Alain Rayes

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I want to salute my colleague, with whom I had a few squabbles during the election campaign. However, I am extremely proud of the question he is asking me.

I completely agree with him. I think that the party in power right now told some lies to the public during the election campaign. We are already hearing the same old tune: a party gets elected and things are not as they were originally promised.

The Liberals need to step up. They claim to want to be a non-partisan government that works for Canadians. I urge them to do their homework and stop suggesting all kinds of things to the public, to stop assuring them that public finances are healthy, and to avoid deficits. I think that even the $2-billion figure is way out of date.

The government needs to maintain a zero deficit, so that Canadians do not end up passing this burden on to future generations.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, that is clearly not the right way to go.

I firmly believe that Canadians did not vote in the last election thinking that it would be a great idea to create deficits when the economy is doing well.

I still believe that we need to tighten our belts. We need to be careful about our spending. Canadians are the ones who know what is best for them. A bigger government is not good for our economy. It is in everyone's best interest to give as much money as we can back to taxpayers.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I think that my colleague opposite needs a crash course in economics.

When the Conservative government decided to create a deficit, there was a global economic crisis. Meanwhile, the government opposite is creating deficits when the economy is doing well.

The former Conservative government does not need any lessons in economics, and I hope that the government opposite acts responsibly and does not offload a deficit onto future generations when our economy is doing well and we have money in the bank.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me to continue the speech I started yesterday evening.

I will also make sure that community and social clubs and organizations get the support they need so they can keep making a positive contribution to our communities.

I want local organizations in my riding, such as the Daughters of Isabella, the Knights of Columbus, Afeas, women farmers, Scouts, and sports, cultural, and community organizations, to know that I will always be available to help and support them. Quality of life in our communities depends on local people working hard to create active, united and welcoming places to live.

I will also ensure that the government addresses agricultural issues, such as problems with managing milk protein coming into Canada. On this as on matters facing rural municipalities, the throne speech was silent. It made no mention of agriculture even though the problem is urgent and agriculture is both a key economic sector and vital to our national food security.

I will work tirelessly to hold the government to account for all the decisions it makes, because if there is one thing I learned during my time as mayor, it is that people want to be represented by officials who keep their promises, while also remaining within budget. They want a government that respects taxpayers' ability to pay, a government that has the tools and means to keep its citizens safe, and a government that works hard to create conditions favourable to the development of our communities.

That said, I have to admit that I am skeptical about the government's plan, if there is one, and I fear that in order to keep its promises, which seem a little unrealistic to me, it is going to have to increase the tax burden on Canadians, make cuts to essential services, or increase the debt, forcing us into recurring deficits. However, since I am a good sport, I will give the government a chance. It will be judged on the results it achieves.

A few weeks ago, I was honoured and privileged to be given the trust of my party's leader and to be appointed deputy critic in support of my colleague the hon. member for Durham, the critic for public safety and emergency preparedness. Again, there are a number of concerns in this area.

First, the fight against ISIS is currently one of the world's biggest security issues. However, while all of our allies are mobilizing, the government seems to be trivializing the situation, as evidenced the day after the election, when the Prime Minister announced the immediate withdrawal of our fighter jets from the coalition fight. I will continually ask the government to be accountable and to assure us that there are no flaws in its plan and that its soft military approach will not jeopardize our national security.

The same goes for welcoming Syrian refugees. The hon. member for Durham and I have already begun to scrutinize this file to ensure that the refugees are integrated properly and that security measures are not overlooked in order to allow the government to meet its deadline.

In the coming months and years, I will be continually working on this file because it will take several months and even years, not just the next few weeks as the government is suggesting, to integrate these refugees.

In terms of public safety, I really want to know how the government is going to go about keeping its promise to legalize and regulate marijuana, which I vigorously oppose. As the father of three wonderful teenagers and the former principal of one of the largest secondary schools in Quebec, I am truly convinced that the legalization of marijuana is not in any way a positive move for our country.

At a time when we are trying to cut health care costs by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, downplaying the effects of drugs and proposing they be legalized is not the solution. It would be a first for a G7 country to go down that road. I hope that when the Prime Minister says that “Canada is back”, he is not using this type of initiative to supposedly enhance Canada's image.

When will the government explain how it intends to proceed on this file? Canadians will have many questions for the government.

In closing, I would like to remind the government that Canadians want a government that is doing something about the economy, a government that will not offload deficits onto future generations, a government that manages the public purse responsibly and takes into account taxpayers' ability to pay, a government that is aware of environmental issues, and a government that keeps the public safe and works with our allies to eliminate the terrorist threat jeopardizing our safety.

This is a major challenge, and the opposition will be here, standing strong, over the next four years in order to ensure that the decisions that are made here are what is best for all Canadians.

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, December 7th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I will share my time with a member who will be determined tomorrow morning, in light of the situation.

First of all, I want to congratulate you for your appointment as Deputy Speaker of the House, and I want to congratulate my colleague, the member for Halifax West on his election as Speaker of the House. I know that you will do an excellent job ensuring that the debates remain orderly and respectful. I assure you that you will have my full co-operation over the next four years.

I also want to congratulate all of the members of Parliament for gaining the trust of their constituents and for being elected in their respective ridings. I know that we will do very good work together over the next four years.

Since this is my first opportunity to rise in the House, I want to take a moment to acknowledge and, especially, to thank my constituents in Richmond—Arthabaska for putting their trust in me and for electing me as their new member of Parliament on October 19. I am very grateful to them and I will work very hard to fulfill my responsibilities as a parliamentarian and to represent them and my wonderful riding with dignity here in Parliament, in Ottawa.

I also want to thank my friends and all the volunteers who gave me their trust. Without their unconditional support, their hard work and their unwavering encouragement throughout the long election campaign, I definitely would not be here today with my colleagues.

My final thanks go out to those who are most important to me, those who share my personal and family life with the public, namely, my three children, Élizabeth, Magaly and Étienne, my amazing wife, Catherine, my parents, my extended family, and my in-laws. I want to say thank you to all of you today.

Although this is my first foray into federal politics, my six years as mayor of the city of Victoriaville, my 10 years as a manager in the field of education, and my involvement in many organizations for over 25 years have given me extensive experience working closely with federal stakeholders and have shown me the importance of the federal government in developing communities.

That was actually what motivated my political engagement at this level. I firmly believe that the scope of our efforts over the next four years will have a direct impact on the quality of life of all Canadians, in all of our respective constituencies.

I will focus all my energy, skill and experience on protecting their interests at all times. I will also ensure that the 40 municipalities that I represent receive first-class service from Government of Canada organizations. This will ensure their continued development and the survival of regional services, whether in urban or rural areas.

Unfortunately, and no one has pointed this out today, there is no mention of rural municipalities in the throne speech. This is particularly unfortunate in view of all the efforts by regional stakeholders to counter the migration to urban centres, especially of our youth, who are our successors and our future.

I will also ensure, together with the member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, who is our critic for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, that businesses that create jobs continue to receive support as they grow, because small and medium-sized businesses comprise 90% of all companies in Canada and 70% of labour.

[Islamic State, December 7th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I will thank the people of my riding when I share my comments on the Speech from the Throne later today. Right now, I want to talk about a troubling situation.

As we know, the so-called Islamic State poses a real threat and must be taken seriously, so much so that the President of the United States felt the need to address Americans yesterday evening. In that speech, he indicated that the unfortunate incident that occurred in San Bernardino, California, was basically an act of terrorism and he promised Americans that he would destroy ISIL.

Meanwhile, in Canada, I get the feeling that our Prime Minister does not realize how serious this situation is, and I believe that our allies are beginning to sense it. I was shocked that the President of the United States had no reason to mention Canada when he spoke about the countries in the international coalition that are increasing their anti-terrorism efforts.

Could this have something to do with the government's decision to withdraw our fighter jets from a combat role? Time will tell, but I believe that Canadians are anxiously waiting for the Liberal government to show some leadership in the fight against the Islamic State.