Marianne Dandurand

“People in our regions struggle to get good cell service. Good cell service matters so everyone can connect to social media. I want my colleague to talk more about this.”

“Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Madawaska—Restigouche gave a very eloquent speech about about Bill C-34. I want to elaborate on what he said and talk about cellular connectivity, because my colleague and I face the same challenge with regard to cellular connectivity in the regions. That is an issue that we are working on together. I would like him to talk about the importance of cellular connectivity in the regions, which will enable everyone to connect to social media.”

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“The Bloc Québécois and the Liberals both want to stop cyberbullying and protect children. Many parts of this bill aim to prevent crimes. I am asking the member if she agrees that prevention should be one of the bill's main goals.”

“Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciated the speech by my colleague from Laurentides—Labelle. I must acknowledge that the Bloc Québécois has consistently advocated strong measures to combat cyber-bullying and threats of all kinds directed at children. Those are values we share. In the case of this bill, many of its provisions are aimed at preventing the commission and perpetuation of criminal offences. I want to know whether my colleague agrees that prevention should be one of the main objectives of a bill like this one.”

“Young people in my riding told me they want stricter rules for social media. They said it is good for them to spend less time online. I want to know if young people in Ottawa Centre told their member of Parliament the same thing.”

“Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the speech by my colleague from Ottawa Centre. I really appreciated the fact that he reached out to his constituents in different ways. I have done the same thing in my riding. I talked to the youth council, for instance. Young people in my riding told me that they strongly support stricter regulations governing the use of social media. They also talked about the many benefits of not being constantly active on social media. I would like to know whether my colleague has done similar research with young people. How do the youth in his riding feel about regulations governing social media?”

In response to a question from Marilène Gill

“Our accounting separates day-to-day spending from long-term investments. This lets us cut daily costs and put that money into projects that grow the economy.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for bringing us back to the speech by our colleague from Mirabel. I always find the member for Mirabel very creative in his speeches. His references always make me smile, but we certainly do not always agree on certain matters, including the way we do accounting. Quite frankly, what we have managed to do is separate operating expenditures from capital expenditures to get a clear picture of our operating costs, reduce them as much as possible and free up those funds to invest in productive initiatives that will strengthen the Canadian economy. If that is what some call creativity, then I would call it very constructive creativity, because the results are positive.”

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In response to a question from Jean-Yves Duclos

“Federal money is helping build affordable child care in Quebec, including a new centre in my riding. Federal funding also helps feed more children at school.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Québec Centre for setting the record straight. Indeed, I had not mentioned that. In fact, a wonderful child care centre in my riding is nearly complete and will soon open its doors in Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, in a truly beautiful setting. Significant federal funding is flowing to Quebec to support affordable child care services, and we are continuing along that path. My colleague also gives me an opportunity to speak about Canada’s national school food program. He knows that I have close ties to agriculture, and that is another area where we are making a difference. I believe that each child deserves to attend school on a full stomach. Our program truly supports what has already been put in place in Quebec, helping provide meals to even more children.”

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In response to a question from Jim Bélanger

“We tax people who have more money so we can help others. This is about fairness. It makes sure all children get the same opportunities and services, and we will keep doing it.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his very relevant question, and I will address its premise. What we are doing is redistributing wealth, ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity. Through taxes, we are taking more money from the pockets of those who have more financial flexibility and redistributing it. For me, it is a question of fairness and ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, can access the same kind of service. I believe this rebalancing is very important, and we will continue along this path. We truly believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity.”

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“Our government is managing the country's money well while helping people with the cost of living. We have the lowest debt compared to the size of our economy in the G7, and we are cutting government running costs to save money. At the same time, programs like dental care, child benefits, and grocery rebates are giving real help to families in my riding right now.”

“Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with the member for Québec Centre. I am pleased to have the opportunity to rise today to speak to a subject that we all agree on, the importance of improving the cost of living for Canadians. We all hear about this. I think that members on both sides of the House agree that the cost of living is a very important issue for Canadians. It is an issue that I hear about in my riding, as do my colleagues. What we do not agree on is how to go about improving the cost of living. Our government is taking action to to improve the cost of living and to make life more affordable for people in our communities. I want to talk about some of the measures that we have put in place to help people in my riding and across Canada. It must be said that we are going through a very difficult time because of the highly unstable global geopolitical climate. This has been going on for several years now. Yes, we need to take action, but all of these tensions have consequences. That is what we, in the government, are working on. In the long and medium terms, we need to improve our fiscal situation and our trade so that we are in a more comfortable position. In the short term, we are proposing measures that will provide immediate support for Canadians, measures that will give them some relief. We do not want to make these permanent expenditures. What we need to do is strengthen our economy. That is what we are working on. The government’s response to the current cost of living crisis is to expand opportunities for businesses through federal procurement and to help them take advantage of those opportunities. Major projects that will spur economic growth are a good example. We are going to buy Canadian and build Canadian. We want Canadian businesses to prosper here at home, and it is working. Many Canadian companies are winning contracts. At the same time, we need to diversify our markets. We are overly reliant on a single trading partner. As we often say, when our neighbour to the south sneezes, Canada catches a cold. We cannot continue like that. We need to diversify our markets. A tremendous amount of work has already been done over the past year. More than 20 new agreements have been signed with new partners. That will create significant wealth here at home. When we create wealth, it means our businesses are thriving, paying taxes, and providing good-paying jobs for Canadians. As a result, we are creating the right conditions for a stronger, more resilient and more prosperous economy. Another aspect I want to talk about is fiscal responsibility. One of the things our government is working on is creating additional fiscal room within government. This fiscal room allows us to invest in businesses and streamline certain government operations. Very recently, we announced that we are going to cut red tape in a wide range of areas within government. Our businesses welcome those changes because they make it easier to do business. They are also very cost-effective because they allow us to achieve the same results with fewer resources. That is one of the solutions we are putting in place. The results we are achieving is a country where the net debt-to-GDP ratio is the lowest of any G7 nation. That bears repeating, because it is a game-changer. It inspires trust in people who want to invest in Canada. It reassures them that they can keep investing and that we are heading in the right direction. Our public finances are on a solid footing, and we are on a path to long-term sustainability. Budget 2025, tabled almost a year ago to the day, set us on a very positive course. We have made other federal investments to stimulate private investment and strengthen the economy. That is what we have been able to achieve. At the same time, we reduced operating costs. The money that we freed up is allowing us to invest even more. Over the next five years, we expect to save $60 billion through operating cost reductions. Sixty billion dollars in operating expenditures saved over five years makes all the difference in the government’s ability to direct its resources toward far more productive long-term priorities, including investments. That has required a great deal of adjustment. Some of that work is still ongoing, but those adjustments had not been made since the COVID-19 pandemic.. The government had to hire a lot of people to support the wide range of programs that were rolled out at the time. We are continuing that streamlining effort and reviewing public service staffing levels. Middle management is allowing us to move more quickly in some cases while also creating additional fiscal room.. This budgetary approach ensures that we carry out horizontal, targeted and ongoing reviews. As a result, it is constantly being updated. We are reducing expenditures on external management and consulting services while strengthening in-house capacity. We aim to balance budgetary and operating expenditures by the 2028-29 fiscal year and keep the deficit-to-GDP ratio on a downward path. We are already on track to achieve this. This balance in expenditures, originally projected for the 2027-28 fiscal year, will now be achieved a full year ahead of schedule. That progress confirms that we are on the right track. By clearly distinguishing between day-to-day operating expenses and long-term investments, we are able to stay on a positive trajectory. I would also like to highlight a number of measures that are in place and that directly support the people of my riding. In Compton—Stanstead, 14,000 families benefit from child and family benefits, receiving assistance to help cover expenses such as education, sports and other things. As a result, approximately 25,000 children receive support, and nearly $100 million is distributed in my constituency through the Canada child benefit. We also created the Canadian dental care plan. Nearly 33,000 people in my riding are benefiting from this dental care benefit. People can now go to the dentist, which has a long-term impact on overall health, and that is extremely important. Those are two examples with figures from my riding. We also doubled the GST and HST credit last summer, which became the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. We also increased it by 25%. That money is going into the pockets of the people who need it most. It gives them a little more money for all the essential items they may need. That is why I said at the beginning of my speech that we are taking action not only in the medium and long term, but also in the shorter term, with measures like this one, to put more money in families’ pockets now. Our fiscal framework allows us to choose these kinds of solutions and deliver benefits in regions like mine. We have taken other steps aimed at reducing fuel-related costs as well. We know this is a significant expense. In rural areas like mine, people travel a lot. They need a car. We are working on that. We have programs for energy-efficient home renovations. In fact, the Prime Minister visited the Eastern Townships to discuss a heat pump program. We continue to make progress on the issue of housing costs by building more homes. I believe that our government is putting in place the tools we need to help keep the cost of living for Canadians in check. We will continue to work toward that goal in the short, medium, and long term.”

“Our ridings are partly rural. I want to know if rural areas will get funding and projects from this new defence agency, and how it will help people in my colleague's region.”

“Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Madawaska—Restigouche both have ridings that are partly rural. Some people are wondering whether rural areas will have access to the funding and projects that will come out of this agency. What does my colleague think the Defence Investment Agency would do for the people in his region?”

“I want my colleague to explain how the new defence agency could bring economic benefits to ridings like ours.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the Bay of Quinte for his speech on the new Defence Investment Agency. I would like my colleague to elaborate on the type of spinoffs there might be for a riding like his or mine.”

“A screenwriter from my riding helped make the film my colleague mentioned. My colleague also talked about how important local media is. What is our government doing to support local media when there is so much misinformation?”

“Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that, in his speech, my colleague mentioned the animated short film The Girl Who Cried Pearls. I would like to note that one of the screenwriters who worked on the French adaptation is from the township of Lingwick in Compton—Stanstead. We are very proud of her. In fact, the short film was screened this summer with the co-screenwriter in attendance. It was very interesting. My colleague mentioned the importance of local media. I would him to tell us what our government is doing to support local media at a time when there is a great deal of misinformation.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. Too many rural areas have bad cell and internet service, which hurts safety and the economy. This bill will make sure cell coverage maps are accurate and update our wireless policy to help fix dead zones.”

“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today after my colleagues, and after speaking last month in the House, to conclude debate at second reading on Bill C‑268. I thank all my colleagues who spoke. I am pleased to see that this is not a partisan issue. I want to thank the members for Tobique—Mactaquac, Joliette—Manawan, Egmont, Portage—Lisgar, London—Fanshawe, Brome—Missisquoi, Drummond, Avalon, Riding Mountain and Elgin—St. Thomas—London South for supporting the bill. My colleague from Elgin—St. Thomas—London South was talking about people who live just outside urban centres and have no Internet connection. I live in a city with a population of nearly 200,000, and I do not get more than one bar of Internet signal inside my home. Members of Parliament from every region of the country and every party have described exactly the same reality: roads with no signal, underserved communities, and citizens who cannot rely on their phones when they need them. That is also my personal experience, as I just mentioned. I am one of those people who has to move closer to a window to get better reception. On the roads in my region, I know exactly where I have to tell the person on the other end of the line that the connection is going to drop and that I will have to call them back in a minute. Sometimes it is even worse: I have to call back in 10 minutes. As the member for Portage—Lisgar pointed out, people have come to accept a level of service that would be considered unacceptable in any other sector. He gave the following example: No one would agree to buy a car that stops working as soon as they turn onto a certain road. In too many rural regions, people are paying full price for cell service that disappears once they reach a certain road or a certain village. My colleagues from Drummond and Brome—Missisquoi demonstrated what this is like by holding up their phones and pretending to search for a signal. We all do that in the regions. We laughed about it because it is something that we do all the time. However, behind such anecdotes lie much more serious concerns. My colleagues talked about emergency services, first responders, accidents, serious health problems and women experiencing violence who cannot always rely on the network when they need it. The mayor of Martinville, Michel‑Henri Goyette, was the one who reminded me that this issue goes beyond cellphone call quality. He also reminded me that we should not settle for mediocrity. That is why, as my colleague said, I have tackled this issue head-on. That is why I am bringing it before the House. It is a matter of economic development, public safety and fairness for people in rural areas. The member for Egmont reminded us that poor connectivity limits access to telehealth, remote learning and new learning opportunities. The digital divide is becoming a social, economic and regional divide. We know where the dead zones are. Constituents know them; mayors know them; paramedics know them; firefighters know them. The problem is not whether they exist. It is having the tools needed to map these areas and guide future decisions. Bill C‑268 proposes two practical measures. First, it would require a process to verify the accuracy of wireless coverage data. If we want to fix connectivity gaps, we need an accurate picture of where those gaps actually exist. Second, it would modernize Canada’s spectrum policy framework, which has not been updated since 2007. Technology has changed immensely since then, and our policy framework must evolve as well. We do not agree on everything, but there is something we seem to agree on: Doing nothing is not an option. The bill would not be the finish line, but a starting point. The bill would get the ball rolling. It would create a better understanding of the problem, and ensure that rural connectivity is considered as a priority in future spectrum policy decisions. I urge all members to support Bill C‑268 at second reading and to refer it to committee for further consideration.”