Yves Perron
Berthier—Maskinongé, Quebec · Bloc Québécois · Canada
“They are not experts in the effects of crop protection products on the environment and on the people who apply them. (1125) I am not just thinking of the environment, but also of the farmers who are going to apply these pesticides to their fields.”
“Bill C-30 includes a lot of problematic provisions, including those related to pesticides. I spoke about this in my questions to my two colleagues who spoke before me. Everyone knows that agriculture and agri-food matter a lot to me. The people who work in these industries are especially important to me.”
“Speaker, as well as those who occupy the chair in your absence. You are all outstanding in this role. We greatly appreciate your impartiality, most of the time, indeed nearly all of the time. We are grateful for your work. I thank my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois and in all the other parties, as well as the independent members.”
“I exchanged letters with Alberta's minister of agriculture for some time over the past few years. She told me about a significant problem with rodent infestations in the fields and asked me to approve a product that I was unfamiliar with.”
“What is more, it is not any more expensive and it brings incredible vitality to our regions. I go to all the markets. There is a good chance people will run into me and we can chat about all sorts of things if we are at the market at the same time. I would like that. My task today is to discuss Bill C-30 .”
“The Conservatives went down in history for that. I see members laughing, but mark my words, the Liberals are going to set a new record. They have made a good start. It is so appalling. We basically have a Conservative Prime Minister dressed up as a Liberal. Is that not the case?”
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“How great is it that, during a global conflict, Canada opted to tax fertilizer for farmers. Canada was the only G7 country to do that, even though it is an extremely ineffective measure. The government knew it then, and it knows it now. The government tried to reimburse farmers, but it could not figure out how to do so because it did not know who had paid what, so now that money is paying for programs for farmers. Farmers are paying for their own programs, yet the government will tell them how lucky they are to have received so much government money. That money is the farmers' money. Business risk management programs do not work at all. There are some simple things the government can do. I am not just complaining.”
“Then they are asking us to vote in favour of what they want. The Bloc Québécois takes things seriously. We always try to behave like adults, and today, the members who are behaving like adults are saying that it is true, food prices have gone up. There are several reasons for this. This is probably going to disappoint the Conservative Party a little, but I want to tell them something. Since April 1, when the consumer carbon tax was scrapped, food prices have not dropped, despite what the Conservatives have been claiming for months and years. That means there is something else going on. We commissioned the Institut de recherche en économie contemporaine, or IREC, to do a study, and the findings were very clear. A great deal of the increase is attributable to climate change, and a great deal of it is due to global instability and conflict.”
“We recently obtained the spending report and learned that spending has increased by 8%, even though this government was elected on a promise to limit spending increases to 2%. It is incapable of that. This government is completely out of control, especially when it comes to awarding contracts to friends, which is expensive. I think the increase there is 26%. The only area where this government is capable of restricting spending is in giving money to individuals, like the pension plan for seniors aged 65 and over, for example. They talk a good game, yet the Liberals have refused, without a hint of embarrassment, to increase pensions for seniors aged 65 and over and eliminate age discrimination. Today, they have the nerve to tell us that this is no big deal, that they are not tabling a budget.”
“The House did not vote on that measure, but it was implemented, and now we are stuck with it. In this case, the Canada Revenue Agency and other other agencies have already made the tax adjustments. Employers have already begun to reduce income tax deductions. There is nothing urgent about this situation. That is just an excuse. (1205) The important thing is doing the job right. There is plenty of time to do that. That is especially important because we are dealing with a government that made all sorts of magical promises during the election campaign. The Liberals told people not to worry because they were going to balance the budget while cutting taxes. They said that they would find a way to do that. It is going to take a hat, a magic wand and a rabbit or I do not know what. Let us be serious. All of this needs to be based on something.”
“Then I told her we could also get a new car, since ours is so old. I asked her opinion and we came to an agreement, but does anyone think that a typical family is going to spend that kind of money without budgeting? I am not saying that these kinds of expenses are not justified, important or worthwhile, but do we really think that ordinary people, a popular term many people here use indiscriminately, are going to do that without budgeting for it? It all starts there. What is more, the government is saying that this is an urgent situation, that it wants to lower taxes now. However, one of the features of the parliamentary system is that when a notice of ways and means motion is tabled, the measure is implemented. We saw it last year with the capital gains tax.”
“Will infrastructure programs be cut? This is a critical time in terms of adapting to climate change. Our municipalities need significant funds to overhaul infrastructure and prepare for flooding and flash floods, like the ones that my riding of Berthier-Maskinongé experienced on August 9. It was a terrible situation. It is not enough to just be there to show compassion for people and help them pump out their basements. We did that, but, as responsible elected officials, we have an administrative job to do. To do that, we have to look at how much money we have left. On the weekend, I was chatting with my wife and I asked her if she wanted to get a pool. We can get one put in, no problem. Then I asked her if she wanted to go on a trip to Italy. Perfect, we will take a trip to Italy.”
“Not only have we not been able to do that for a very long time, but we are also being told that the government is going to spend money. I want to be very clear: The Bloc Québécois supports the principle of lower taxes. No one is against apple pie. However, we would like to know what the plan is, where the money will be taken from and which spending items it will come from. Will the government announce in the fall, once the tax cut has been implemented, that it is actually going to cut health transfers to the provinces, thinking that the provinces will just have to make do because the government decided to pander to people by lowering taxes? Is that where we are headed? If that is the case, I am not sure the people at home want us to let the government do that. That is the issue. In what other areas will budget cuts be made, if not there?”
“The elected members of this House, the representatives of the people, ordered the government to table a budget before the summer. Parliament is the government's boss. The government derives its legitimacy from Parliament. It has to respect the will of Parliament and I get the impression that today's motion will also be adopted. There is no time for populism, saying that no one is complaining about this. Obviously people are worried about being able to afford their groceries. I want to take this opportunity to contribute to the conversation on this. We need to realize the scope of the current situation. We have not sat since December 18. We just resumed. Parliament has not been able to sit for many months, review government actions, hold the government to account or protect the people in the ridings. That is what the opposition's job is.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to give my first speech. Since I have a bit more time and this is my first chance to do so in your presence, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your appointment. However, I cannot congratulate the government on its transparency. I want to mention that I will be sharing my time with my esteemed colleague from Laurentides—Labelle . Today's motion is on the price of groceries with the intention of reiterating the request to table a budget. It is a way to ensure that the government has understood the request, or rather the order from Parliament. It is interesting to hear a government representative say that no one has called his riding office asking for a budget to be tabled. He is the parliamentary secretary after all, so he should know what he is talking about. Let us be serious.”
“Mr. Speaker, this morning, the Conservatives moved a motion on the cost of food. Of course, we agree that the government should table a budget. We already voted on that last week. As for the cost of food, I would like the member to tell us what meaningful measures could be put into place. I would like to know what he thinks about the following: Does he believe that the gradual implementation of a code of conduct for the grocery industry will help this situation?”
“Motion Mr. Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practice of the House, Bill C‑202, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management) , be deemed read a second time and referred to a committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage, and deemed read a third time and passed.”
“Mr. Speaker, in this first week of sittings, I want to take the opportunity to sincerely thank the people of Berthier—Maskinongé, who not only elected me to a third term, but to a third term with a clear majority. I thank them from the bottom of my heart, and I will honour their trust. I would like my colleague to answer the following simple question. At home, does his family draw up a budget before spending money? Does he think he could work within his party to try to convince his Liberal friends to share the state of our public finances before presenting us with new spending?”
“Mr. Speaker, the people of Saint-Maurice—Champlain expect parliamentarians to draft a budget before spending the money. It is as though the Prime Minister followed Trudeau's example when it comes to spending and thought, “Just watch me”. What is next? Is he going to show up here wearing Adidas running shoes? The Prime Minister is proving that this is the fourth edition of the same Liberal government. The Liberals would still have us believe that they can continue to spend while reducing revenues, without increasing the debt or cutting transfers to the provinces. They need to show us in a budget how they plan to do that. Is transparency too much to ask?”
“Mr. Speaker, even with a new leader, the Liberals are spending like there is no tomorrow. The Prime Minister promised to limit spending increases to 2% per year, yet the main estimates show that he is going to raise spending by another 8% this year. That comes before the tax cuts and before the $200 billion in spending that he hopes to pass during this session. It is ridiculous to present these measures without disclosing the precise status of government finances. Is the Prime Minister going to table a budget or is he going to govern exactly like Justin Trudeau?”
“Mr. Speaker, World Milk Day is coming up in a few days. Let us raise a glass to this simple yet essential food. Milk has endured through the ages and across cultures. It is more than just a drink; it is a powerhouse of benefits. It fuels our bodies, strengthens our bones and rounds out our bowl of cereal in the morning and our dessert at night. World Milk Day also provides an opportunity to celebrate the commitment of the farmers who work hard every day, with passion and perseverance, to supply us with this nutritious beverage. World Milk Day is a day to reflect on how milk gets to our table, through essential work that is invisible to most of us. Today, let us spare a thought for that glass of milk and the supply management system that is behind both it and our farmers, who get up every morning and keep our regions strong.”