31/01/2025 | 12:04:40 Thank you, Mister Chairman. As this will probably be my last speech in this Assembly, I'd like to break the rules a little to say a few words about yesterday's debate on freedom of expression. Last June, I took the floor in this Chamber as part of the current affairs debate on the threats to freedom of expression. In my speech, I deplored the rise of the culture of nullification resulting from self-proclaimed wokism. And I gave a few examples of their pernicious manifestations in Quebec, and... 28/01/2025 | 11:37:36 Thank you, Madam Chairman. Dear colleagues, A few moments ago, I heard Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO speak about Greenland. I would ask my colleagues to spare a thought for Canada too, which the new American President also seems to have his eye on. Rapporteur BAKOYANNIS's insightful and succinct report reminds us that a new world order is gradually taking hold. After the Second World War, a bipolar geopolitical system took hold. After the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, a unipolar... 27/06/2024 | 19:58:39 Dear Colleagues, When the European Court of Human Rights delivers judgments on freedom of expression, the defendant is the state. And when we debate the threats to freedom of expression in this House, we also focus on the threat posed by the state. In recent years, however, a more insidious threat to freedom of expression has emerged: so-called "wokeism". Wokeism is not always easy to define, but its impact is increasingly felt. The most obvious manifestation of this phenomenon is what is... 27/06/2024 | 11:03:01 Thank you, Mister President. Dear colleagues, Opinion polls show that almost 80% of the Georgian population is in favour of their country joining the European Union. This aspiration, along with NATO membership, is enshrined in the Georgian Constitution. This is why the adoption by the Georgian Parliament of a law modelled on a Russian law on foreign influence, aimed particularly at the media and NGOs likely to ensure objective observation of elections, raised fears that the process of... 18/04/2024 | 18:57:03 Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ladies and Gentlemen, The conflict at the heart of this debate predates the creation of the Council of Europe 75 years ago, but remains as deadly as ever. Following the bloody attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October 2023, the international community widely recognised Israel's right to defend itself. Probably anticipating a disproportionate response, it insisted, however, that this must be done in compliance with the rules of humanitarian law, which implies not... 17/04/2024 | 17:23:21 Thank you, Mister Chairman. Dear colleagues, Dear Ms KARA-MOURZA, A few years ago, before his courageous return to Russia, Alexei Navalny told us that if the Russian state killed him, it would show that the movement he represented was extremely strong. At a time when Vladimir Putin's autocratic regime is steadily hardening and stifling all forms of opposition in the country, I confess I sometimes find it hard to be convinced by this optimistic interpretation. On 16 February 2024, Mr. Alexei... 16/04/2024 | 16:37:26 Thank you, Mr Chairman. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to begin by reiterating our unwavering support for the Ukrainian nation and its independence, but also our categorical denunciation of Russia's illegal invasion of this country, which constitutes a pure and simple violation of international law, a violation that has been going on for over ten years now. In addition to the countless civilian casualties and destruction caused by this unjustified war, the Russian forces have also... 13/10/2023 | 10:40:54 Thank you, Madam Chairman. Ladies and Gentlemen, The illegitimacy and illegality of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine is made a little clearer every time we debate it in this House. Today, it is the very legitimacy and legality of the mandate of the person ultimately responsible for it that finds itself under the microscope of our Assembly. The Venice Commission unequivocally concluded that the ad hominem derogation to the term limits of the incumbent President violates both the Russian... 11/10/2023 | 18:08:56 Thank you, Madam President. Back in 2019, the University of Toronto's interdisciplinary Citizen Lab investigated possible infections of communications devices by Israeli-made Pegasus spyware. It appears that several countries have used this spyware to monitor activities and individuals deemed suspicious, so much so that Canada's House of Commons Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics studied the issue and tabled a report in 2022, in which it was revealed that Canadian... 10/10/2023 | 17:45:56 Thank you, Madam Chair. Ladies and Gentlemen, I've already had occasion in this House to talk about the phenomenon of democracies, i.e. authoritarian regimes that give themselves a democratic veneer. These "democracies" often tend to support ideas dear to the extreme right, which exploits people's legitimate concerns about phenomena such as migratory movements and under the pretext of guaranteeing people's safety, fighting terrorism - in short, maintaining law and order - these "democracies...