Employment Insurance Act  Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to speak on Bill C-318, which basically gives adoptive parents the same rights as biological parents by providing adoptive parents with the same 15 weeks of benefits that biological parents get. The Bloc Québécois is very much in favour of this bill, which will ensure fairness for all parents.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my Conservative colleague for his speech. I did not have a problem with his speech, but I do have a problem with the fact that the members opposite are telling us that we, as an opposition party, understand nothing. The government does not seem to understand that a public inquiry would be a transparent, democratic way of getting to the bottom of something that is having a serious impact on our democracy.

Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month  Mr. Speaker, multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease that affects thousands of Canadians. On average, every day, 12 people are diagnosed with MS. This disease usually occurs in people aged 20 to 49, in the prime of their working lives. Struggling to keep a job while living with an episodic disease like MS can be a terrifying and exhausting ordeal for many people.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, my question is going to be simple. With all of the solutions it is proposing, I think the Conservative Party motion is suggesting that we keep doing things that are not working. It is not a question of construction. Housing is being built, but the problem is access to social and affordable housing.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary has good reason to criticize the Conservatives' policies, but I think that she needs to remove her rose-coloured glasses when it comes to the Liberal government's national housing strategy, and particularly the urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy.

Labour  Mr. Speaker, eight days have passed since the public service strike began, and people are still looking for the Prime Minister. The union has formally asked him to join the negotiations. The invitation has been made, but it is being snubbed by the Prime Minister. Eight days is unusually long for a dispute of this magnitude.

International Workers' Day  Mr. Speaker, May 1 is International Workers' Day, a day that will be marked in Quebec by rallies that will focus on inflation. Too many workers cannot make ends meet because inflation is driving up expenses but not wages. May 1 is the time to remember the struggles of the working class and the many gains painfully earned through lengthy struggles.

Labour  Mr. Speaker, today marks one week since public service employees went on strike. It is high time the Prime Minister took charge of this matter. The writing was on the wall with this one: More than 150,000 public servants have not had a collective agreement since 2021. At this point, the Prime Minister needs to intervene to encourage a quick, negotiated solution that benefits everyone.

Labour  Mr. Speaker, that is most certainly not what they are doing. The Prime Minister is hiding. He is letting the crisis drag on, just like Roxham Road, the passport crisis, the border closures during the pandemic, and the 2020 rail blockades. Every time he lets a crisis drag on, other people pay the price.

Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1  Madam Speaker, we hear these kinds of comments in the 10-minute speeches by my colleagues opposite. I am not saying that these are not good things. However, the government is not addressing the basic issues, the fundamental issues, the most dire issues. The government is basically not there for workers.

Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1  Madam Speaker, this issue is extremely important. This was another wasted opportunity. However, it may still be possible. It took 50 years to address this problem and raise the number of weeks from 15 to 26. As every study shows, this is not enough. People who are gravely ill are being left without enough protection to recover in dignity.

Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1  Madam Speaker, several measures in our policies discriminate against women. Employment insurance is a prime example. When the employment insurance program was initially designed, it reflected the fact that workers work full time and that male-dominated jobs were the most important.

Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1  Madam Speaker, my colleague truly believes what he is saying. I would not be able to sleep at night if my beliefs held that we cannot support workers. I would remind the House that there is a universal program in Quebec, the program for early childhood education services, that has been around for more than 25 years.

Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak to Bill C-47. First, I would like to salute my constituents in Thérèse‑De Blainville. I have not done that in a while. I salute them because when I am not here in the House, it is always a pleasure to meet up with them back home to talk about the challenges they face and see all the work they are doing every day for the community.

Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I, too, believe that social equity must be factored into a budget. What bothers me a little is that they are introducing programs that fall under Quebec's jurisdiction. That was also the case in the last budget. Dental health is very important. It is part of a holistic approach to health.