Electoral Participation Act  Mr. Speaker, the real question being asked today is this: What was the government's reason for pushing back the election date from October 20, 2025, to October 27, 2025? The reason it gave had nothing to do with municipal elections. It was about the Indian community's festival of lights.

Electoral Participation Act  Mr. Speaker, I am anxious for Quebec to become a country so that we do not have to listen to the bickering of these three federalist parties. It will happen one day, I guarantee it. I listened to my colleague's speech. Something we have agreed on since the beginning is that it is offensive to have wanted to change the date of the election, especially for a completely unreal reason, namely that that day is a holy day.

Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, there are people talking. If people want to talk, they should do so in the lobbies.

Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, let me reassure my colleague that the Bloc Québécois will be voting against this budget. One of the reasons we will be voting against this budget has to do with the government's commitments toward the oil and gas industry. The budget commits up to $83 billion by 2035 to an industry that is raking in record-breaking profits while contributing to global warming.

Self-determination of the Tibetan People  Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion: That the House recognize that: (a) China is carrying out a policy of systemic cultural assimilation against Tibetans; (b) Tibetans, as a people and a nation, can claim the right to self-determination; (c) as such, they are empowered to freely choose their economic, social, cultural and religious policies without interference from any external power; and

Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission Act (David and Joyce Milgaard's Law)  Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague from Edmonton Strathcona so much. We work together on several files involving international injustices and human rights. We work together amazingly well. Now, however, we may have a disagreement over Bill C‑40. As we have mentioned throughout this debate this evening, we were very disappointed with the way the NDP members voted on a Bloc Québécois amendment that simply called for the commissioners of this future commission to be proficient in English and French, the two official languages.

Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission Act (David and Joyce Milgaard's Law)  Madam Speaker, as usual, I was impressed by my colleague's speech. That is to be expected, since he is a Bloc Québécois MP, after all. I want to make one thing clear. We hear the same argument every time: If a unilingual francophone were to apply for the job, would we not want them to have the job because the incumbent should be proficient in both official languages?

Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission Act (David and Joyce Milgaard's Law)  Madam Speaker, I think we will disagree. Our parties are unlikely to vote the same way. However, I found one thing rather fascinating when the bill was being studied in committee. Do members realize that the commissioners who will sit on the new miscarriage of justice review commission will not be required to be able to speak and understand both French and English?

Public Complaints and Review Commission Act  Mr. Speaker, I did not speak right away because I was waiting for the light to go on. Likewise, it would be nice to see a light to go on in the brains of some members of the House, especially those making comparisons between squirrels and the CBC. Let us get back to the matter at hand.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, “Quebec is no longer able to welcome asylum seekers with dignity”. This quote from a support centre for immigrant communities appears on the front page of a newspaper. The director talks about families with children living in cars and families crammed into bachelor apartments.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, here is another quote from the director of the Centre d'appui aux communautés immigrantes de Montréal, who said, “Maybe we need a more balanced distribution of asylum seekers among all Canadian provinces.” She is right. It is deeply unfair that she and community organizations in Quebec end up shouldering this burden.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, there are meetings, but no action. While the minister does nothing, community organizations on the ground are unable to find housing for families. They are forced to put people on wait lists for food hampers. How does one begin to explain a wait list to a hungry child?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is finally going to meet with François Legault on Monday to talk about immigration. It is about time, after leaving Quebec to deal with a record influx of newcomers. Monday should be the deadline for the federal government to stop offloading its responsibility.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  I am speechless, Mr. Speaker. If the federal government thinks that $1 billion is a lot, then all it had to do was take care of asylum seekers sooner, rather than sit back and watch the bill get bigger and bigger. The government could have also kept the bill lower by doing its job, especially when it comes to work permits.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, these are troubled times. There are troubling situations in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Mexico and just about everywhere on the planet. Add to that global warming, institutionalized violence and war, and these are troubled times indeed. It is easy to understand why people from around the world are seeking refuge.