Emmanuel Dubourg

[Petitions, April 13th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present to the House today.

The first petition, which has been signed by 101 petitioners, states the following: “Whereas: The Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act sanctions foreign officials responsible for gross human rights violations or acts of corruption”. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to deploy all legal sanctions, including freezing of assets and barring of entry to Canada, against the perpetrators of these crimes.

The second petition, which has been signed by 203 petitioners, also has to do with the Magnitsky Law. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to apply all sanctions, including freezing of assets and barring of entry to Canada, as well as refusing visitor visas and permanent resident visas, to the perpetrators of persecution in China.

[Violence Against Women, March 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, enough is enough.

The escalation of domestic violence in our society is extremely disturbing. Over the course of seven weeks in Quebec, seven women were killed by violent men. It is clear that what we are doing as a society to fight violence against women is not enough. All governments should immediately intensify their efforts to enhance support for resources dedicated to protecting women and fighting domestic violence.

The pandemic has changed people's living conditions, making problems worse. We need to act fast. We want to express our deepest condolences to the families of Elisapee Angma, Marly Edouard, Nancy Roy, Myriam Dallaire, Sylvie Bisson, Nadège Jolicœur and Rebekah Harry. We owe it to them to do better.

[The Environment, March 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, they let the cat out of the bag last weekend.

Like many Canadians, I was shocked to see a supposedly modern national political party reject the simple fact that climate change is real. The reality is that we are experiencing extreme weather events such as floods and forest fires.

How can the Conservative Party and its leader claim to be ready to govern if they cannot accept such simple facts?

[Committees of the House, March 8th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages in relation to the motion adopted on Thursday, February 18 regarding support to educational institutions providing official language instruction.

[Medal Awarded by MP for Bourassa, March 8th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, International Women's Day and this year's theme #FeministRecovery give me the opportunity to honour eight exceptional women from my riding. I am awarding the Bourassa MP's Medal for the fourth consecutive year, this time highlighting the tremendous work being done by these women under normal circumstances and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I want to thank the hon. Senator Marie-Françoise Mégie, the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and my constituents in Bourassa for their participation.

The medal recipients are Maceline Alexandre Auguste, Jamal Awada, Leonarda Bonadonna, Stéphanie Germain, Arianne Hopkins, Maude Royal, Linda Therrien and Nancy Wiseman.

I invite my colleagues to please join me in extending heartfelt congratulations to these eight extraordinary women.

[Justice, February 19th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the inequalities that already existed in Canada even worse. It has had a devastating effect on racialized and marginalized groups that were already among the most vulnerable. One example is addiction, which continues to claim many victims across Canada.

Yesterday, the Minister of Justice announced major changes to the criminal justice system. Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada tell the House about those changes?

[Excise Tax Act, February 18th, 2021]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-270, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (school supplies).

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to introduce in both official languages a bill to amend the Excise Tax Act to exempt school supplies from the GST.

The bill seeks to promote children’s success in school, provide financial assistance to families during the back-to-school season, and encourage students to pursue their studies.

I thank the legislative counsel and House of Commons analyst for their contributions.

I would like to thank my hon. colleague, the member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis, for supporting my private member's bill.

For promotional purposes, this is also known as the “Dubourg discount”.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Black History Month, February 5th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, 25 years ago, the hon. Jean Augustine moved a motion to make February Black History Month. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of Viola Desmond's challenge of racial segregation.

Less than a year ago, George Floyd was tragically killed. Since then, the Canadian government has brought in numerous programs to support the Black community, including young people, women, entrepreneurs and organizations run by Black people. However, a lot of work remains to be done to combat systemic racism.

To that end, I invite the various levels of government to do something tangible to ensure that all Canadians can fully contribute to a fairer, more equitable and, above all, more inclusive society.

Happy Black History Month.

[Diversity and Inclusion, February 1st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, this week marks the 25th anniversary of the designation of February as Black History Month, thanks to a motion moved by the Hon. Jean Augustine in this Parliament. This is a month to celebrate, remember and recognize the many contributions made by Black people and what they have accomplished here in Canada.

Would the Minister of Diversity tell us about our government's commitments to a fairer and more inclusive Canada?

[Holiday Greetings, December 9th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, since March 2020, we have been confronted with an unprecedented pandemic that is affecting millions of people around the world. In spite of everything, we have proven to be strong and resilient in the face of this crisis. There is no other way to say it: 2020 has not been an easy year.

For my constituents in Bourassa and for all Canadians, the holidays will be very different this year, as we are forced to find new ways to celebrate together but apart. There is hope on the horizon, though. We will soon be able to see our families again and get back to our lives.

My team, my family and I are pleased to wish everyone happy holidays.