Sylvie Bérubé

[Business of Supply, February 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I want to clarify a few things for the member.

First, they keep talking about the carbon tax, so apparently we have not said this enough, but there is no carbon tax in Quebec.

Second, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, fuel charge proceeds go to households and provincial governments in return for increased program spending. They have zero impact on balancing the budget.

Third, the Conservatives talk about the carbon tax and only the carbon tax. We are not getting anywhere. We are constantly going backward. This is 2024. They do not have an environmental vision or a transition plan. We are talking about forest fires and floods. My region has had both. They want to abolish abortion rights. They do not talk about economic realities. None—

[Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023, January 30th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, housing has been a hot topic because it is clearly a need throughout Quebec and Canada. I was recently in Kuujjuaq. Poverty is rampant and the housing index is very low. Three or four families may end up having to live together. They are experiencing the unthinkable right now, and it is happening throughout Quebec.

Another hot topic has been the workforce. There are no incentives to get people back to work, either seniors or people who want to work. The cost of living is another hot topic.

What is this government doing about these issues with its bill?

[Indigenous Services, December 11th, 2023]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for her speech. I would also like to thank her for mentioning the native friendship centres in Quebec, which are very important and do a tremendous amount of work. In fact, I would like to commend Édith Cloutier, the director of the Val‑d'Or Native Friendship Centre.

I would like my colleague to talk about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We have been talking about this for years. Where are we at? What does my colleague think of the government's inaction on this issue?

[Indigenous Services, December 11th, 2023]

Madam Chair, Service Canada should be in direct contact with indigenous communities about their needs.

We are also talking about health care and education. Let us also not forget what was discovered at residential schools and the whole legacy of that. With regard to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we have to talk about the need to be receptive to what indigenous peoples want.

[Indigenous Services, December 11th, 2023]

Madam Chair, it is still an issue. There are reserves in my riding that still do not have water, particularly in Kitcisakik. These people have been waiting for years to have water.

The federal government's delay is incomprehensible. We wonder why this is being delayed when the federal government is giving a lot of money to communities across Canada and Quebec. What is going on? Why is the government not listening to what the communities are asking for and what they are saying they need?

[Indigenous Services, December 11th, 2023]

Madam Chair, I really enjoy working with my colleague in committee.

Let me say that I represent several communities in northern Quebec in Nunavik, Lac‑Simon, Kitcisakik, Eastmain, Mistissini, Kuujjuaq. I have had meetings with these communities. Of course I have not had the time to participate in all these meetings, but the important thing is that they are there and I am there for them. We work together, nation to nation.

[Indigenous Services, December 11th, 2023]

Madam Chair, my colleague is partially right because the government is not moving. Where are we with respect to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 calls to action? There is no implementation. Then there is the symbolic day of September 30, for example. Is reconciliation broken? We wonder.

Why does the government always wait until something frustrating happens to indigenous people? It is incomprehensible. We need action now.

[Indigenous Services, December 11th, 2023]

Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time with my dedicated colleague from Shefford. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish the people of Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou and my colleagues a happy holiday.

I am very pleased to rise in the House, especially to participate in this take-note debate on indigenous services. Allow me to give my colleagues a general idea of the size of my riding. It currently includes 14 Inuit communities, nine Cree communities and two Algonquin communities.

For decades, the Bloc Québécois has proven itself to be an ally and a voice for indigenous peoples. The Quebec nation has always tried to engage in nation-to-nation relations with indigenous communities. The Bloc Québécois works with indigenous nations to strengthen and guarantee their inherent rights at the federal level.

For us, reconciliation is the core of this relationship. Reconciliation can take many forms: cultural, financial, political and economic. It enables a gradual end to the discriminatory and racist political system developed and implemented by Canada, which wanted the first nations to disappear.

Some action has been taken in the name of reconciliation, but still not enough. In recent years, we have had the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Governments have set up several commissions, and a few commitments followed. However, there is no denying that there is still a great deal of work to be done.

In the most recent supply votes, most of the funding for the Department of Indigenous Services was allocated to the health and housing sectors. One could congratulate the government for finally tackling these issues head-on, but the reality is that it has been shamefully neglecting them for years.

Indigenous communities have always been hit hard by the housing crisis. The poor quality of housing, overcrowding, lack of services and all the other interrelated problems are still there, and they are not going away. It is quite the opposite, in fact. These are major public health issues, but this government never seems to grasp the true extent of this crisis.

Speaking of public health, the government made a promise to lift all boil water advisories in indigenous communities by 2021. As of December 10, there were still 32 in effect. These 32 boil water advisories affect thousands of indigenous people across Canada, keeping them in a constant state of insecurity. That is not dignity. That is not successful reconciliation. If this government were to put a little more energy and investment into the issues that affect indigenous people, and less energy and resources into concocting policies that interfere in provincial jurisdictions, the situation might be quite different.

This government's actions suggest that reconciliation is more of a public relations issue and a communications exercise than a matter of concrete measures and policies. It is disappointing. Reconciliation is an ongoing process founded on respect. We cannot and must not forget the past, but we are living in the here and now. That is why we need to take action here and now. We must consult and communicate, of course, but above all, we must take action. We know that consultations are difficult for the government, especially when it comes to indigenous affairs, but that is the only way we will move forward.

Reconciliation does not mean shirking responsibility. A nation wishes to break free and make its own decisions, but first that nation must have all the tools it needs to do it properly. Otherwise, it is not a question of freeing communities from the yoke of the federal government, but rather the federal government shirking its responsibilities. These responsibilities go back a long way. The federal government owes them that much.

The Bloc Québécois is once again reaffirming its commitment to forever be an ally and a voice for indigenous peoples. We are looking to the future. We are looking to reconciliation and asking for immediate action.

[Media Food Drive, December 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, as a sure sign that the holiday season is fast approaching, today is the day that people can donate on street corners for the 23rd annual media food drive.

Across Quebec, our media personalities are braving the bitter cold to help food banks and all Quebeckers in need. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I invite those who can afford it in these difficult times to give generously. Let us not forget that the campaign runs until December 31 and that people can also donate online if they do not get a chance today to contribute to the buckets of our courageous fundraisers.

In closing, I would like to point out that if the Liberals want to contribute to the media food drive, we remind them that, during the election campaign, they promised $1 billion for food aid for schools. What a great opportunity for them to keep their election promise.

I would like to thank all the participants and wish everyone a happy media food drive.

Let us give generously.

[Business of Supply, December 7th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to say to my colleague that we need to stop the disinformation.

I also want to make a couple of very important reminders. First, the carbon tax does not apply in Quebec. Second, households outside Quebec that pay this carbon tax receive financial compensation that is in no way related to their profession or marital status. It is based on their income.

Third, the Conservatives' proposal excludes many households for no good reason. How do they define family? What about single people or the elderly?