Joël Lightbound
Louis-Hébert, Quebec · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, they want to talk about our record, then let us talk about it. This government's record includes $10 billion in infrastructure for hospitals, public transit and schools in Quebec. Our record includes three million Quebeckers who will receive the Canada groceries and essentials benefit.”
“Mr. Speaker, speaking of a lack of leadership, Canadians have been looking for the Conservative Party's economic plan for at least two years. No one has found it yet, because it does not exist. I would invite my colleague to look at the superdeduction in budget 2025, for example.”
“Mr. Speaker, when we listen to the Bloc Québécois, we have no trouble understanding why Quebeckers made the wise choice to send 44 Quebec members to this side of the House. Our members are firmly focused on building our economy while protecting our environment.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague. It is a pleasure to work with him on a number of issues in the Quebec City region. I would be happy to discuss this particular issue with him at a later date.”
“Mr. Speaker, to pick up on what the government House leader said, I will not apologize for acting quickly for Quebeckers and Canadians. We have demonstrated this over the past few months, such as with a $10‑billion infrastructure agreement with Quebec to build public transit and deliver the infrastructure that our cities need.”
“Mr. Speaker, in response to my colleague, I would say that what is not working is the Conservatives. They stand up and pretend to show empathy, but when it comes time to vote for concrete measures that help their constituents, they vote against them at every turn. I encourage my colleague to do some math.”
The complete record
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“Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the Auditor General for her work. I would like to point out that we have taken action on all of her past recommendations, but we did not stop there. We terminated all contracts with GC Strategies over a year ago. We have revoked their security clearances. We have launched legal action against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Why? It is for the simple reason that we will always defend the integrity of our procurement system and hold bad suppliers and their contractors to account.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I have noted before, we will always defend the integrity of our procurement process. We will never tolerate any form of misconduct from our suppliers or their contractors, which is why we have revoked GC Strategies' security clearance. We terminated all contracts more than a year ago. Now the office of supplier integrity has barred them from contracting with the Canadian government. We have referred cases to the RCMP. We have taken legal action. We will always hold bad actors responsible.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think I have made it abundantly clear in previous answers that we will always protect the integrity of our procurement process, which is why we have taken legal action against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the RCMP, and we will always hold bad actors to account.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I have highlighted in previous answers, we will always protect the integrity of our procurement process. This is why we have put in place the office of supplier integrity, which has banned GC Strategies for seven years. We have revoked their security clearance. We have taken legal actions against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the RCMP because we will never tolerate bad actions from suppliers or their contractors. The member talks about having the backs of Canadians; the Conservatives have an opportunity to support a tax cut for 22 million Canadians right after question period. I hope they will do it for a change.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for her report. We have already acted on previous recommendations she has put forward. We have taken legal action against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the RCMP because we will never tolerate bad behaviour from our suppliers or their contractors.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me be absolutely clear. We will never accept misconduct from our suppliers or their subcontractors. We will always hold them to account. That is why we terminated all contracts with GC Strategies over a year ago, revoked its security clearances and banned it from securing Government of Canada contracts for the next seven years. We have also initiated legal action against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the RCMP. Why? It is because we will always protect the integrity of our procurement system.”
“Mr. Speaker, we will always protect the integrity of our procurement system. That is why we are implementing the recommendations made by the Auditor General in previous reports. That is why we referred cases to the RCMP. We have taken legal action against GC Strategies. We revoked its security clearances. We terminated all contracts with GC Strategies. We even banned it from obtaining contracts with the Government of Canada for the next seven years. Why? We will never tolerate misconduct by our suppliers or their subcontractors.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me be absolutely clear. We will never tolerate misconduct from our suppliers or their subcontractors, which is why we have taken legal action against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the RCMP. We have barred them from contracting with the Canadian government. We have revoked their security clearance. This is the mandate we were elected on, to make sure that we have the best-in-class procurement system in this country.”
“Mr. Speaker, we will always protect the integrity of our procurement process, which is why we have implemented recommendations from the Auditor General from past reports, such as increasing transparency, strengthening oversight and clarifying the roles and responsibilities across departments. We will always hold bad actors to account, which is why we have taken legal actions against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the RCMP. We will always protect the integrity of our procurement process.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to note that we have implemented the measures recommended by the Auditor General in previous reports as well as internal audits. We have revoked the security clearance of GC Strategies. We have terminated all contracts with GC Strategies. We have barred GC Strategies from future contracts with the Government of Canada. We have taken legal action against GC Strategies. We have referred cases to the RCMP. We will never tolerate misconduct from our suppliers or their subcontractors.”
“Mr. Speaker, I had a very good conversation with the Auditor General. We accept the recommendations in her report, but I would note that, if my colleagues will take the time to read it, it says very clearly that we are on track to meet our affordable housing targets. I congratulate the member opposite on his arrival in the House, but I would like to point out that when his leader was in charge of housing, only six affordable housing units were built. That was after decades of federal government disengagement from housing under the Conservatives. The Conservatives have nothing to teach us about affordable housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for her work. I had an important conversation with her about office space, which is something that was included in the report she released yesterday. I would like to point that, in her report, she notes that we are on track to meet our targets for affordable housing on federal lands. That is good news for Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me be absolutely clear: We will never tolerate misconduct from our suppliers or their subcontractors. We will always hold bad actors to account so that we deliver the best value for Canadians. This is exactly what we are doing for Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear: We will always protect the integrity of our procurement process. We have been elected on a mandate to deliver best value for Canadians as we embark on an ambitious journey for this country. I am hoping Conservatives will get on board.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question, and I also thank the Auditor General for her work and for the recommendations in her previous reports, which we have acted on to ensure greater transparency and accountability from suppliers. We will always hold suppliers accountable for their actions. In fact, in March 2024, my department revoked GC Strategies' security clearances and terminated all of its contracts. Last week, the Office of Supplier Integrity and Compliance announced that GC Strategies will be ineligible to apply for contracts for seven years.”
“Mr. Speaker, with regard to the office space my colleague mentioned, I want to thank the Auditor General. The government accepts all of her recommendations. That said, I would like to point out that, in her report, she notes that we are on track to meet our affordable housing targets. That is good news for Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the Auditor General for her report and for a previous report she made on the matter. We have acted on all of her recommendations to increase accountability, transparency and data collection, and to clarify the rules, roles and responsibilities. Let me be very clear that we will always hold bad actors to account. As a matter of fact, we have revoked the security clearance of GC Strategies. The office of supplier integrity has acted on GC Strategies.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear: Misconduct of any kind by suppliers is never acceptable, and we will always hold bad actors to account. As a matter of fact, the office of supplier integrity last week made a decision making GC Strategies ineligible for contracts for a period of seven years. We also terminated, in March 2024, all contracts with GC Strategies and revoked its security clearance. We will always hold bad actors to account.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I have noted, we have acted on all recommendations by the Auditor General in previous reports. I thank her for her work. We will always hold bad actors to account. As a matter of fact, last week, the office of supplier integrity made a decision to make GC Strategies ineligible for future contracts for a period of seven years. This is a process that is working as it should.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for her report. We have acted on all the recommendations she has made in previous reports as well those in internal audits. As I noted earlier, the office of supplier integrity last week made a decision to make GC Strategies ineligible for future contracts for a period of seven years.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for her report. As I mentioned earlier, the office of supplier integrity rendered a decision last week making GC Strategies ineligible for future contracts from the Government of Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I noted in previous answers, in March 2024, PSPC revoked the security clearance of GC Strategies. We have also terminated all contracts, because we will always hold bad actors to account. Last week, the office of supplier integrity rendered the decision that makes GC Strategies ineligible for the next seven years. This is a process that is independent, that is free of political intervention, to hold bad actors to account, and it is working exactly as it should.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General of Canada for her report. We accept all of her recommendations to ensure that we are meeting our objectives in terms of federal space and federal government rental space. I would note, though, that in her report, she mentions very clearly that we are on track to meet our target for affordable housing units using federal lands.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for her report on office space and federal lands. I note that we accept all recommendations. I also note that she highlights that progress has been made. We are on the way to meeting our objectives in terms of affordable housing on public lands and federal lands. This is very good news for Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. We will never accept misconduct from our suppliers. In March 2024, my department terminated all contracts with GC Strategies and revoked its security clearance. Last week, the office of supplier integrity and compliance rendered a decision making GC Strategies ineligible for any contracts with the Government of Canada for seven years. We put this process in place to ensure that bad actors are held accountable, and it is working exactly as it should.”
“Mr. Speaker, in March 2024, Public Services and Procurement Canada terminated all contracts with GC Strategies. The company's security clearance has been revoked, rendering it ineligible for any contract requiring a security clearance. Last week, the office of supplier integrity and compliance determined that GC Strategies would be ineligible for any future contract for the next seven years. This is a free, independent process that is working exactly as it should.”
“Mr. Speaker, following a thorough investigation by the office of supplier integrity, last week a determination was made that GC Strategies should be ineligible for the next seven years. This is a free and independent process we have put in place to hold bad actors to account, and it is working exactly as it should.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I have highlighted in previous answers, in March 2024, PSPC terminated all contracts with GC Strategies. We revoked its security clearance. Now, the office of supplier integrity, which we have put in place after a thorough investigation, determined that GC Strategies met the threshold to be found ineligible for government contracts. As such, it is ineligible for the next seven years. This is a process to hold bad actors accountable, because we will never accept and tolerate misconduct in the procurement process.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me be absolutely clear. Misconduct of any kind in the procurement process is never acceptable, which is why we have acted on previous recommendations from the Auditor General. As of last year, GC Strategies has seen its contracts terminated by the Government of Canada, and the government has revoked its security clearance. The government went even further: The office of supplier integrity has rendered a decision making GC Strategies ineligible for seven years. This is a process that is free and independent, holding bad actors to account, and it is working as it should.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Auditor General for her report and highlight that we have acted on previous reports by the Auditor General and also on internal audits to increase transparency, increase data collection and increase oversight. I will also note that last year, my department terminated all contracts with GC Strategies and revoked its security clearance, and as of last week, the office of supplier integrity has rendered a decision making GC Strategies ineligible for contracts for seven years.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will note that in March 2024, my department terminated all contracts with GC Strategies and has revoked its security clearance, rendering it ineligible for contracts that require that security clearance, but we went even further. The office of supplier integrity last week determined that GC Strategies is ineligible for seven years. This is a free, independent process holding bad actors to account and working exactly as it should.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is true that Canadians need the essential support measures provided by the federal government. Still, we cannot ignore the record of the Conservative Party, which has voted against families in Quebec and Canada at every turn. Take, for example, the Canada child benefit or the Canadian dental care plan, which has saved an average of $900 for each person who has had access. We are talking about 1.9 million Canadians. That is thousands of people in his riding. We could also talk about child care spaces or affordable housing. There are a number of programs. The Conservatives should vote with us to support Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to emphasize what my hon. colleague said, that the Bloc Québécois agrees with rearming the Canadian Armed Forces and supports today's historic announcement about meeting the target of 2% of GDP set by NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. That represents $9.3 billion in defence spending that is needed to defend Canada's sovereignty and protect Canadians. I thank the Bloc Québécois for agreeing with this ambitious proposal for the country. I would also like to point out that I was at the Davie shipyard this weekend. It was celebrating its 200th anniversary. It contributes to Canada's sovereignty by building high-quality ships right here at home, in Quebec.”
“Madam Speaker, I would first like to congratulate my colleague on his arrival in the House and his election. I will note that over the past 10 years, though, his party has voted against every affordability measure, whether it be tax cuts for the middle class, the Canada child benefit, the dental care program or more child care spaces in Quebec. The Conservatives have now gotten off on the right foot by supporting us with a measure to lower taxes for 22 million Canadians, as well as eliminate the GST on new builds, which will directly help first-time buyers become home owners. I hope they will keep going and support us with estimates that fund essential programs for my colleague's constituents in Beauce.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is true that we need a balanced immigration system that takes into account the capacity of Quebec and Canada to accept immigrants. That is why we are gradually lowering immigration levels. We have also placed restrictions on issuing visas. I would just like to point out one thing. While his colleague from Bowmanville—Oshawa North says that we should scrap the temporary foreign worker program, his constituents in the Quebec City area, in Lévis, Bellechasse and Chaudière-Appalaches, tell us that they need these workers to keep our factories running throughout Quebec.”
“Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me point out that one of our government's first actions was to lower taxes for 22 million Canadians. That is an average tax reduction of $840 per family. We are very proud of this very tangible, direct measure to help Canadians and make life more affordable. We did not stop there. We are removing or reducing the GST on new homes for new homebuyers. This measure is specifically designed to make it easier for new buyers to access home ownership. It surprises me that my Conservative Party colleague even refuses to support important programs that benefit Canadians in his riding of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, like the Canadian dental care plan or the Canada child benefit. It is high time he gave us his support.”
“Mr. Speaker, on April 28, Canadians rejected the kind of regression that the Conservative Party would have brought to Canada. We see it today. The Conservatives would have had no qualms about cutting programs that Canadians and our communities depend on, whether it be the Canada child benefit or the Canadian dental care plan, which was just expanded to cover people between the ages of 18 and 64 and has already helped millions of Canadians across the country. It is embarrassing, today, to see them proposing things that would set Canada back. They should support us with the estimates.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have reduced the use of consultants, to answer the first part of the member's question. We are working on a strong mandate to make government more efficient so that we can deliver more for Canadians, which is exactly what we are doing with a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. I am hoping Conservatives can rally behind this common-sense idea.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have been in the House for 10 years now, and I am grateful to the people of Louis-Hébert. I have seen the Conservatives' selective amnesia, which causes them to forget that just a month ago, they were unable to present a costed platform, even though they had been calling for an election for years. The numbers they used were not worth the paper they were printed on. My colleague talks about seniors and the people in his riding. What will he tell them after voting against the Canadian dental care plan, which two days ago was extended to people between the ages of 18 and 64? This will give millions of Canadians access to dental care. He should support it. He should be ashamed of voting against it.”
“Mr. Speaker, we did indeed receive a strong mandate to improve government efficiency using means like new technologies. We also received a mandate to reduce reliance on outside consultants, which we are doing and will continue to do, while still ensuring that the public service has the expertise and tools it needs to carry out its mission. However, I would point out that the estimates include things like funding for the Canadian dental care plan, which benefits thousands of people in the riding of my colleague on the other side of the House. The Conservatives said during the campaign that they would support the plan, but now they are going to vote against it. It is unfortunate and deplorable that my colleague is depriving thousands of his constituents of the Canadian dental care plan.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to have been elected with this government on a strong mandate to reduce bureaucracy and make government more efficient. We are working on it. The goal is to spend less so we can invest more, and that is exactly what we are doing with a tax cut for 22 million Canadians, which is going to save, on average, $840 per Canadian family. I am hoping Conservatives will rally behind this common-sense idea.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have reduced the use of consultants, but we were also elected to office with a very firm and strong mandate to improve government efficiency, particularly with the use of new technologies. When my colleague talks about Canadian families, bear in mind that we tabled legislation in the House this week that aims to cut taxes for every Canadian family by an average of $840. Will the Conservatives be supporting that? It is common sense, after all.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. He spoke about drama, and I must say that he is also being rather dramatic. We see his rather frequent theatrics every day in question period. The truth is that, during the election campaign, the Conservative Party presented a plan that was not worth the paper it was written on. It was a fully costed platform that was ridiculed by everyone in the country who knows how to count. On this side of the House, we were elected with a very clear mandate to make government more efficient, reduce our reliance on outside consultants and give our public servants the means to accomplish our ambitious agenda.”
“Mr. Speaker, I too would like to thank my constituents in Louis-Hébert, without whom nothing would have been possible. I thank my constituents for placing their trust in me once again. I would add that I thank the people of Beauport—Limoilou for giving us a third voice in Quebec City, a third member to join me and my friend and colleague from Québec Centre . With his strong voice, we will be able to defend the interests of the Quebec City region even more effectively. With his help, we are already taking action with a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. This will mean an average reduction of $840 per family. My colleague can be proud of that. I hope we will have the support of the entire House as we meet Canadians' expectations for a more affordable country and a stronger economy.”
“Mr. Speaker, who were Quebeckers actually critical of? This past election, they were critical of the Conservative Party, which failed to present a plan worth the paper it was written on, even though it had been demanding an election for years. Quebeckers chose an ambitious plan to make the government more effective, to make the economy stronger and more resilient and to make life more affordable. That is what our tax cut for 22 million Canadians will do. That is $840 per family. I hope the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk will support this plan.”
“Mr. Speaker, the question a lot of Canadians are asking is how come Conservatives cannot get behind the idea of supporting 22 million Canadians with a tax break that would make life more affordable for Canadians and of eliminating GST on new homes, which is going to help new homebuyers. Our plan is an ambitious one to grow this economy and to make life more affordable for Canadians. I am hoping Conservatives will see the light and rally behind this ambitious plan for Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to be part of the new government, which is fighting for Canadians, from day one, with a proposed bill that would make life more affordable for 22 million Canadians. That is an average of $840 per family in income tax reductions. This is giving real help to Canadians, and I am very proud that we are delivering on day one.”