René Arseneault

[Emergencies Act, February 20th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague from Drummond for his speech and especially for his masterful use of the French language in this place.

I would like to ask him how he can state that the city of Ottawa has been under siege and then, in the same breath, suggest that the Emergencies Act is being trivialized.

[Emergencies Act, February 20th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, as someone across the aisle just said, that is true. I would like to know if my colleague has seen another Canadian city under siege since the law was passed.

[Emergencies Act, February 20th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. I have admired him for some time, because we sat for a long time on the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

The hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, who is in the same party as my colleague, admitted himself that Ottawa was under siege, that it was being occupied. In his opinion, the official opposition now agrees that Ottawa was under siege. I hear the opposition say that this is the first time the Emergencies Act is being invoked.

[Emergencies Act, February 20th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Ottawa Centre for his speech.

I certainly appreciated his analysis of the events based on his experience and his perspective as a lawyer and former attorney general of Ontario.

I would actually like to ask my colleague to tell us, based on that perspective, what test needs to be met to make the Emergencies Act necessary.

[Canadian School Counselling Week, February 9th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, since this is Canadian School Counselling Week, I would like to take a few moments to recognize the important contributions of school counsellors, a growing profession Canada.

The school counselling profession supports the personal, social, academic and career development, and the mental health and well-being, of all students in Canada in order to provide them with the opportunity to achieve in school and to plan for a career.

These professionals play a key role in the lives of students who face challenges during their school years. School counsellors are there to listen and encourage students to express their emotions and talk about what they are going through.

Those counsellors are committed to helping students, to working in partnership with parents and teachers, and to focusing on positive ways to enhance the students' development.

I thank those counsellors for being there for our students.

We thank them for listening to our young people.

[Infrastructure, February 8th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, investments in infrastructure are investments in strong and healthy communities. Investing in important local projects ensures that families, residents and businesses across New Brunswick have the infrastructure they need to grow and thrive.

Can the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities tell us what the government is doing to invest in safer and more efficient water services and to help keep our communities healthy, green and sustainable?

[Wishes for the New Year, January 31st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, today is our first day of the year in the House of Commons.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my colleagues in the House and all Canadians a happy 2022, in which we are able to work together and make progress. I hope that this year will mark the end of the pandemic.

I also want to welcome all the newcomers for whom settling in Canada is a dream come true. I want to thank them for bringing their talents here and for participating in the development of our society.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not announce that a very special little Acadian girl was born in this new year. She is already making her first-time grandparents, my wife and me, very proud.

I want to congratulate her parents, Marie‑Claude and Dominik, on the birth of their first child. I hope that little Maëve Savoie‑Arseneault, and all the children in Canada, will have a bright future in this great country. They, too, will one day have the opportunity to create the Canada of their dreams.

[Madawaska—Restigouche, December 15th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, before we adjourn this House for the holiday season, I would like to take this moment to thank my constituents for placing their trust in me for a third mandate. After three elections and six years as MP of beautiful Madawaska—Restigouche, I must also acknowledge the efforts of many people.

I would like to begin by thanking our riding association volunteers and our donors for their energy and confidence.

I am grateful to my employees, Carolle Leblanc, Michelle Daigle and Gaëtane Saucier Nadeau, for their professionalism and tireless dedication to helping our fellow citizens.

I want to thank my number-one guides, my parents, Ti-bert and Pierrette, for the invaluable advice they have shared with me over the years, advice that continues to prove its worth to this day.

I want to thank my partner, Michèle, and my children, Dominik, Cloé and Olivier, for their unconditional support. I am so grateful that they are the main ingredients and the spice in the best recipe ever: my family.

Finally, to all residents of Madawaska—Restigouche, and all colleagues here today, I wish a merry Christmas and happy new year.

[Antonine Maillet, December 14th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, on November 24, a grand dame of Acadian literature, the author and playwright Antonine Maillet, was honoured at the Élysée Palace in Paris.

On that day, President Macron promoted her to the rank of commander of the Legion of Honour, the highest honour that can be awarded to a person outside France.

In Acadia, we all know the woman who, in 1979, was the first non-European to be awarded the Goncourt literary prize. Her works, including La Sagouine and Pélagie‑la‑Charrette, were among the first to focus on Acadia and its history, challenges and resilience.

Over and over again, her characters continue to make us laugh and cry and to give pause to an entire people.

On behalf of the Acadian diaspora and on my own behalf, I want to thank Ms. Maillet from the bottom of my heart. Her writing and her passion for Acadia keep inspiring us and encouraging us to continue the never-ending battle so that future generations continue to speak the language of Antonine.

[Buying Local in Madawaska—Restigouche, December 3rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the entrepreneurs in Madawaska—Restigouche are passionate people who show their innovative spirt on a daily basis.

In addition, they have shown resilience and creativity since the pandemic. Our local businesses were able to stand out, making a difference in our communities, and we are very proud of them.

The businesses that have endured during this time of economic uncertainty continue to employ our neighbours, friends and loved ones. They continue to offer us their goods and services with the usual warm welcome we have come to expect.

The best way to show our appreciation is to buy local, to do our Christmas shopping at our local businesses this holiday season. This will help support the economic vitality of all of our communities.

When we buy local, the economic spinoff goes further than the business itself.

I encourage people of Madawaska—Restigouche to discover or rediscover what our local businesses have to offer.

Buy local.