Richard Lehoux

[World Milk Day, May 30th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, June 1, we are celebrating World Milk Day.

To the nearly 10,000 dairy farms and the more than 500 processing plants in Canada, I say thank you. These men and women get up at dawn every day, put on their work boots and do an incredible job to feed Canadians with the quality products we are celebrating.

My riding is home to many of these businesses, which never fail to offer top-notch products that are among the healthiest and most nutritious in the world. These farmers not only provide the best products in the world, but they also play an important role in achieving our country's environmental goals.

I speak for all parliamentarians when I thank them for their hard work. As Conservatives, we will continue to support our agricultural sector, which is an essential economic driver in this country.

On the eve of World Milk Day, and in honour of the Canadians who work hard in our dairy industry, I invite all my colleagues to stand up and raise a glass of milk.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, May 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Liberal Prime Minister, supported by the Bloc Québécois, and his $500 billion in inflationary, centralizing spending, one in five farms is unable to pay its debts. Our farmers are making a heartfelt plea to the government.

The Liberals are making things worse for farmers by making cuts to funding for 4-H clubs across Canada. We are talking about 17,000 young people and the 7,000 volunteer leaders who are training the next generation of farmers.

When will this Liberal government stop hurting the agricultural industry and start helping it feed Canadians?

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, May 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, what a classic answer by the Liberal minister. The Liberals sit in their limousines, disconnected from reality, while Canadians are going hungry because of this Prime Minister and his Bloc Québécois partners. Clearly, they are not worth the cost.

In my riding, the number of people using food banks has reached a record high of one in four. In the past year, 10% of farms in the Chaudière-Appalaches region have shut down operations.

When will the government give our farmers the help they are desperately asking for?

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, May 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Prime Minister, excessive spending and anti-agricultural policies are driving our farmers into bankruptcy. According to the Union des producteurs agricoles, one in five farms is no longer able to pay its debts.

With the help of the Bloc Québécois, the government is stifling our agricultural sector by blocking Bill C‑234 and voting for centralizing and inflationary spending.

When will this Liberal-Bloc government give our farmers a break so they can feed our already hungry population?

[Finance, May 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, rents were half as expensive then. It took nine years for this government to get its act together.

After nine years of this Bloc Québécois-backed government, they voted for $500 billion in centralizing, inflationary spending that is driving up prices across the board, pushing more people into homelessness across Canada. The Liberals' inability to control their spending is the cause of all these problems. Add to that a carbon tax, and we can see where that got us.

When will this Prime Minister, supported by the Bloc Québécois, stop his wasteful spending so Quebeckers can afford decent food and shelter again?

[Housing, May 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, after nine years of this Bloc-Liberal government, the housing crisis is reaching unparalleled proportions. This July 1 will go down in history, but for all the wrong reasons. The crisis is not limited to large urban centres. It affects the regions as well.

An article published in this morning's La Presse says that Quebec's association of police chiefs has noticed a significant rise in homelessness. This sad state of affairs results from insufficient housing and a rising cost of living.

When will this government, backed by the Bloc Québécois, stop announcing programs that simply add to the bureaucracy instead of ensuring that housing gets built in the regions too?

[Finance, May 9th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this Bloc-Liberal government, because the Bloc Québécois voted for $500 billion in budget allocations and for centralizing, inflationary spending that has hiked up the price of everything, including housing, interest rates and food, everything is more costly, even voting for the Bloc Québécois.

When will this Prime Minister, with his Bloc Québécois supporters, stop wasting money so that Quebeckers can once again have a roof over their heads, instead of living in their van?

[Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, May 8th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I do not know whether my colleague is like me. I was hoping that there would be something new in the budget. There was nothing for the agriculture and agri-food industry in the fall economic statement. There was nothing in that economic statement, just like there is not much more in the current budget.

I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the importance of developing Canada's agri-food sector.

[Housing, May 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I would invite my colleague across the way to come to Beauce next weekend and explain that to people and see how things work out.

The more the government spends, the more Quebeckers are struggling. We are talking about $500 billion in centralizing, inflationary spending that is only worsening the housing crisis. While Quebeckers are struggling to survive, the Bloc Québécois has chosen to vote in favour of $500 billion in Liberal spending. In other words, it is voting for bureaucracy and wasteful spending.

When will this government get out of the way and let the Conservatives fix the budget and build the homes?

[The Economy, May 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this government, the housing crisis in Canada keeps getting worse. The dream of buying a home is dead for future generations. It is proof that the Bloc Québécois and this Prime Minister are not worth the cost. In Beauce, families who are lucky enough to have affordable housing still have to use a food bank to feed themselves. There has been a 20% increase in the use of these banks since the beginning of 2024.

When will this Prime Minister, supported by the Bloc Québécois, stop his wasteful ways so that Quebeckers can afford food and housing?