Kristina Michaud

[Bills of Exchange Act, October 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech.

I am fortunate to serve with her on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, which is studying systemic racism within police services in Canada. I know she is doing a great job on that file, and I thank her for it.

I am going to ask her the same question I asked her colleague earlier. We were talking about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Indian Act. Does she think that that legislation is racist and that it must be amended as soon as possible?

[Bills of Exchange Act, October 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

I see this bill as a step in the right direction towards reconciliation, but more needs to be done.

Earlier I asked the Minister of Canadian Heritage whether he agreed that we need to accept and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and he said he agreed. When my colleague asked a question about whether the Indian Act should be amended and quickly, the minister would not commit to anything.

Does my colleague think that that legislation is racist and must be amended immediately?

[Bills of Exchange Act, October 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech.

One trap that we must not fall into is making this statutory holiday an ordinary holiday like any other.

I liked the suggestion made earlier by a Conservative member who said that we, as parliamentarians, have a major role to play and that we must take the initiative, in collaboration with indigenous communities, to do something special on that day.

I would like to know whether my colleague thinks that the government should go a bit further in supporting this type of commemoration activity when we celebrate September 30.

[Bills of Exchange Act, October 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

I applaud the introduction of this bill. It is important to take time to reflect and remember, but I think that we need to go much further than that. This bill responds to call to action no. 80 in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.

I would like to draw members' attention to call to action no. 43, which calls upon the federal government to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I would like to know whether my colleague agrees that we should implement this declaration to truly achieve reconciliation. Will he ask his government to make that a priority?

[Post-Secondary Education, October 22nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, as institutions of higher learning, universities are an ideal venue for debate and analysis. What are the implications of a word? What does it mean to those it is directed at? What weight does it carry today and in history?

Universities are the place for such debates, and there should be the necessary freedom to impart knowledge. Academic freedom involves addressing difficult issues while paying attention to the sensibilities of individuals and not censoring oneself.

Will the Prime Minister defend academic freedom at the University of Ottawa, yes or no?

[Business of Supply, October 22nd, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

The Conservatives' motion is especially relevant because the priority at this time is the pandemic.

The people we represent are already being asked to do a lot. They are being asked to make sacrifices and to follow public health guidance. The least we can do is to show them what the government is doing to prepare for the second wave and what guidance it is following, among other things.

In his speech, my colleague spoke about the border. I think this motion offers the perfect opportunity to find out why the government waited so long to follow the WHO's recommendation to close the border and prevent the spread of the virus, which likely came from elsewhere.

I would like him to comment on that.

[Business of Supply, October 22nd, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

What I find interesting about this motion is that it calls on the Standing Committee on Health to study the inadequacy of health transfers. We have been talking about that a lot since the throne speech. I actually received a note from one of my constituents talking about how badly the federal government has been neglecting seniors and driving them further into poverty.

I replied that of course we need to increase old age security starting at age 65, not 75. I also talked about the importance of increasing health transfers, because seniors are supported by the provincial and Quebec health care systems.

I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.

[Marie-Paule Gaudreau, October 21st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to send birthday greetings to Marie-Paule Gaudreau, better known as Madame Boulianne or “grand-maman Bou”, a remarkable woman who will celebrate her 103rd birthday on October 23.

Madame Boulianne is a fighter. She had 14 children and now has 41 grandchildren and nearly 90 great-grandchildren. She has brought some exceptional individuals into this world, people who have always dedicated themselves to the development of our region, whether through hockey or politics.

As well as being in perfect health, Madame Boulianne has a sense of humour like no one else. The fact that she and I are of different political stripes gave her a good laugh. Today I want her to know that her positive attitude and her faith are inspiring.

This woman has seen it all—as she put it so well—and refuses to let the current crisis bring her down. In accordance with current public health measures, she is willing to celebrate her 103rd birthday quietly this year, but definitely plans to organize a big party with her loved ones for her 104th next year.

The world needs more positive women like you, Madame Boulianne. Thank you for everything and happy birthday.

[Business of Supply, October 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, one of the arguments made by the Liberals in response to this motion is that this is not the time to look into corruption because of the current pandemic. The government can cite the pandemic as the reason for the blockages at the border, immigration, Service Canada or the Canada Revenue Agency and so forth, but it is completely absurd to say that it is not the time to look into corruption because of the pandemic. Furthermore, the government has only itself to blame for getting embroiled in the WE Charity scandal.

I would like to know if my colleague agrees with me that it is time for the opposition to close ranks and that the proposal to create a special committee to study the issue and let the other committees do their usual work is a good solution.

[Lobster Fishery Dispute in Nova Scotia, October 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague made several interesting points in his speech, and I thank him for that.

Where we may not agree so much is on how the RCMP should intervene in the current context. In light of that, does he not agree that current tensions between the Mi'kmaq and the non-indigenous fishers will not ease until the government sits down at the table with all parties involved, both indigenous and non-indigenous fishers, and draws the line that should have been drawn immediately after the Marshall ruling? It does not matter which police service is sent there. I think that, as he said, the minister is the one who needs to go there.

I would like his thoughts on that.