Yves-François Blanchet

“The Prime Minister stopped big tech companies from paying taxes and funding our arts to please the American president. That plan failed. I want to know if the Prime Minister will bring back the digital services tax and make these companies support our culture.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister personally cancelled contributions of any kind by tech giants to the economy or the arts in Quebec and Canada, including through taxes or content creation, simply to appease the American President. The effort fell flat. Although I remain unconvinced, the Prime Minister claims to have walked away from the negotiation table for language and culture-related reasons. Since the effort failed, should the Prime Minister consider reinstating the digital services tax and allowing cultural contributions by the web giants?”

• Personal attack
  ?

  Opposition question in Question Period

  Respect 53 of 100

  This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “simply to appease the American President”.

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“The arts in Quebec and Canada will lose $3.4 billion because the Prime Minister gives in to the United States. His plan will not fix this, and it threatens Quebec's culture. Why is the Prime Minister giving up on French-Canadian culture?”

“Mr. Speaker, at least he prepares his answers. That is $3.4 billion that will be lost in the creative sector in Quebec and Canada. The minister is going to invest $600 million that he is taking directly out of taxpayers’ pockets. He is talking about an announcement he made almost a year ago, before all the disastrous decisions made by the Prime Minister, who is kowtowing to the United States. He is even threatening the very existence of the convention on the diversity of cultural expressions, which originated in Quebec. That I know. I was there when it happened. Why is the Prime Minister giving up on the existence of a distinct French-Canadian culture?”

“I want to honour Robert Thibert. He started a vehicle parts business in his garage and grew it into a large company. He has also raised and donated nearly $2 million to help his community.”

“Mr. Speaker, in the 1950s, today’s Quebeckers were French Canadians who worked for the English. With the Quiet Revolution, which was also an economic revolution, the Quebec nation was created, along with a class of full-fledged Quebec entrepreneurs. In their garages, in their basements or on their boats, these small business owners started from nothing, often with the support of Caisses Desjardins at the time, and built Quebec’s SMEs. One of those entrepreneurs is Robert Thibert, who started his business in a garage making rubber mud guards. Thibert has become a large company that distributes various vehicle parts. That is impressive enough. However, in addition to being a tough businessman, although I sometimes find that hard to believe, Robert Thibert is a gentle, attentive, loyal and generous man. For example, he has donated or raised close to $2 million for good causes in his region, in the area around Châteauguay. Let us applaud the great generosity and business acumen of a Quebec builder. Every region of Quebec should have somebody like him. I want to thank Mr. Thibert. The best is yet to come.”

“The Prime Minister canceled a fee on American web companies and is using public money instead. This costs taxpayers money and hurts Quebec culture and the French language. Will he reverse this decision?”

“Mr. Speaker, he is forgoing $3.4 billion a year that would come from the United States, and taking $600 million out of taxpayers’ pockets. By asking the CRTC to cancel the 15% levy, the Prime Minister is doing something even worse than merely capitulating. He is validating the Americans’ claim that Quebec culture and the French language are barriers to trade. By replacing the levy with public funds, he is validating the Conservatives’ criticism by making taxpayers pay for the web giants’ share. That is their reasoning. The Prime Minister is sending the message that he is weak. Will he reverse this cowardly decision?”

“Our forestry industry is in trouble and sawmills are closing. The government should pay workers' wages so companies do not lose skilled staff. Will the government use the industry's free plan to help restart lumber exports?”

“Mr. Speaker, in all of this, there is no provision for what virtually everyone in the field is asking for: a wage subsidy program that would help maintain employment relationships, preserve expertise within companies, and prevent foreign workers with specialized skills from being sent home. There is nothing on this for these companies. In the meantime, our forestry industry is in trouble and our sawmills are closing. Will the government implement the cost-free solution proposed by the forestry industry to resume lumber exports?”

“Trade talks with the United States will take time. I want the government to give small businesses wage subsidies now so they can keep their workers and skills in Quebec.”

“Mr. Speaker, we were promised that the issue of tariffs and trade would be fixed in June 2025. Clearly, that did not work out. It is not the Prime Minister’s fault. It is Donald Trump’s fault. One year of dithering later, here we are again, and now the Prime Minister wants a 16-year agreement. I agree, that is fine with me, but it will certainly take a little longer than two weeks. In the meantime, will the government help SMEs with a wage subsidy that would help retain expertise and jobs in Quebec?”

“I want to congratulate Jean Morin, a cheese maker in Quebec. He won the Artisan of the Year award for his work and his cheese shop.”

“Mr. Speaker, when we think of Warwick, we think of cheese. For world-renowned cheeses and culinary and regional specialties that set trends everywhere, look no further than the best cheese maker in Quebec, who can be found in Sainte-Élizabeth‑de‑Warwick. Jean Morin, the charming, generous and indispensable master and founder of Fromagerie du Presbytère, was named Artisan of the Year at the Gala des Lauriers de la gastronomie québécoise. This is yet another one of the many accolades received by Jean Morin and his team. He has an entire wall of them. It is thanks to him that we have the Louis d’Or, the Bleu d’Élizabeth, the Religieuse and the Taliah. All of these cheeses are a pure delight and pair well with a variety of Quebec wines. A lover of local foods, Jean also knows how to bring people together with his Friday events at the Presbytère, which draw tens of thousands of tourists for delicious picnics and great music. Jean embodies the very essence of one of Quebec’s most beautiful and gastronomically rich regions. Bravo, Jean.”

“Quebec's legislature agrees that Quebeckers have the right to make their own choices about their future. I am asking the Prime Minister if the federal government will defend that right.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Quebec National Assembly was unanimous in not sharing that view. Some people support sovereignty. Others are on the fence. Some people say they want it later, and some do not want it at all. However, Quebeckers all agree that they have the right to make their own decisions, 30 years on from the shenanigans surrounding the previous referendum. Are the Prime Minister and the government telling Quebeckers that they should not count on Ottawa to defend democracy and their rights and that they can only count on their own will as Quebeckers?”

“Liberal members care more about supporting the Prime Minister than protecting the environment. I want to know if anyone left in this government still cares about the environment.”

“I apologize, Mr. Speaker. I should have said “the Prime Minister”. Meanwhile, the Liberal Party of Canada’s environment caucus says that its job is not to talk about or protect the environment, but to support the Prime Minister. Now that the member for Laurier—Sainte‑Marie has left, is there anyone with an environmental conscience left in this government?”

“Businesses cannot take on more debt to save jobs. I want the Prime Minister to listen to workers and businesses and create a wage support program.”

“Mr. Speaker, two things that the Prime Minister certainly knows—and he will explain it himself much better than someone who is not an economist, like me—is that, first, Jean Simard hardly represents SMEs, and second, businesses cannot take on more debt to save jobs. That is a last resort. Can the Prime Minister reconsider—again on a non-partisan basis, since we are reaching out—and do what the unions, businesses and chambers of commerce want and create a wage subsidy program for the transition?”