Mario Simard

Mr. Speaker, I want to come back to something. My colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé clearly described the new dynamic in his speech. Now that the Liberals have a majority, they sometimes forget that democracy is not about saying, “I won, so shut up”. They still have to listen to what the opposition parties have to say. I know that my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé, who is also our whip, is [more]

C-265 Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak today on Bill. It is worth emphasizing that the intention behind this bill is a very noble one. Facilitating access to therapeutic products for patients seeking access to innovative drugs or therapies when that is their only remaining option is a highly commendable objective, it must be said. I would like to point out that many members, like myself, [more]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his bill, which is intrinsically valuable and very interesting. I only have a small concern that I wish to share. Generally speaking, prescription drugs and health are areas of jurisdiction that fall to Quebec and the provinces. When we look at this bill more closely, it is clear that it is lacking a process for carrying out direct consultation. [more]

Berthier—Maskinongé Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon Mr. Speaker, earlier, my colleagues fromandpointed out in their speeches that, with its new majority, the government has a frustrating tendency to no longer listen to the opposition parties. That is what happened with this bill. Some amendments were set aside. I know that the member for Winnipeg North enjoys sparring in the House. [more]

Mr. Speaker, they were not that clear yesterday. We will say it again: Democracy means 50% of the votes plus one. That is the threshold everywhere, for the laws passed here, for elections, for the people who are here. It is the same for everyone. An attack on that is an attack, in Quebec's case, on a people's right to self-determination. It is an attack on Quebec's Bill 99, which establishes the [more]

Prime Minister Minister of Justice Mr. Speaker, yesterday, theand hisconfirmed that any future referendum will be subject to the undemocratic Clarity Act. They want to pick the question and decide what constitutes a majority. We would remind them that a democratic majority is 50% of the votes plus one. That is the rule wherever democracy exists. We would also remind them that the difference [more]

C-5 Mr. Speaker, the Liberals passed Billto expedite so-called projects of national interest. That allows the government to get around laws that could hinder the construction of pipelines. Now, the government has a new solution: To speed up its pipelines, it is simply going to tear up the regulations. If the regulatory framework is slowing down the construction of oil pipelines, then the [more]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a great man. Gérald Savard has served as the mayor of the municipality of Bégin for nearly 30 years. He is descended from a long line of public servants. Like his father and grandfather, he has dedicated his life to serving the people of his municipality. Gérald also served as reeve of the Fjord-du-Saguenay RCM for 13 years, during which he dedicated [more]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk to my colleague about the worst dependency we have. It is the 80% of the oil sector, the major players in that sector, that is owned by foreign interests, and the 60% of the oil sector that is American‑owned. There is capital flight. The sector has made record profits in recent years. Where do all those dividends go? They are going to the United States. That is [more]

Mr. Speaker, I think that what the government should be focusing on right now is finding a lasting solution for Quebec businesses that are suffering as a result of the current situation. Instead, as I was saying earlier, the government has created a road map for investing in the energy sector. This is blatantly unfair. Let me be very clear: This is blatantly unfair to Quebec and is undermining [more]