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Government Priorities

During question period on government priorities, Bloc Québécois members said the Prime Minister talks about working with middle powers and European allies but acts otherwise, pointing to the dropping of digital services taxes on big tech and streaming companies and to pipeline and pesticide decisions they described as favouring American interests. Liberals replied by highlighting the high-speed rail project, saying it is environmentally responsible and would create tens of thousands of jobs and billions in economic benefit, including for Quebec businesses and workers, and asked why the Bloc opposes it. On culture, Liberal members said the Bloc did not request cultural funding and voted against a budget that included $700 million for culture, including Quebec culture, and disputed the claim that Canada is not building closer ties with Europe.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

6 statements

Christine Normandin

Bloc Québécois
“The Prime Minister talks about working with our allies, but his actions say otherwise. He is dropping taxes on big tech and online broadcasters, and building pipelines to help American oil companies. Why is he abandoning our allies just to please Donald Trump?”

  • A repeated line

    “The Prime Minister talks a good game.”

    Said 4 times by 2 members since May 29.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister talks a good game. After Davos, where he called for middle powers to stand together, on Saturday he said at the G7 that the strands of a new world order could be woven together. The problem is that it is all talk. In real life, the Prime Minister is breaking with Europe by scrapping the digital services tax. He is distancing himself from the European Union by scrapping the levies on online broadcasters. He is leaving the climate fight to the Europeans so his government can build pipelines to benefit the Americans who own the oil companies. Why is he spending his time abandoning the middle powers just to please Donald Trump?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“Canada wants to build high-speed trains. They are good for the environment and can move millions of people. Why does the Bloc Québécois no longer support them?”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Europe has something else that is trendy: high-speed rail. It has been adopted by just about every country in Europe, and now by the Kingdom of Morocco as well. Canada wants to develop this technology. It is an environmentally responsible solution, a transportation revolution and a piece of infrastructure capable of moving millions of Quebeckers and Canadians every year and making a difference in how we get around. Why has the Bloc Québécois changed its mind on high-speed rail?

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Christine Normandin

Bloc Québécois

Linked statement

“The Prime Minister says he cares about the environment and our European allies, but his actions show the opposite. He supports American interests like oil pipelines and banned pesticides instead.”

  • A repeated line

    “The Prime Minister talks a good game.”

    Said 4 times by 2 members since May 29.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I did not even mention the Keystone XL pipeline, which is good for the U.S. but bad for all the countries working to fight climate change. I did not even mention Bill C‑30, which would allow previously banned pesticides to be approved. That will be good for the U.S. factories that manufacture Monsanto products, but it will be bad for our trade relations with Europe, which operates by stricter standards. The Prime Minister talks a good game, but his actions are moving him further away from our European allies and closer to Donald Trump. He writes fine speeches, but why do his actions always contradict his words?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“The high-speed train project will create 51,000 jobs and add $35 billion to our economy. It will help businesses and workers across Quebec. I want to know why the Bloc Québécois opposes it.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, why is the Bloc Québécois attacking the Quebec factories, Quebec SMEs and Quebec workers that would be involved in building this vast infrastructure project, the high-speed train? I am talking about SMEs in Louiseville, workshops in Old Montreal, businesses in Gatineau and marketing companies in Quebec City. This is a revolutionary project that will create 51,000 jobs and add $35 billion to our GDP. It is a transportation revolution. Why is the Bloc Québécois, led by the member for Repentigny, giving up?

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Martin Champoux

Bloc Québécois
“The Prime Minister says Canada must work with other countries to stand up to the United States, but he refuses to tax big tech and streaming companies like our allies do. This hurts Quebec culture just to please Donald Trump.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, that is zero for two. Let us give him another chance. The Prime Minister keeps saying that Canada needs to partner with middle powers to stand up to the United States. However, he is breaking with the 17 European countries and Australia, which impose digital services taxes on tech giants. He is breaking with the European Union, which imposes levies on streaming services such as Netflix. The fight for the diversity of cultural expression will be waged and perhaps won by middle powers. Canada is pulling out. It is weakening the global consensus and threatening the future of Quebec culture. Is selling one’s soul not a rather high price to pay just to please Donald Trump?

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“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.”

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Official Hansard

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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