Government of Quebec. We look forward to continuing in this vein. Our goal is to build as much housing as possible for all Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, if we adopt the Conservatives' plan, we would probably end up with six housing units, which is what was built when the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible for housing. The Conservatives like to talk about bureaucracy. We like to talk about building homes, and building homes by the thousands. The current programs we put in place are already getting it done, but with Build Canada Homes, we will do even more. The Conservatives like to talk about bureaucracy but fail to see what is good about this strategy. Their strategy is always to delay the process and delay the construction of these homes. We see things differently. We want to move forward to ensure that there are more affordable housing units for Canadians, and that is what we are going to do.”
“It will stimulate the residential construction sector and make it more productive. Build Canada Homes will revitalize the housing industry by enabling the construction of thousands of new homes. As construction ramps up, we will ensure the growth, training and support of Canada's skilled workforce, while creating well-paying jobs. In addition to building new homes, we will also support the development of essential housing infrastructure such as water and sewer systems. With existing programs and with the creation of Build Canada Homes, I think Canadians will see that we believe in them. Canadians will see that we understand their concerns and that we understand that they need affordable housing. That is exactly why we are moving forward with a bill like this one while maintaining our existing programs.”
“During my meetings with these companies, it was very clear that they were about to go through a period of uncertainty because of what is happening with the markets, mainly in the United States. If we help them through Build Canada Homes, they will be able to sell their wood, and we will be able to build homes faster in Canada. As a Crown corporation, Build Canada Homes will be funded by an initial $13-billion envelope announced in budget 2025. Build Canada Homes was created to centralize federal support for affordable housing in coordination with other departments and agencies. It will act quickly and leverage federal land, support innovative construction approaches and form partnerships across all sectors to build more housing. Build Canada Homes is a key part of Canada's new industrial strategy.”
“The goal is to make Canada one of the fastest-growing and most competitive economies in the world and to usher in a new era of economic security and prosperity for Canadians. The Government of Canada will achieve its goals by building on the strength of our industries and by implementing measures such as Build Canada Homes and the buy Canadian policy, which will enable it to invest in the future and stimulate economic growth. The buy Canadian policy will have an impact on our softwood lumber industry, for example. There are several companies in my region, including two major plants, that process softwood lumber. They are delighted with the amounts being invested in Build Canada Homes. It will help them diversify their markets a bit if their wood is used to build the homes we need in Canada.”
“Canada can no longer count on its most important trading relationship. Because of that, we are building our capacity here at home by building stronger relationships across all levels of government, including municipal, territorial and provincial governments, as well as with our indigenous partners. We are making strategic investments to build a stronger, more sustainable and more resilient economy. We are working to cut red tape, eliminate internal trade barriers and sign new agreements that will stimulate local economies. In these uncertain times, the Government of Canada is taking decisive action now to transform our nation and make it more resilient so that it can shift from reliance to resilience.”
“By consolidating functions that were previously scattered across several departments, agencies and programs, we will strengthen the government's ability to deliver meaningful results. As my colleagues said earlier, traditional approaches need to be reviewed. We must accelerate housing construction. For example, under other programs, municipalities have amended their zoning bylaws to speed up housing construction. That will continue. Build Canada Homes will be a developer, a funder, a facilitator and a catalyst for innovation in the housing sector. Canadians need more housing, and Bill C-20 , the Build Canada Homes act, will make it possible to build faster and more efficiently at scale. The global economy has recently undergone a shift that has profoundly transformed the traditional world order.”
“They hope that this will spark interest among developers. In addition, we often forget about modular home developers and companies. There are two such companies in my riding: Supreme Homes and Trusko Inc. They are currently building modular housing and, once again, this type of housing is affordable. We see these homes going up day after day. People can feel it in the air, it is tangible. People are waiting for these units. Some of them have already been able to get into a home. (1820) However, as we know, too many Canadians are still having a hard time finding affordable housing. Housing costs are rising, and unfortunately, supply is not keeping up with demand.”
“Just recently, an announcement was made about housing for homeless people that has begun to be built on that land. This shows that these programs are working. There are also several other programs for which we want to partner with New Brunswick. In the coming weeks or months, we hope to increase our collaboration with New Brunswick to be able to build more housing. Regarding Build Canada Homes, as members are aware, we want to make sure that we build affordable housing. I know opposition members often say that we create more bureaucracy. I disagree. We are going to make things easier for developers, whether they are private developers, community associations or housing co-ops. There are many of them in our regions, especially in rural areas. Every stakeholder I have talked to about what Build Canada Homes will look like is very excited.”
“The program has been a huge boon to my region. The other program I want to talk about is the Canada housing infrastructure fund. This fund still exists, and the federal government has signed agreements through it with the provinces, including my province, New Brunswick. Once again, we had great programs to ensure that municipalities could move forward with water and sewer projects, for example, to connect new housing developments to that infrastructure. I recently had the opportunity to make an announcement with my colleague, the member for the provincial riding of Bathurst West-Beresford and New Brunswick's finance minister. To develop the former site of a mill that had been closed since the 2000s, we managed to secure funding through the Canada housing infrastructure fund, which enabled us to build more than 300 housing units there.”
“The funds go directly to the municipalities. Developers then contact them to inquire about construction projects, whether for affordable housing or for other types of housing. These municipalities far surpassed their objectives, and it shows on the ground, because there is construction going on everywhere. People can watch the housing be built from the ground up. Some of it is ready. Some people have moved in. The program has been extremely beneficial to municipalities in my region. As my colleague said earlier, the Leader of the Opposition called the mayors of some municipalities incompetent. I hope that people will remember that the mayors in my region were not incompetent. They created a tremendous amount of housing, including affordable housing, housing for young people and housing for young families.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to get a chance to speak about Build Canada Homes. To begin with, I would like to say hello to voters in my riding of Acadie—Bathurst, who have probably tuned in to watch me this evening. I think that the Build Canada Homes bill we are discussing today is an outstanding initiative. However, before I get to what we want to do with Build Canada Homes, I would like to talk about various programs that have been extremely beneficial to my riding of Acadie—Bathurst, in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Infrastructure. My colleague spoke earlier about mayors and municipalities. Let us begin with the program known as the housing accelerator fund. It provides dedicated funds directly to municipalities. My New Brunswick riding was fortunate enough to have six such agreements.”
“Mr. Speaker, my dad was a fisherman all his life. I am pretty sure he is watching right now, so I say hi to him. When I look closely at the bill, I see that there are some things in it that Newfoundlanders should maybe ask questions about. Right now there is no fee of any kind on recreational fisheries. The member talked about a monitoring system, and the bill actually proposes a monitoring system for recreational fisheries, which would probably add cost to it. When I think about it, we could actually say that it would be a tax on food, or in this case a tax on fish. Did the member actually talk to his leader about this new tax on food, a tax on fish?”
“Mr. Speaker, I welcome my colleague to the House. Of course, I will miss the deep and powerful voice of Darrell Samson, the member my colleague is replacing. However, I am sure that my colleague's voice will be just as strong in defending his constituents. My colleague said that he knocked on a lot of doors and met a lot of people during the election campaign. Can he tell us which of the measures proposed in the Speech from the Throne will help his riding and constituents?”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague. We worked together well in the Atlantic caucus. I want to thank him again for all the great work he did in our caucus. According to my sources, my colleague and I received a number of project proposals under the housing accelerator fund in collaboration with municipalities. Members will recall that Pierre Poilievre said the fund was ineffective, and he even asked his MPs not to push our government to help municipalities interested in moving ahead with some of those projects. I would like my colleague to tell me whether he thinks his riding benefited from the fund. Does he think our new “build Canada homes” initiative will help build more housing in rural regions like ours in Atlantic Canada?”
“Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate all my new colleagues in the House on their election. I am a proud Acadian and a proud francophone. When I read through the Speech from the Throne, I read this: Canada is a country that respects and celebrates its official languages.... The Government is determined to protect the institutions that bring these cultures and this identity to the world, like CBC/Radio-Canada. Will my colleague, like her leader, continue to call for the dismantling of CBC/Radio-Canada? Will she continue to ask francophone members to answer her and speak to her in English?”