Government Orders
Mr. Chair, the plan that we tabled is that, by the end of 2027, we will decrease—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, again, we have tabled the levels plan. It is a levels plan that had been consulted on by provinces—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I really appreciate these questions from the colleagues across the way. I very much look forward to working with them to enhance our immigration system—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, these are important questions. Canadians are watching. Canadians are looking. We all campaigned a short month ago. Canadians deserve to have—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, we are reducing the number by 5% of the population. This is in our levels plan, and we are on track to meet that.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, the first quarter of 2025 figures I have been provided meet and exceed the reductions that have been targeted.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, population targets are not simply due to immigration, asylums and so on. There are people who also give birth who are Canadians and people who die.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, we are getting there. We are reducing our immigration targets. We have Bill C-2 in front of us to deal with the large surge of asylums—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I do not understand where these questions are coming from. I do not know if it is something these members think—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, again, I have been in this seat for about three and a half weeks. I think the questions being posed on the other side are either totally misplaced or they are wrong.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair. I have been receiving briefings daily. Prime Minister Carney convened—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I am proud of the work that I and the government at that time did in Nova Scotia. In 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, we were living in different times. Right now we have an economic crisis in the country overall. We need to manage our immigration numbers.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, immigrants have built this country. Most members of House, unless they are indigenous, are immigrants, either—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, we need to contextualize the numbers when we present them in the House. There are facts. The public safety minister was here, on Thursday I believe, and he is in charge of answering those questions.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, again, people whose visa expires, or people who should not be here, need to leave. If they do not, that is a CBSA—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, again, my role here tonight is not to talk about people leaving and the people who are here with an expired visa and so on, in terms of how many have left. That is completely a CBSA function, and public safety takes care—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I have answered that question a number of times. I will try one more time. People leaving because of an expired visa or deportation, or anything of that matter, is the purview of the Canada Border Services Agency, which is not—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, that question gives me the opportunity to talk about our immigration levels plan, which does set permanent resident numbers. For the first time, this past year, temporary numbers have been set. I am proud of the work that was done prior to my becoming a minister. It is working.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I need to thank the Prime Minister for having faith in me and selecting me to be the minister. I would say the answer is known as to why we would need somebody at that helm, because we—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, my message to the member and to those listening is that people who have expired visas and are not to be in Canada should leave. If they—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, we work with the CBSA, or the CBSA is there to take control of those circumstances.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, again, we have set the targets for permanent residents. We have set the target for temporary residents, which would include the international students—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I will tell you one thing that I agree with the member on: Immigrants did build this country. I congratulate her for getting that one right. Our temporary targets were developed to achieve the objective of reducing the proportion of non-permanent residents to 5% of the total population by the end of 2026. Supporting the Canadian economy continues to be our priority. We will work on brin…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, I know the member works very hard for her constituents, and I appreciate that. She spoke about the borders act, which is Bill C-2. What I will say, and this is what I have said, is that the integrity of the immigration system is critical to supporting border security and assuring Canadians that the system is well managed, including protections against fraud and misuse. The border bill w…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, these are very important questions, and I take them seriously—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, the 2024 assessment was done.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, as I already replied, yes, we do consider the U.S. as a safe third—
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025). (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, international students are vital to Canada. Ask any of our provinces and institutions. Our temporary foreign workers are as well. They are essential to our agricultural sector, to our fishing sector and to many facets of our population. Having said that, we understand, in the new government, that we need a balanced system. For that reason we have lowered the number of permanent reside…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, let me give the member opposite a lesson on immigration numbers, permits and visas. There are many applications and many individuals. We recognize that to balance our immigration and have a good country, we need temporary residents and permanent residents. Some applicants have multiple numbers; therefore I would suggest we look into the numbers a bit more in detail.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, those figures are inaccurate. That is misinformation. The new government is hard at work to improve our immigration system, and the introduction of Bill C-2 on Tuesday was an example of that. We are taking significant steps to preserve the integrity of our system while also upholding our humanitarian commitments, because we understand that a well-managed immigration system is essentia…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that this new government is here to work with Canadians, and the reduction in the permanent and temporary numbers that has been forecasted was forecasted with the understanding that we do need to reduce our numbers to ensure that our infrastructure meets the challenges of today. I would like to remind members that COVID put a lot of strain and stress on all the pro…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, allow me to thank the member for Winnipeg North for not only his passion but also his accuracy in the information that he always presents to us in the House. I definitely do agree with him that this is an excellent piece of legislation, and I urge all colleagues in the House to please support it.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am well aware of the challenges facing asylum seekers. That is why we included in the legislation the one-year rule effective June 25, 2020, to make our systems comprehensive and effective. We work very well with the Province of Quebec in these situations.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I believe we all agree that immigration is key to our economy in Canada and to our communities. As I said in my remarks, the date that was selected for that one-year rule, June 24, 2020, was picked specifically because that is the date that regulations came into effect to track exit data.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Bourassa. I am pleased to rise today to talk about the strong borders act. The legislation before the House would strengthen border protection and border security and ensure integrity in the immigration system, with new authorities to improve how client information is shared with provincial and territorial partners; enforce our laws m…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we understand very well on this side of the House that immigration is essential to grow our economy and strengthen our communities. Canadians want a solid and sustainable immigration system that allows Canada and those who come here to succeed. On this side of the House we are working on improving Canada and making it strong.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we take our immigration system very seriously on this side of the aisle, as I know all Canadians do. For that reason, we are strengthening the integrity of our system while maintaining the humanitarian ability that we have in this country. Make no mistake. Canada takes its obligations seriously, and we are strengthening our asylum system to make it more efficient and flexible. We will…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, today is a great day in the country. We introduced a very important bill that is getting us to take steps to strengthen our immigration system and our integrity in the system, while also upholding our humanitarian commitments. As global migration patterns evolve due to conflicts and crisis, Canadians expect a resilient and responsive immigration system, and that is exactly what we are…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question and his work on francophone immigration. Last year, we exceeded our target for francophone immigration outside Quebec. We are committed to ensuring the long-term strength and growth of francophone communities. That is why our new government will set a target of 12% francophone immigration outside Quebec by 2029.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, our government takes the safety of children seriously. That is why we put forward a comprehensive plan to bring Canada into the 21st century and change our online world, making it safer for kids and better for all. The Conservatives are blocking the plan, and they are standing in the way of a better future for our kids online. Parents want the online harms act. Experts want the online…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been through a lot in the last few years, and they are looking to all levels of government for relief and support. That is something I hear at the doors in Halifax West, and it is the call I bring every day to Ottawa when I represent my constituents, unlike the Conservatives, who have been forbidden to advocate for their communities. Can the Prime Minister give an updat…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 26th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human rights, entitled “Islamophobia on the Rise: Taking Action, Confronting Hate and Protecting Civil Liberties Together”, and the 27th report, entitled “Heightened Antisemitism in Canada and How to Confront It”.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, Silent night, holiday bright, Mr. Speaker, we did what is right. With inflation still hard to bear, we voted for real relief to show we care. With GST/HST off essential needs, we are helping families to succeed. Silent night, not all is right; the Leader of the Opposition refused this light. The leader who vowed to axe the tax turned his back when time to act. Broken promises, Canadia…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 25th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B), 2024-25: Vote 1b under Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada, Vote 1b under Canadian Human Rights Commission, Vote 1b under Courts Administration Service, Votes 1b and 5b under Department of Justice and Vote…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, creating opportunities for young people is the reason I got into politics more than a decade ago. It is why I appreciate the impact of the Canada summer jobs program back home. Each year, Canada summer jobs provides wage subsidies to non-profits, faith groups, small businesses, universities and municipalities. This lets them keep doing good and grow the economy. The return we get from…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to represent Halifax West, a diverse and growing riding, and I am proud to deliver investments to support the lives of people and improve our neighbourhoods. That includes the $1.7 million in community revitalization fund money that I secured for local infrastructure projects. With that money, my constituents are benefiting from better audio and lighting at the Bella Ros…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this summer, millions of Canadians tuned in to CBC to cheer on team Canada at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Canadian athletes pushed limits, set new records and showed us the unifying power of sport. Many trained at the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic in Halifax West. Canada's athletes give it their all to represent our country, so we are going to keep supporting them w…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this November, we mark our second annual Lebanese Heritage Month in Canada. As a Lebanese Canadian, I am proud to have sponsored and shepherded the bill into law, and I invite all to celebrate this special occasion. I encourage all Canadians to connect with their local Lebanese communities, attend an event, share a meal, listen to our vibrant music, and experience the pride and passio…
Read full speech →