Yves Perron

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 33 wordsI am pleased speak to Bill C-268. That said, I am going to take the liberty of making a brief aside right at the outset. I am sure my colleagues will not mind.Procedure Anecdote · 9 wordsI was a high school teacher for 25 years.¹Anecdote Thanks · 76 wordsYesterday, I found out that a former colleague of mine, a teacher at L’Érablière high school who inspired me greatly and whom I hold in high regard, has won a science teaching award known as the Raymond Gervais Award.² Charline Liard-Arbour is radiant, bubbly, full of energy, and, above all, innovative. She always has fresh ideas for making her subject more engaging, and I think this accolade is fully deserved. I tip my hat to her.Thanks Procedure · 18 wordsI would now like to come back to today’s topic, Bill C-268. I am pleased to discuss it.Procedure Claims · 51 wordsIt addresses an issue that is extremely important to everyone, but especially to members from rural ridings like mine. It is an issue that constituents bring up with us at least once a week. Cell service dead zones can pop up in surprising places. They happen everywhere. That is the truth.Unearned certainty Reasoning · 21 wordsWhen we look at Bill C-268, the first question that comes to mind is whether it will really make a difference. Claims · 17 wordsIn committee, witnesses told us that the verifications introduced by the bill are already being carried out.³ Procedure · 4 wordsOne thing is certain: ProcedureUnearned certaintyClaims · 91 wordsThis bill will make reviews and transparency mandatory.⁴ This bill will force the government to update the spectrum policy framework for Canada every five years.⁵ That has not been done since 2007, ⁶so it has been awhile. Second, it will force the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to verify the accuracy of the coverage data provided by telecommunications companies for the regions.⁷ I think that is a really good idea. Lastly, it will require the Minister of Industry to publish a report within 18 months of Bill C‑268 coming into force.⁸ Promise · 18 wordsI hope that will be done. I hope the government will honour its commitment to publish the report. Reasoning · 5 wordsThere needs to be transparency. Claims · 59 wordsThere are also other laws, like the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act, that are supposed to be reviewed in the first year following a general election.⁹ The last I heard, that has not yet been done.¹⁰ We know that even if there is an obligation to prepare a report or a study, it does not always happen. Promise · 13 wordsWe sincerely hope that is not the case, but we have our doubts. Claims · 60 wordsThe bill tabled by the member for Compton—Stanstead is full of good intentions.¹¹ I know her well enough to believe that she wants to see action on this file. We will agree to fully support the bill. It is outrageous that, in 2026, the safety of some citizens is at risk because they do not have access to a network. Positioning · 3 wordsThat is crazy.Positioning Claims · 79 wordsI have been an MP for seven years, ¹²but I have been talking about this issue for eight years. I was active in the community before I was elected. Several places have dead zones, including Saint‑Édouard‑de‑Maskinongé, Saint‑Mathieu‑du‑Parc, Saint‑Élie‑de‑Caxton and even Pointe‑du‑Lac. For those who may not know, Pointe-du-Lac is part of the city of Trois‑Rivières.¹³ Even Pointe‑du‑Lac has dead zones. Sometimes, people can encounter problems in urban or semi-urban areas too, like Saint‑Boniface, Saint‑Étienne‑des‑Grès, Saint‑Alexis‑des‑Monts, Sainte‑Geneviève‑de‑Berthier, Saint‑Gabriel‑de‑Brandon and Saint‑Didace. Reasoning · 32 wordsAs elected officials, especially at the federal level, if we want to have a presence in our communities, we have to be mobile. We spend a lot of time in our cars. Anecdote · 68 wordsWhat do people do while sitting in their car? They do admin. Through the magic of Bluetooth technology, people can talk on the phone. We know where the dead zones are. In the middle of a conversation with someone, we will warn them that a dead zone is coming up ahead, that our call might drop and we might have to call them back. That is not normal.Anecdote Aside · 6 wordsIt may be a funny example, AsideClaims · 58 wordsbut it can be a very serious problem if a driver gets in an accident on an isolated stretch of road and calling for help is not an option. In my riding, some deaths could have been prevented. This has not been proven, but sadly, by all indications, these deaths could have been avoided had there been signal. Positioning · 3 wordsThat is sad.Positioning Reasoning · 14 wordsIt is the government’s responsibility to do everything it can to improve the situation. Positioning · 13 wordsAs elected officials, we are working hard and we want this to work, PositioningClaims · 108 wordsbut government structures like the CRTC need to address this. Licence holders must be compelled to use the spectrum. Some companies pay to reserve spectrum, but do not develop it. They do not believe it is profitable enough. I think the government should be able to say that, if they bought the spectrum, they have to develop it, and then give them a very short time frame to do so. If that spectrum is not developed, too bad for the licence holder. They will have to give it up and pass it on to the next operator. At some point, we need to ensure coverage for our population. Positioning · 7 wordsThe way it is makes no sense.Positioning Aside · 16 wordsI imagine that my colleague is thrilled about our support. Sometimes things get rusty over time.Aside Claims · 12 wordsThe bill talks about implementing a review mechanism and requiring a report. Promise · 9 wordsMembers can count on us to demand those reports. The ask · 36 wordsI urge my colleague to speak with the Minister of Industry and tell her that she will have to produce results, because we want to see results, output and new towers built where they are needed. Claims · 34 wordsIf there are any companies that are waiting to make more profit, if they are not developing the spectrum or if they are refusing to share towers, as we sometimes see, that is unacceptable. The ask · 7 wordsWe need to take action on that. Promise · 17 wordsThe Bloc Québécois will enthusiastically support this bill, in the hope that it will improve the situation.