Joël Lightbound

In response to a question from Pierre Paul-Hus

“The member says he wants to help Canadians, but he votes against our programs. He voted against money for groceries, free dental care for people in his riding, and tax cuts. He should support our measures instead.”

“Mr. Speaker, my colleague talks about giving people some breathing room and about helping Canadians. He could start by voting for measures that directly help Canadians in their daily lives. One example is the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will help 12 million Canadians. They will receive their first payment on June 5. That member opposes this measure. Another example is the Canadian dental care plan, which helps at least 25,000 people in his riding, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles. He also opposes that. Another example is the tax cut for 22 million Canadians. That was the first thing we did. It is time for my colleague to walk the talk and support the government.”

• Didn't answer
  ?

  Government answer in Question Period

  Relevance 29 of 100

  None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

  See full analysis →
• Echo ×4

  A repeated line

  “Is it the Canadian dental care plan?”

  Said 4 times by 3 members since April 27.

  Every time it was said →

In response to a question from Patrick Bonin

“Our government protects the environment while also growing the economy. We are spending up to $90 billion on clean energy tax credits, protecting 30 percent of our land by 2030, taxing industrial pollution, and cutting methane emissions.”

“Mr. Speaker, like my colleagues, I am very proud to be part of a government that takes climate change and environmental protection very seriously. However, economic development is also essential to our country’s future. When we speak of the environment and the fight against climate change, we might think of clean energy tax credits amounting to as much as $90 billion, or the nature strategy, which will protect 30% of our land by 2030, or industrial carbon pricing, or regulations that will reduce our methane emissions by 75% by 2030. These are real and concrete actions for protecting nature.”

• Didn't answer
  ?

  Government answer in Question Period

  Relevance 35 of 100

  None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

  See full analysis →

In response to a question from Steeve Lavoie

“Our exports to countries other than the United States grew by $33 billion last year. New trade deals with Indonesia and the United Kingdom just took effect. These deals open up billions of dollars in new markets for Canadian and Quebec businesses.”

“Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. I would first like to thank my esteemed colleague from Beauport—Limoilou for the work he is doing on the Standing Committee on International Trade. The trend is clear: Our non-U.S. goods and services exports have increased by $33 billion over the past year, but we are not done yet. As my colleague mentioned, two historic agreements with Indonesia and the United Kingdom came into force yesterday. These countries represent 350 million new customers and billions of dollars in opportunities for our businesses. For Quebec, this means a $5.5-billion Indonesian market for our forestry industry and new markets for our aerospace and pharmaceutical industries. That is good news.”

In response to a question from Jacques Gourde

“The opposition member should tell his voters that he does not support dental care and family benefits that help thousands of people in his area. Our government supports programs that help people who need it most, including grocery rebates for two million Quebeckers.”

“Mr. Speaker, dental care for 20,000 of his constituents is apparently not worth much. Assistance for 12,500 families in his constituency is not worth much. He should go and tell that to the people in his riding who depend on these things. He should go and tell that to the two million Quebeckers who, on June 5, will receive the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will help the most vulnerable people who need it most. On this side of the House, we believe that prosperity must be inclusive across the country.”

In response to a question from Gabriel Hardy

“I want the member to support our economic plan. It spends $6 billion over five years to train young people for construction jobs.”

“Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that my colleague will support us with the fall economic update, which provides for an investment of $6 billion over five years specifically for training, to give our young people opportunities in the construction trades, given that we know the demand will be huge. This government is focused on delivering major projects, building a future for our country and ensuring we have one of the strongest economies among the G7 nations.”

“I want the House to approve this motion so we can introduce the second bill to carry out the budget.”

“moved that a ways and means motion to introduce a bill entitled A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025, be concurred in.”

In response to a question from Gérard Deltell

“The opposition wants us to cut government spending. That would take dental care away from 27,000 people in the member's riding and cut 80 million dollars for local families. It would also stop us from investing in big projects that help our economy grow and give young people a better future.”

“Mr. Speaker, what would be irresponsible would be to do as my colleague suggests and deprive 27,000 people in his riding of the Canadian dental care plan, as well as 12,000 families of the approximately $80 million that flows into Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk. That is what would be irresponsible. What would be irresponsible, given the global and economic turmoil we are facing, would be to fail to build and invest in infrastructure to boost Canada’s competitiveness—as we are doing at the Port of Québec, as we are doing in Contrecoeur, and as we are doing with Nouveau Monde Graphite—in order to create a strong, resilient economy that offers opportunities to our youth and future generations.”

• Answered
  ?

  Government answer in Question Period

  Relevance 100 of 100

  Of this answer, 100% addressed the question that was asked.

  See full analysis →

In response to a question from Gabriel Ste-Marie

“We will always support workers and businesses hurt by unfair U.S. tariffs. We recently added $1.5 billion in help, on top of the $5 billion we already announced.”

“Mr. Speaker, we will always be there to support the workers and businesses affected by the U.S. administration’s illegal and illegitimate tariffs. We have been there from the beginning and we have stepped up our efforts even more recently with the $1.5 billion that was announced by the Minister of Industry on top of the $5 billion that had already been announced, specifically to help our businesses and our small and medium-sized enterprises affected by tariffs. We will always stand by the workers.”

In response to a question from Dominique Vien

“Our government is helping people with the cost of living. We cut taxes, helped pay for groceries and dental care, and lowered gas prices. The Prime Minister's travel also brought good trade deals and jobs to Canada.”

“Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about easing the pressure on Canadians’ wallets. The first thing that we did when we took office was to cut taxes for 22 million Canadians. There is also the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which is soon coming into effect. The first payments will be issued on June 5. That will mean up to $1,800 for 12 million of the most vulnerable Canadians in the country. We are not stopping there. There is also the Canadian dental care plan, the Canada child benefit and the 10¢-a-litre break on gas prices. My colleague talked about the Prime Minister’s travels. Canada has signed 20 trade and security agreements on four continents. These are contracts in Canada. There was a trade surplus in March. As my colleague was saying, this is also the biggest contract in the history of Airbus in Canada.”

• Answered
  ?

  Government answer in Question Period

  Relevance 100 of 100

  Of this answer, 100% addressed the question that was asked.

  See full analysis →

In response to a question from Luc Berthold

“Young people want good jobs. Our government is creating jobs through big building projects, and we are training up to 100,000 workers to help young people succeed.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am not exactly young anymore, but with all due respect, I am closer to being young than my colleague. What young people are telling me is that they want good jobs and opportunities for the future. That is what we are doing with an economy that is the second strongest in the G7 and with job creation through major projects, such as the Port of Montreal’s Contrecoeur expansion, the high-speed rail project that my colleague mentioned earlier, the container terminal project at the Port of Québec and the Nouveau Monde Graphite project. We are supporting those major projects through a workforce training program. Between 80,000 and 100,000 training spots will be offered to ensure that young people have good opportunities to build Canada.”

• Didn't answer
  ?

  Government answer in Question Period

  Relevance 44 of 100

  None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

  See full analysis →

In response to a question from Abdelhaq Sari

“Our new economic plan helps 12 million Canadians pay for groceries and everyday needs. It also spends money on job training, sports, and big projects that will support 60,000 jobs.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Bourassa for the question. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance presented a plan for a strong Canada, a more prosperous Canada where the prosperity is shared by all. Our plan includes the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will help 12 million Canadians, who will receive their first payment on June 5. It includes historic investments in sport and in workforce training. It includes major projects that will unlock tens of billions of dollars, more than $125 billion in investments that will support 60,000 jobs across the country. In short, this is the plan of a smart, caring government. It is a prudent plan, a confident plan and a responsible plan.”

In response to a question from Mario Simard

“The Bloc Québécois usually tries to start fights between Quebec and Ottawa. We want to work to give Quebeckers job training instead.”

“Mr. Speaker, April 29 is a historic day. This is the first time I have heard a Bloc member say that the last thing his party wants is a squabble between Quebec and Ottawa. For 10 years, I have seen them constantly trying to start fights between Quebec and Ottawa. On this side, we want to deliver results for Quebeckers in terms of workforce training, and that is exactly what we are going to do.”

• Didn't answer
  ?

  Government answer in Question Period

  Relevance 16 of 100

  None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

  See full analysis →

In response to a question from Jason Groleau

“The Conservatives made bad choices for seniors. They tried to raise the retirement age to 67. They voted against dental care that helps nearly 29,000 people in the member's riding. They also refused to give more money to poor seniors over 75. They should rethink these choices.”

“Mr. Speaker, the member for Beauce wants to talk about a decade of decisions that were bad for seniors, so let us talk about that. A decade of bad decisions included raising the retirement age to 67, as the Conservatives had proposed, which would have left tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of seniors in financial hardship. A decade of bad decisions by the Conservatives included voting against the Canadian dental care plan, which is helping 28,837 people, including many seniors in my colleague’s riding. A decade of bad decisions by the Conservatives included refusing to increase the GIS by 10% for the most vulnerable seniors aged 75 and older. If I were them, I would take note of these votes and actions and reconsider them.”

• Didn't answer
  ?

  Government answer in Question Period

  Relevance 43 of 100

  None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

  See full analysis →

In response to a question from Alexis Deschênes

“We have a special fix for Quebec. Starting April 1, workers who apply to stay permanently get their work permits extended by one year. Quebec businesses asked for this. We are also ready to work on the rules for hiring foreign workers.”

“Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, as of April 1, we have been offering a solution that is unique to Quebec. Once a worker receives an application for permanent selection, their work permit is extended by 12 months. That is precisely why Quebec businesses asked us for this bridge. As for the issue of labour market impact assessments, we look forward to working with our colleagues on that matter.”

In response to a question from Eric Lefebvre

“Canada's economy is doing well compared to other rich countries. Conservatives say they support seniors, but they voted against our dental plan. That plan helps over 32,000 people, including seniors, in the member's own riding.”

“Mr. Speaker, I see the member is all smiles. I must remind him that, according to the International Monetary Fund, Canada has the best fiscal position and the second-fastest growth in the G7. Now, it is always strange to see the Conservatives claim to be standing up for seniors when they have systematically voted against measures that directly help seniors. I will remind my colleague of one. There are 32,456 people in his riding, including many seniors, who benefit from the Canadian dental care plan, which he opposes. Maybe he should reconsider his values.”

• Personal attack
  ?

  Government answer in Question Period

  Respect 90 of 100

  This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “Maybe he should reconsider his values”.

  See full analysis →

In response to a question from Richard Martel

“Conservatives say they protect seniors, but they do not. They opposed giving seniors aged 75 and older more money. My party will always support seniors.”

“Mr. Speaker, now we have seen it all. The Conservatives stand up in the House and claim to defend seniors, yet they lowered the retirement age to 65, which would have left hundreds of thousands of elderly people across the country financially vulnerable. They also opposed the 10% increase in the GIS for those aged 75 and over. It is absolutely mind-boggling to see them stand up and earnestly claim to be defending seniors. On this side of the House, we will always defend seniors. We will always fight for a strong economy that works for everyone.”

• Didn't answer
  ?

  Government answer in Question Period

  Relevance 0 of 100

  None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

  See full analysis →