Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we all know that anyone who commits a crime in this country, regardless of their immigration status, be it Canadian or not, is treated according to the law, to the fullest extent of the law. Judges make decisions. There is absolutely nothing in the immigration law that allows for sentences to be discounted. As I stand here today, let me wish everybody a very happy Canada Day as we con…
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Mr. Speaker, I do want to wish the colleague a very happy July and August, wherever she is with her family. Perhaps in the fall she will come back with a bit of a better spirit. We have continuously said that no one can commit a crime with impunity. Serious crimes deserve serious consequences. There is nothing in the immigration law that does not allow that. In fact, public safety and law enforcem…
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Mr. Speaker, that colleague has asked that question a number of times, and it has been answered. Let me tell him what Canadians do want to know. Canadians know that the government is focused on building a stronger economy to responsibly manage migration. We have tightened our processes, and the latest numbers prove it: the temporary resident population is down 73%; asylum claims are down 63%; the …
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Mr. Speaker, I have good news. Here is what Canadians need to know. Our plan for responsible, sustainable immigration is working. The non-permanent resident population has declined. We are focused on attracting skilled talent, like health care workers, construction workers, researchers and engineers. The numbers do not lie. Our plan is working.
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Mr. Speaker, I have been clear. Just because someone has a Canadian ancestor, this does not mean they are automatically eligible for citizenship. They must definitively prove their link to Canada at each and every generation. Genealogy websites are not enough. My job is to safeguard the integrity of our citizenship program, and I will do everything necessary to protect that.
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moved that Bill C-16, An Act to amend certain Acts in relation to criminal and correctional matters (child protection, gender-based violence, delays and other measures), be read the third time and passed.
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I am not sure if the opposition wants to hear the response, because all I hear is heckling.
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Mr. Speaker, it was this government that put the ban on. The ban continues. We will continue to protect Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, let us try this again. As we have repeatedly said, IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada. They are not being admitted. There is a ban; that ban continues to be in place. Any senior officials who have served in the Iranian regime since June 2003 onward are not admissible to Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, let us get the facts straight. I answered four hours of questions in committee of the whole for all Canadians to hear. I was very clear in my response that IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country.
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Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to what we have promised. Despite significant challenges, Canadians need to know that over 1,400 Gazans have arrived in Canada. Through our programs, I have directed my department to accelerate decisions on study permits for Palestinian students who have been able to exit. They are being interviewed, and final decisions are being made. We will continue processing a…
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said the last number of days, the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed what we already know and that is this health program provides limited, temporary, essential health coverage for vulnerable people. The cost is tied to volumes. The good news is our volumes have gone down by 59%. Taxpayers will save over $200 million annually because of the IFHP changes that we have inst…
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians need to know is that, because of a Liberal budget and because of a Liberal bill, Bill C-12, and as confirmed by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, there will be $400 million in savings, $200 million plus another $200 million, in the interim health care coverage, because asylum numbers have gone down and because we brought forth Bill C-12 to curb exactly those situations.
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Mr. Chair, in fact we spent standing committee meetings on the Auditor General's report, which actually confirmed that a number of the actions that the IRCC department has taken were very effective.
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Mr. Chair, let me just set the record straight. In my first year as minister, we had a 59% reduction in asylum claims in early 2026 compared to 2024, temporary foreign work permits are down 75% in 2026 compared to 2024, and new student visas—
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Mr. Chair, anybody can claim anything. However, there is a requirement that proof of ancestry at every chain must be established.
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Mr. Chair, IRCC has followed up with 100% of flagged cases.
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Mr. Chair, let me go back to the member's other question for a moment. We have tightened all kinds of rules and restrictions and have made penalties for all our consultants.
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Mr. Chair, IRCC does not tolerate at all any misconduct. The report was proactively published. It is very transparent for all Canadians to see.
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Mr. Chair, we share Canadians' concern, and we are working to ensure that we manage migration responsibly, because that is what Canadians expect. I have worked very strongly with all provinces and territories. In fact, so far we have held five meetings together.
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Mr. Chair, we do have a youth unemployment rate. There are many factors in that rate. The rate has recently been rising. The temporary foreign worker program—
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Mr. Chair, as the member knows, two days ago, we held a press conference in which we put immigration measures in place to protect the safety of Canadians.
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Mr. Chair, the Auditor General found that the cancellation of the student direct stream in 2024 was the right path to take. That has curbed all kinds of misconduct.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, the government made a commitment, and the commitment is being fulfilled. I have cited the numbers of who has already arrived and of the applications that have been processed.
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Mr. Chair, welcome to you. The IRB is an independent body. It does set its rules according to the law of the land. We have a Constitution, and we have laws we also adhere to.
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Mr. Chair, as I have already said, we have significantly reduced the number of asylum seekers and we are working harder with the provinces and territories to resettle them as well.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, Bill C-3 provides clarity, structure and control to citizenship by descent, and there are also strong safeguards to uphold the integrity of citizenship.
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Mr. Chair, again, I will repeat that these are temporary essential services for vulnerable individuals. They are for the most vulnerable population.
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Mr. Chair, I want to say a few words about the people of Quebec. They are very welcoming people, and we thank them all. However, the federal government has also done its part and—
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Mr. Chair, the IRB has a number of officers. They are appointed for certain terms, and it goes through an OIC process.
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Mr. Chair, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act does not include anything on this type of treatment. We treat all offences seriously. The CBSA deports individuals as needed.
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Mr. Chair, I think the Conservatives have a real problem with this. I just want to say that the government has acted to protect the value of citizenship by passing this piece of legislation and ensuring that people value our citizenship and our Canadian—
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Mr. Chair, it is a wonderful question, because I was a provincial minister of immigration for eight years. Immigration is a shared responsibility between the two levels of government, and in my job, I will continue to work with the provinces and territories accordingly.
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Mr. Chair, criminals are deported by the CBSA after sentencing occurs. If they are sentenced appropriately, action is taken.
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Mr. Chair, again, what we did in this piece of legislation was ensure that citizenship by descent cannot be passed on indefinitely. We have provided clarity, we have provided structure, and we have provided control to citizenship by descent.
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Mr. Chair, the IRB is an independent body. It has to adhere to Canadian law, and that is exactly what it is doing.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, we are awaiting the committee's report because I hope my colleagues will also have useful insights for us.
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Mr. Chair, again, I cannot speak to any specific case because that is not my role here tonight. What I can say and reconfirm is that serious crime deserves serious consequences.
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Mr. Chair, I will repeat again that IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada. There have been 17,800 applications reviewed for potential inadmissibility, and 239 visas have been cancelled by the IRCC.
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Mr. Chair, if we find a person in Canada who has committed a crime, Canada Border Services Agency investigates that, and they could become inadmissible.
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Mr. Chair, we all have youth in our communities and homes. We want them to have good jobs and good opportunities. Right now is a great time to bring forth that there are thousands and thousands of Canada summer jobs that are available in every single riding in this country. I would recommend to the member that—
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Mr. Chair, we worked very hard. There was Bill C-12, and we also made changes with things—
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Mr. Chair, again, these are essential services for the most vulnerable of the population, and they are aligned to the services social services clients receive in the provinces and territories.
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Mr. Chair, serious crimes deserve serious consequences. It does not matter who criminals are and what status they have in Canada.
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Mr. Chair, again, if the question relates to the IRB, it is an independent body, as I said. It does report to Parliament. There are laws in the country that it has to adhere to, and we expect it to do that.
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Mr. Chair, the Government of Canada made a commitment for certain numbers, and we are fulfilling that commitment to the best of our abilities.
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Mr. Chair, all serious crimes should be dealt with by the courts, by the laws and by the board, and there are consequences that criminals face.
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Mr. Chair, we have seen successes. I have already said that there has been a 71% decrease in asylum claims in Quebec. With the passage of Bill C‑12, we are also going to see more—
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Mr. Chair, again, if a person in Canada has committed a crime, they are investigated by the Canada Border Services Agency, and there are consequences.
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Mr. Chair, I am not sure to whom he is referring. In 2024, we raised the financial requirements for all international students coming to Canada to study, and those are adjusted every year in September as well.
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