MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

Hon. Joël Lightbound

Liberal Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant 61 statements translated

Lightbound focuses on promoting Quebec's interests, consistently advocating for more federal spending on projects and programs in the province. He often highlights announcements, funding amounts, and job creation related to Quebec. When pressed on other issues or criticisms, he tends to deflect by either listing the government's Quebec-focused initiatives or attacking the opposition parties' records and positions.

Oral Questions

The Economy

2026-06-08

“Canada's economy is strong. It created 88,000 jobs last month. I want to take credit for that. I don't want people focusing on the negatives.”

Oral Questions

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

2026-06-05

“Yes, we already extended the processing time to 90 days. We fixed it.”

“I'm pleased to announce our latest government policy to grant one-year permit extensions to foreign workers and their spouses. This is good news for many temporary foreign workers in Quebec who rely on these permits. We will continue to work with Quebec on these labour issues.”

Oral Questions

The Economy

2026-06-05

“It's good that jobs are being created. The government is spending a lot of money on the Quebec City tramway. That will create jobs. The opposition MP for Quebec City didn't want this project. That's bad.”

Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I will reiterate what my colleagues said because it is important. Over the past few months, the Canadian economy has created 80,000 jobs. We are seeing a drop in the unemployment rate, especially in youth employment. That is good news for Canadians. I want to take this opportunity to say that we learned something else this week. We found out that the Government of Canada is going to invest billions of dollars in infrastructure, including in the Quebec City tramway. This is going to create more than 80,000 jobs. Those are 80,000 good jobs for our constituents. It is well known that the opposition MP for the Quebec City area has always opposed this project. He campaigned on a promise to cut nearly $3 billion in federal funding from the Quebec City tramway. That is shameful.

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Oral Questions

The Economy

2026-06-04

“I will list many spending programs. I want you to think the government is helping the economy. I will ignore questions about a recession.”

Oral Questions

Canadian Identity and Culture

2026-06-04

“The Bloc complained about the budget. They say we didn't give enough money to culture. But the Bloc didn't ask for culture money during the budget negotiations. The Bloc even voted against $750 million for culture in the budget. Now we are giving $600 million more. ADISQ and the cultural sector like this money. But the Bloc opposes that, too. Whatever we do, the Bloc always complains.”

Oral Questions

The Economy

2026-06-04

“I want you to support our spending programs! I'm going to list off a lot of big numbers to make our spending sound good. You should vote for these programs because they give people money. Never mind how we'll pay for it.”

Oral Questions

The Economy

2026-06-01

“I ignored your examples of struggling Canadians. I changed the subject to exports and trade agreements. That's what Canadians expect. I avoided answering whether our economy is strong or weak compared to other countries.”

“I want to cheer for big spending projects. Canada's economy is weak because of the Americans. Our government wants to spend lots of money on new programs.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians know why. They are well aware that Canada's economy is one of the most highly integrated with the American economy and that we are facing headwinds and disruptions because of the illegal and unjustified tariffs imposed by the Americans. That being said, the reason Canadians chose this government is because a lot of things remain within our control. For example, we can build one Canadian economy. That could potentially add $215 billion to the GDP. That is what we are doing. We can build major projects. Examples that come to mind include high-speed rail between Quebec City and Toronto, expanded port infrastructure and market diversification. That is exactly what we are doing to support Canadians.

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Oral Questions

The Environment

2026-06-01

“You want numbers? I'll give you numbers! We're protecting lots of land and water. We're spending billions on green projects. We're giving lots of money to Quebec companies. We're making new rules to reduce bad emissions. See, we're doing lots of climate action!”

Oral Questions

Finance

2026-05-28

“You would spend too much by not giving your riding free dental care. You would spend too much by not giving parents in your riding money. You are bad at spending less.”

“'He's getting big contracts to build planes in Quebec. Good jobs!'”

Oral Questions

Justice

2026-05-28

“I don't want to answer your question about democracy. I'll list different nice-sounding big-spending projects instead. If I talk about good jobs maybe you'll forget your question.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, once again, it is clear that the members of the Bloc Québécois are completely out of touch with what the people of Quebec care about. What Quebeckers care about is affordability, creating good jobs and providing opportunities for our young people. What Quebeckers care about is a workforce training program like the one outlined in the economic update. What Quebeckers care about is major projects like a high-speed rail line connecting Quebec City and Toronto, Nouveau Monde Graphite, the expansion of the port of Montreal in Contrecoeur, and major projects that will build Quebec and provide opportunities for ordinary people. That is what Quebeckers care about, not the questions about the Clarity Act that my colleagues from the Bloc Québécois are raising.

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“I don't want to talk about the Clarity Act or referendum rules. I want to talk about buying planes and making jobs. Morning priorities! We're focused on morning priorities!”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Bloc Québécois members get up every morning and want nothing more than to talk about the Clarity Act and referendums. On this side of the House, we get up every morning wondering how we are going to create opportunities for Quebeckers, build one Canadian economy and protect Canada's sovereignty. I will give them an example. Yesterday, we stood with Bombardier to announce the acquisition of GlobalEye aircraft to defend our country's sovereignty and create more than 3,000 jobs in Canada. This is in addition to the 150 aircraft that were ordered by Airbus about two weeks ago. That is what creating opportunities for Quebeckers looks like. Those are the priorities of Quebeckers. Those are our priorities. I will leave the Bloc Québécois to its questions about referendums.

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Oral Questions

Finance

2026-05-26

“I listed off nice things in the riding so people like me. My opponent voted against the spending. He doesn't care about vulnerable people. We believe in spending money to help people. I want credit for big expensive projects. The government should spend a lot of money on all my projects.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I just listed the programs that provide direct assistance to the people in the riding of Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk. The member voted against these measures every chance he got over the past 10 years. We will not take lessons from him on how to help the most vulnerable Canadians and Quebeckers. What sets us apart on this side of the House is that, yes, we believe that we need social programs and direct assistance for Canadians, but we also have a vision for the future that involves building major projects. Take, for example, the announcement regarding the Port of Québec, which will become the sixth international container port. There is also the Contrecoeur project, the Nouveau Monde Graphite mine, the high-speed train and training for young trades workers across the country. That is this government's vision for building a strong economy.

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“The other party is heartless because they won't spend more money. I want taxpayers to spend lots of money to buy Canadians' votes. People in your riding get money if they vote for us.”

Oral Questions

The Economy

2026-05-25

“Thank you for the softball question. This mining project is big. It will make lots of graphite. More graphite for us and our allies. It will create some jobs. This project is good because it makes us more sovereign.”

“I'm going to talk about how much money we're spending instead of answering the question about wasteful spending. Look at all the money we're pouring into job training and a big mine project! We believe in young people and the future!”

Oral Questions

Taxation

2026-05-25

“I don't want to answer your specific question about cutting the GST gas tax. Instead I will list popular spending programs and imply you must hate people if you vote against them. Vote for my spending!”

Oral Questions

The Environment

2026-05-25

“I want to have it both ways. I want credit for spending a lot on the environment. I also want credit for helping oil and gas. I'm very proud of announcements. I like to list big spending numbers and targets that are far away.”