“This bill gives the government too much power and hurts the environment. It could let ministers control all of Quebec without ever asking Quebec first. I want the Prime Minister to admit this bill goes against Quebec's interests.”

“Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Liberal ministers showed up in committee to defend the abuses of power in Bill C‑39, a bill that even Stephen Harper would not have dared dream of introducing, as La Presse editorial writer Paul Journet noted yesterday. In theory, according to one minister’s testimony, all of Quebec could become a region of national interest, even though the Liberals obviously do not see why they would go that far. That is how much power the bill gives them at the expense of the environment. Does the Prime Minister realize that his bill is clearly contrary to Quebec’s national interest when Quebec was never consulted?”

“I want the Prime Minister to answer my question. This bill harms Indigenous people, workers' rights, the environment, and Quebec's control over its own land. How can the government claim that doing all of this unites the country?”

“Mr. Speaker, democracy and the art of answering questions are having a very bad day. Indigenous communities are concerned about being dispossessed of their land. Environmentalists are alarmed by the Prime Minister’s shift toward oil. Workers are outraged that their right to strike has been taken away. The government could take control of parts of Quebec’s territory outside the rule of law. Does the Prime Minister think that harming indigenous people, labour rights, the fight against climate change and the territorial sovereignty of Quebec and the provinces constitute the national interest, national unity or consensus?”