Joël Lightbound

In response to a question from Jason Groleau

“Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. But the member keeps voting against the programs that help them. He voted against money for parents, free school food, dental care, and help with groceries.”

“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question. Many Canadians are struggling to make ends meet; that is true. What really baffles me is why he voted against the Canada child benefit. How is he going to explain that to Chantal, who lives in his riding? For a single mother with two children, that could add up to $8,000 or $10,000. Why did he vote against Canada’s national school food program, which is helping 100,000 vulnerable children in Quebec City and saving their families about $800. Why, at every turn, does he consistently vote against every affordability measure, whether the Canadian dental care plan or the Canada groceries and essentials benefit?”

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In response to a question from Mario Simard

“Our government has done a lot for Quebec. We gave $10 billion for schools, transit, and hospitals. We help people buy food and we cut child poverty by 40%. We are also paying for major transit, port, and rail projects. The Bloc Québécois has done nothing in 30 years.”

“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. Our record includes reducing child poverty by 40% through the Canada child benefit, which helps thousands of families in Quebec. Our record includes Contrecœur, Nouveau Monde Graphite, and the Quebec City tramway project, which we are funding 40% of. Our record includes high-speed rail from Quebec City to Toronto, which is essential. Good luck finding the Bloc Québécois’ record for the past 30 years.”

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In response to a question from Jason Groleau

“The Conservatives do not have an economic plan, but we do. Our budget gives businesses tax breaks to invest and produce more. We are also building infrastructure and selling more Canadian goods to other countries.”

“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. Accelerated depreciation will encourage businesses to invest and increase their productivity. That is exactly what our government’s strategy is, but that is not all; it also includes diversifying our markets. Today, the numbers speak for themselves, as my colleague said. We have increased our exports to the European Union by 23% and to the United Kingdom by 62%, and we are investing in our infrastructure, at the ports of Quebec and Montreal, for instance, in order to boost productivity across the country.”

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In response to a question from Christine Normandin

“Quebec voters chose Liberal members of Parliament because we build the economy and protect the environment. We connect Quebec to the rest of Canada, while the Bloc Québécois would hold us back.”

“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. They are idealists and pragmatists who know how to build one Canadian economy, as we are doing in Contrecoeur, at the port of Quebec and with the high-speed rail project between Quebec City and Toronto. We know the members of the Bloc Québécois and their political masters in Quebec City would set us back 30 years. They think an independent Quebec would not need to be connected to its main economic partner, Ontario. In the words of one PQ intellectual, it is disheartening to—”

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In response to a question from Stephanie Kusie

“Government workers will soon return to the office four days a week. We are working hard to make sure they have the space and tools they need.”

“Mr. Speaker, that is an important question as we prepare for a return to the office four days a week across the public service. I can assure her that my department, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Treasury Board, is working around the clock to make sure that public servants have the space and the tools they need to do their important work for Canadians.”

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In response to a question from Pierre Paul-Hus

“I am happy to talk about this issue with my colleague later. I am also glad he now supports the $2.75 billion for the Quebec City tramway. That project is important and will create good jobs.”

“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. One thing I would like to point out is that there are some issues on which we would like to be able to work with our colleagues from the Quebec City region. The tramway comes to mind, for example. I am pleased to see that he recently got on board with the $2.75-billion funding for the tramway project in Quebec City. This project is going to be crucial and it will create good jobs for our constituents. As for everything else, I look forward to working with my colleague.”

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In response to a question from Claude DeBellefeuille

“I will not apologize for acting fast to help people in Quebec and across Canada. We signed a $10-billion deal with Quebec for public transit and infrastructure. We are also moving forward with high-speed rail to help Quebec's economy, even though the Bloc Québécois opposes it.”

“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. We will also not apologize for moving forward with a major project for Quebec, namely the high‑speed rail project. I also note that the Bloc Québécois is taking its cues from its political masters in Quebec by opposing this project that is so essential for Quebec and its economic development.”

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In response to a question from Gabriel Hardy

“Conservatives pretend to care, but they vote against measures that help people. The child benefit paid 80 million dollars to over 13,000 families in the member's riding, but he voted against it.”

“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. In his riding, the Canada child benefit, which he voted against, paid out $80 million to 13,245 families. He should do the math, and then we will see if he can stand up and tell me that this has no impact on the lives of his constituents.”

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In response to a question from Gérard Deltell

“We paused the gas tax for the summer to help people save money. If the Conservatives care about high costs, they should vote for our other plans, like dental care, grocery help, and middle-class tax cuts.”

“Mr. Speaker, this gives me an opportunity to remind everyone that we have suspended the excise tax on gasoline for the summer, providing relief for consumers and boosting Canadians’ purchasing power. However, we are not stopping there. The Conservatives claim that affordability is an issue they care about. I urge them to support us on the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, the Canadian dental care plan, the tax cut for 22 million Canadians, and our other measures.”

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In response to a question from Martin Champoux

“The Bloc Québécois says Quebec culture is under threat, but they did not ask for cultural funding in the budget and voted against the $700 million we provided for it. They are also wrong to say Canada is not building closer ties with Europe.”

“Mr. Speaker, that party is talking about threats to Quebec culture, but when it came time to make budget requests, it did not say a word about Quebec culture. When it came time to vote on the last budget, which contained $700 million for culture, including Quebec culture, not a single Bloc Québécois member voted for it. It is astounding to hear them talk and falsely accuse others about threats to culture. Now the Bloc members are talking about closer ties with Europe. No one, apart from the Bloc Québécois, believes that Canada is not rapidly becoming closer to Europe.”

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In response to a question from Luc Berthold

“Thousands of people in the member's riding get money from our programs for child care, dental care, and groceries. He voted against these programs. I want him to stop giving speeches and start voting for things that help his voters.”

“Mr. Speaker, I do not have their names, but there are 13,586 families in his riding who are getting their share of the $101 million from the Canada child benefit, which he voted against. I do not have their names, but there are 13,500 families who depend on it. I do not have their names, but there are 39,000 people in his riding who benefit from the Canadian dental care plan. I do not have their names, but tens of thousands of his constituents are benefiting from the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit. I urge him to stop making grand speeches in the House and start voting for his people.”

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In response to a question from Kelly Block

“I support the work of the procurement watchdog. Both the watchdog and the Auditor General help make sure government buying is open, fair, and follows the rules.”

“Mr. Speaker, to the contrary, I want to highlight and thank the procurement ombud for the work he has done over the years and for the work he is doing. The Auditor General also has a role to play in helping us to make sure that as we go forward with procurement, all procurements respect the highest standard and that they are done transparently in an open and competitive process, which is the basic rule.”

In response to a question from Gabriel Hardy

“We just agreed to spend $10 billion on infrastructure with Quebec's premier. The Conservatives only show up to take away money for Quebec's transit, tramway, and high-speed rail projects.”

“Mr. Speaker, we hear a lot of things in the House. The member talks about respecting the Quebec nation, but where was he last Tuesday when, together with the Premier of Quebec, we announced $10 billion for infrastructure in Quebec? The only time we see the Conservatives is when they are trying to deprive Quebeckers of the money needed for infrastructure, take $2.75 billion from Quebec City for the tramway or deny Quebec a high-speed rail project that will bring us into the modern era and that we should have undertaken decades ago.”

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In response to a question from Luc Berthold

“We will keep funding programs that help seniors. The member across the way voted to take dental care away from tens of thousands of people, including seniors in his own riding.”

“Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the New Horizons for Seniors program, which benefits hundreds and even thousands of organizations across Quebec and Canada. We will continue to support this program. It is a program that works. When my colleague talks to the seniors in his riding, I hope that he tells the over 39,000 healthy people, many of whom are seniors, that they will no longer have access to the Canadian dental care plan if he votes as he did to take it away from them. That is shameful.”

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In response to a question from Jacques Gourde

“We want to work with farmers on this high-speed train project. European countries run fast trains through farmland successfully. Canada can do this too, and the Conservatives should support it.”

“Mr. Speaker, we have the utmost respect for farmers, and we want to work with them to find a middle ground on this project. What saddens me is seeing the Conservatives try to keep us decades behind the times at every turn and with each project. In Europe, especially in France, Spain and the United Kingdom, high‑speed trains exist alongside agricultural activities and cross through fields. I think that we, in Canada, are just as capable of doing things well and building infrastructure that will revolutionize and transform this country. It would be nice if the Conservatives could get on board.”

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In response to a question from Brad Vis

“We are balancing the need for workers with the temporary foreign worker program. This balance is working in rural areas and in Quebec. The member's colleagues from Quebec say they need more temporary foreign workers.”

“Mr. Speaker, I think there is a balance to be struck, and we are striking that balance between labour needs and the temporary foreign worker program. I would simply urge my colleague to repeat his question in French, because what I am hearing from his Quebec colleagues is that more temporary foreign workers are needed. That balance is being struck specifically in rural areas and in Quebec to meet labour needs across the country.”

In response to a question from Pierre Paul-Hus

“We are supporting Canadian workers and businesses against unfair American tariffs. We are helping them find new markets and building big projects like the Quebec City tramway, which will create 77,000 jobs. I do not understand why the Conservatives oppose this.”

“Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, we are facing illegal and unjustified tariffs from the Americans. However, on this side of the House, we will always support our businesses and workers. We will support them by investing in their ability to innovate, to produce and to diversify their markets. It should be noted that Canada’s non-U.S. exports have increased by 40% year over year. We will also support them by building major projects. For example, the Quebec City tramway project will generate $10.5 billion in economic spinoffs and create 77,000 direct and indirect jobs. I cannot fathom why the Conservatives are against that.”

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“The parties could not agree on how long to debate the housing bill. I am giving notice that the government will set a time limit to finish the debate.”

“Mr. Speaker, an agreement could not be reached under the provisions of Standing Order 78(1) or 78(2) with respect to the third reading stage of Bill C-20, an act respecting the establishment of Build Canada Homes. Under the provisions of Standing Order 78(3), I give notice that a minister of the Crown will propose at the next sitting a motion to allot a specific number of days or hours for the consideration and disposal of proceedings at the said stage.”