Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon and I clearly read each other's minds. People can probably tell that we work together on certain issues.

This is my first speech since the election, so I would like to begin by thanking the voters of Shefford for renewing their trust in me and giving me a third term, which I undertake with great humility. After a short election campaign, this new Parliament was up and running in no time and is off to a roaring start. I would like to thank the volunteers who worked on my election campaign, as well as the team that helped me get back to the House quickly. We had to roll up our sleeves and get to work the day after the election.

The throne speech was read on Tuesday, May 27, by the King of England. We can discuss the form and substance of the speech, but I would also like to take a moment to point out what is missing from it. I will unpack all of that in the next few minutes.

First, regarding the form, having Charles III read the Speech from the Throne was a deplorable choice, to say the least. It triggered bad memories for Quebec, which never signed the Constitution, I would point out. Furthermore, the monarchy is a fraught symbol for Acadians and indigenous people. In any case, I do not need to elaborate on the form, since the motion adopted unanimously at the National Assembly of Quebec speaks for itself. The elected members of the National Assembly reject the monarchy. During the royal visit, they even unanimously adopted a motion to sever all ties between the Government of Quebec and the British monarchy. The elected members of the National Assembly of Quebec sent a very clear message to King Charles III with a vote of 106 to zero.

That was the form. Let us now look at the substance. They say that writings remain, but we will have to see how this new government turns words into action. First, without tabling a budget, how can it explain its plan to limit the operating budget to growth below 2% while maintaining federal transfers? How is it going to balance the operating budget over the next three years while cutting taxes for what it calls the middle class? How can it respect Quebec's jurisdictions when it is talking about striking agreements with provinces interested in realizing the goal of “one project, one review” and creating the major federal project office? These are the things we are wondering about.

I would now like to take a moment to address the issues that I am responsible for as the critic.

Apart from a brief mention of revoking gun licenses for those convicted of intimate partner violence, there are no plans to improve women's safety in either the public or private sphere, or to curb the scourge of domestic violence and coercive control. There is nothing about the rise of hate speech and masculinist and homophobic rhetoric. For our part, in response to the demands heard by women's groups in committee, we want to regulate the use of the Jordan ruling. The Speech from the Throne completely sidesteps the urgent issues related to women's safety, and, even more troubling, the government remains completely silent on the worrying rise of intolerance promoted by certain masculinist and homophobic movements. While this hate speech is becoming increasingly widespread online and in public spaces, no measures have been announced to counter this radicalization. This silence has serious consequences. It normalizes hatred and further exposes women and LGBTQ+ people to violence, bullying and exclusion. It demonstrates, once again, that social justice and safety for all are not real priorities for the government. The Bloc Québécois refuses to stand idly by in the face of such inaction, and we demand concrete and immediate measures because women and marginalized communities are waiting. They are not waiting for words, they are waiting for action. The Bloc Québécois therefore wants to speak out loudly on their behalf, because ignoring violence means we are contributing to it.

Another issue that the Bloc Québécois has been working on for many years is seniors' purchasing power. The declining purchasing power of seniors was not mentioned in the throne speech, as my colleague pointed out. We can conclude that the government has no plans to act on this in the short or medium term. This is a clear demonstration of how disconnected the Liberals are from the realities facing seniors and people in Quebec's regions. Once again, Ottawa is ignoring critical issues that directly affect our communities. While the declining purchasing power of seniors remains a pressing issue, organizations such as FADOQ and AQDR reminded me of this before, during and even after the election campaign. It is worth noting that this pressing issue was not even mentioned in the Speech from the Throne. We can easily deduce that the government has no plans to take action on this in the short or medium term, leaving all seniors struggling to make ends meet in a precarious situation. The Bloc Québécois rejects this inaction and is trying to increase old age security by 10% for seniors aged 65 to 74 in order to eliminate the discrimination caused by the unjustified division of the two classes of seniors.

As we saw during the election campaign in Victoriaville, the government decided to ignore the stark housing needs of seniors, especially in outlying areas, with residences of fewer than 50 units ineligible for CMHC mortgage insurance. Programs need to be adapted to regional realities and investment needs to be channelled into home renovations so that seniors can age with dignity in their home and in their community.

This throne speech could also have given the federal government an opportunity to show that it understands the needs of Quebeckers. Instead, we were treated to a parade of vague promises, devoid of any vision or concrete action for seniors. The Bloc Québécois wants to keep promoting these issues forcefully, with determination, because seniors deserve a lot more than a speech. They deserve genuine, courageous action.

Returning to the economy, as my colleague said, this Liberal government like the previous one has no plans to enhance EI to help struggling workers or workers adversely affected by the hostile economic policies of the United States. This is striking because the U.S. President's economic threats monopolized attention during the election campaign. The law is also anti-feminist and needs to be reformed, among other things.

The speech has nothing new to offer on immigration. This government is continuing along the same lines as its predecessor, which, inspired by the Century Initiative's plan to grow Canada's population to 100 million by 2100, ravaged the immigration system. Then the government decided to cap temporary and permanent immigration by applying the same measures across the country. In so doing, the federal government hurt our regional economies and jeopardized some Shefford businesses. Just today, I got a letter about that from one of our local businesses, Cordé Électrique. I forwarded the letter to our critic for this file.

The Bloc Québécois notes that restrictions on temporary foreign workers are unsuitable, particularly for farmers and agri-food industries. This is crucial. My riding, Shefford, has several such industries, and the 20% cap for these sectors is a threat to our food sovereignty. It is also a threat to our regional economies. The Government of Canada must open talks with the Government of Quebec to ensure that these reductions do not harm regional industries and universities.

The housing plan is a priority for Granby. I will try to go over this quickly. The creation of “build Canada homes” is a centralizing power grab, an attempt to impose a pan-Canadian vision of housing, disregarding the expertise and autonomy of Quebec and the municipalities when it comes to land-use planning, zoning and urban development. We can see that the Liberals are also taking a page out of the Conservative playbook by imposing standards on the municipalities and the governments of Quebec and the provinces for matters that do not fall under federal jurisdiction.

I might say that the government is trying to create one housing strategy, one housing market, out of 13. When they talk about creating one economy out of 13, that shows how little they know about Quebec and the provinces. The National Assembly adopted another motion denouncing the “one economy” concept, seeing as Quebec has its system of SMEs. It is Quebec's own system, and it is demanding the right to defend it.

We have to let the cities do their job. They know what they need when it comes to zoning and housing. The current situation is really important to them.

In terms of Quebec values, the government wants to protect the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all Canadians by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. What does it want to do here? It wants to continue opposing Bill 21 on secularism and Bill 96 on language. That rhetoric also runs counter to Quebec values.

In terms of the environment, the speech states that removing barriers will make it possible to build an industrial strategy, make Canada an energy superpower and fight climate change at the same time. We wonder what will happen. How will the major federal project office's role relate to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada's role? Does this mean that its mission will now be to approve projects rather than conduct scientific assessments? Oil sands use is growing, and Canada is the world's fourth-largest producer of gas. Canada is already an energy superpower. What more does it want?

This week, Ottawa attempted to reaffirm Canada's sovereignty by bringing in a foreign sovereign, at great expense, to remind us that we are not sovereign in our own country. Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador is saying that there will be no 51st state after all. At the end of the day, this has all just been a missed opportunity and a manufactured crisis. The federal government evidently sees any crisis as an opportunity to trample on jurisdictions and try to bring Quebec and the provinces to their knees.

We on this side of the House will stand firm. That is why the Bloc Québécois decided to deliver on one of its election promises this morning. I would like to emphasize that the Bloc Québécois introduced a bill to fully protect supply management. This is another issue that is vitally important to the farmers in my region.

Andréanne Larouche

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