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Mr. Chair, these are temporary, limited measures for vulnerable people who are not yet receiving provincial coverage.
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Mr. Chair, the coverage is for essential services. It is aligned with similar provincial health insurance programs.
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Mr. Chair, I am proud to say that this government is investing in law enforcement. This government is protecting Canadians. That is our priority. We have reduced the IFHP coverage. We have instituted copay as well. The PBO has confirmed—
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Mr. Chair, as I said earlier, the Canada Border Services Agency has deported 23,000 people this past year. We work with the CBSA and with our law enforcement. We are investing in over 1,000 more officers to ensure that we protect Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, I know that member and I respect him, and I know he knows that I am here to manage immigration and migration responsibly to strengthen our rural communities. That is exactly what we are doing. Our asylum claims are down 59%. The PBO confirmed with us that because of the measures we have taken with co-pays and with Bill C-12, we will be reducing those costs by $400 million annually. We…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, this is a temporary program for health coverage. It covers essential services. The cost is tied to volumes. The good news, which the Conservatives do not want to hear, is that we brought the volumes down by 59% because of a Liberal budget, because of a Liberal bill. As the PBO said this week, we will save taxpayers over $400 million annually.
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Mr. Speaker, the member knows that there is nothing in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that allows judges to discount any sentences. She also knows that, Canadian or not, no one can commit a crime on Canadian soil with impunity, including those who are on asylum and anyone else. We have brought in measures. We have brought in criminal bills. The Conservatives keep avoiding voting with u…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not know what that member does not understand. I have said yes. I will be there for the four hours. There is nothing magical about that. That is exactly why I am here. Let me continue, though, about the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Let me remind people that claimants are not just service users. They are also taxpayers. The people she is talking about are real human beings. We gi…
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Mr. Speaker, let us do this one more time. This is what we are actually doing. The interim federal health program covers limited temporary health coverage to vulnerable people who are not yet eligible for provincial coverage. It covers essential services. It is not for luxury items, and the cost is tied to volumes. As I have said, over and over again, we have reduced that volume by 60% from 2024. …
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Mr. Speaker, this is what the PBO actually said today. The PBO said that within three years we will see substantial savings from changes to the supplemental coverage of $200‑plus million. We will also see another $200‑plus million in annual savings from the asylum reform measures that we took in Bill C-12. I thank the member for finally agreeing to put that law into action.
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Mr. Speaker, I am actually very glad to receive this question today because the Parliamentary Budget Officer verified, today, what we have known all along. That is that the reasons for the costs are tied to volumes, and volumes are coming down. We have substantially reduced the asylum numbers by 60%. Within three years, there will be $200 million in annual savings from changes to the supplemental …
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Mr. Speaker, the question is ridiculous coming from the member. I am here today, I am here every day this week and I am here on Thursday. How ridiculous can one be? We have, in the last 12 months, acted for Canadians. We have managed migration. The facts prove it. The asylum claims are down. Temporary resident population is down. There are new express entry systems to fast-track doctors, tradespeo…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect transparency and honesty, not bullying and degrading from the member and people she works with. I have said I am here today and am here Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I am here at the committee of the whole, and I very much look forward to answering all their questions, because Canadians know that the government is doing the job they have elected us to do.
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Mr. Speaker, we have a plan that works. Under this minister, the number of asylum seekers has decreased, the number of new temporary residents has decreased, and we are setting records on economic immigration and attracting French-speaking immigrants. We will continue to deliver results for all Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, let me answer this question in the preferred language of the member because she seems to be really confused. Our government is laying the foundation of a comprehensive exit-tracking system, one that the Conservatives or anybody could have done over 100 or 200 years ago. However, we are doing that. As we said, temporary resident status is temporary. People are expected to leave when th…
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On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, our plan is working quite well. As we have already stated, no individual associated with the current or former Iranian regime has been admitted into Canada. No IRGC official attended the congress. I did not authorize the document. There was no decision that was taken on that. I have spoken to officials to ensure that we have a robust system. We will continue to hold t…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the love from members on the other side. I know they know that we are restoring control, balance, sustainability and integrity to our immigration system. The facts show this. We have new express entry categories to grow our economy. We have strengthened our rural immigration pathways. We are facilitating work permits for researchers and Ph.D. students. We have surpassed o…
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Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the official figures. If we compare the first two months of 2026 with the first two months of 2024, we see that asylum applications have fallen by two-thirds and that arrivals of temporary residents have dropped by more than 70%. We are restoring control, balance and sustainability to immigration. The facts prove it, and Canadians can see it for themselves.
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Mr. Speaker, let me continue with my list because I need a couple of hours for that. We are bringing our numbers down. We are strengthening oversight. We have an action plan that would restore integrity to our immigration system. CBSA removed 22,000 people from the country last year. We brought in Bill C-12, which the Conservatives opposed in the beginning, but they saw the light at the end. That …
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Mr. Speaker, the cost of health care for an asylum claimant is tied to volumes. The good news is that the asylum claims have gone down. If we compare the first two months of this year to 2024, it has gone down by two-thirds. That is good news for Canada, and with Bill C-12, we will continue to reduce those claims.
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Mr. Speaker, the program the member is speaking about represents 0.2% of the total health spending for Canada. I think the Conservatives had better get their facts straight and stop fearmongering off of the backs of people who are vulnerable and need to be protected. We will continue to do what is right for Canadians to protect Canadians and everyone in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, we are deeply concerned about the ongoing situation in Gaza. Anyone looking to come to Canada, including international students, must meet our visa requirements. We understand that this can be challenging, but it is necessary. IRCC will continue to process study permit applications for those students in Gaza, and our visa application centres in neighbouring countries are offering expe…
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Mr. Speaker, as I said a couple of times already this morning, since 2025, 100% of discrepancies that were referred by the educational institutions to IRCC received follow-ups. The high-risk ones were fully investigated. The results are clear. We welcome the recommendation. We will continue to improve our systems, but the Auditor General made it clear that we had already started to implement all o…
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Mr. Speaker, let me tell Canadians, this member and his caucus that the report examined 18 months. The government had already initiated improvements to the system way before the audit started. The Auditor General confirmed that the system is tightened, the student visas have been examined, and improvements have taken place. Since 2025, 100% of referrals from institutions have been examined.
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Mr. Speaker, let me repeat for that member and his entire caucus. As I said, since 2025, 100% of the discrepancies reported were followed up. They were followed up 100% of the time since 2025, with the high risk investigated. The Auditor General confirmed improvements took place. IRCC has tightened its approach, and we have control over the student visas. The numbers prove it.
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Mr. Speaker, we support the Auditor General's recommendations and have been taking action since 2025. In fact, 100% of cases flagged by institutions are followed up on, and we are investigating high-risk cases. The results are clear. Controls and checks are being strengthened. The number of student arrivals has decreased by more than 60%. We are restoring integrity to the system and getting it und…
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Mr. Speaker, temporary status is exactly that: temporary. This is nothing new. Under our plan, Canada has set clear targets for temporary residents and extensions. We are sticking to our plan, but our expectation is clear: When a permit expires, the permit holder must leave. We will maintain our targets and enforce our rules.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians elected this government last year because they know that it has a plan. Our plan has results. It is not based on a script, as happens on the other side. Over the last year we have reduced temporary residents by more than half. We brought down the asylum seeker numbers by more than a third. We have refocused economic immigration like it has never been done before. Canadians c…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her performance. With regard to the Auditor General, we welcome that report. We agree that strong oversight helps improve the international student program. We will improve how cases are flagged and prioritized, and will consistently follow up on potentially non-compliant students. Our focus is on identifying organizers of coordinated fraud and those who attempt…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent work. Last week, on the International Day of La Francophonie, I announced new funding in support of francophone immigration. With these investments, we are strengthening the ability of francophone minority communities to attract and retain skilled workers. That is how we are going to reach our objectives and ensure the vitality of French here, in…
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Mr. Speaker, I really feel sad for that member who always sees her cup as half empty. We have a plan. We have a system that is working. TD, Stats Canada, the Parliamentary Budget Officer and CMHC have all commented that our plan is working. Over the last year, we have reduced temporary resident arrivals by more than half. We brought the asylum numbers down by a third. We refocused on economic immi…
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Mr. Speaker, we commend the work of the Auditor General. We are focusing on identifying fraudsters and those who attempt to deceive us. We are improving our case reporting and prioritization processes and are closely monitoring students who do not comply with our rules. We take the integrity of all our programs very seriously.
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moved: That, in accordance with section 9 of the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act, S.C. 2024, c. 16, s. 113, the House approve the appointment of Anton Boegman as Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner, for a term of seven years. (Government Business No. 8)
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Longueuil—Saint-Hubert for his question. Yes, we fully understand the challenges that businesses and communities are facing. The good news is that I have been working closely with Quebec to come up with a solution, and today we announced a new measure designed to help workers in the process of obtaining permanent residency contribute to Quebec for up to an addit…
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Mr. Speaker, let us be clear here. In 2024, the former government listed the IRGC as a terrorist entity in Canada. IRGC officials who are found in Canada have had their visas cancelled. They have lost their status, and they are being removed by CBSA. We will continue to do that. Any permit extensions have not been granted. They will be removed. On this side of the House, we will continue to stand …
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to immigration, the government has reduced the number of asylum claims by one-third. The number of international students in Canada has fallen by one-third. From July to October 2025, Canada's population declined slightly after several years. We have increased economic immigration to 64% in order to attract world-class talent. We are building a strong immigration system a…
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Mr. Speaker, we are building an immigration system that keeps Canada strong. That is our mission. That is our mandate. That is what Canadians elected us to do. That is what we will continue to do. In June, we introduced legislation, Bill C-2, to protect the asylum system against sudden increases in claims. The Conservatives opposed it. In October, we brought forward new legislation, Bill C-12, tha…
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Mr. Speaker, the job that I have is never easy. It is one of the toughest jobs in government, and the reason is that many Canadians and many people are looking to our government to control immigration and to keep it sustainable. With regard to the temporary residents, we have targets and we have ranges. People who are on temporary status have the opportunity to extend. They also have the opportuni…
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Mr. Speaker, my record of work on immigration speaks for itself. We are taking back control of the immigration system. We are returning immigration to sustainable levels. Our asylum levels are down by a third. The number of international students is down by a third. The number of temporary foreign workers is down by a half. We have exceeded our francophone immigration targets. We are bringing glob…
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Mr. Speaker, let me be clear about the facts. Officers rigorously review each and every claim before it reaches the IRB, and nobody can claim asylum in Canada without questioning. To keep Canadians safe, CBSA does the front-end security screening on all adult refugee claimants. There is no rubber-stamping of any files or any claims. Each one is assessed individually on the merits by highly trained…
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Mr. Speaker, we have a robust immigration system. Our system works. We have an IRB that handles claims. The people who are inadmissible and ineligible are not going to the board; they are ruled out. Those who clearly fit in the system are in there, and we will continue to honour our humanitarian, constitutional and international obligations.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are focused on strengthening our immigration system and building Canada strong. If the Conservatives were really serious about health care, they would support our investments in hospitals, they would support dental care, they would support pharmacare and they would support the immigration program under the global talent stream that I just announced. Last …
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Mr. Speaker, that is not true. That is not true at all. We are strengthening our borders and we are making it more difficult for people to abuse our system. We reduced the number of asylum seekers by 33% last year. Bill C-12, which we passed, will improve our systems. We are here to work for all Canadians, for all Quebeckers, for everyone in every province, including those who truly need our help.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we will never jeopardize the safety and health of Canadians. Our program keeps all Canadians safe. We will continue to work here, and we are asking the other parties to work with us for all Canadians, including Quebeckers.
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Mr. Speaker, the new government takes these issues very seriously. That is exactly why our mandate was to restore immigration and to strengthen our immigration system. I agree with the foreign affairs minister that our system is the envy of the world. We are proud of the system we have. We have curved asylum by one-third. We have introduced measures to bring in physicians and health care workers, …
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Mr. Speaker, the figures cited by the member are projections. They are not actual figures. They are projections that do not take into account the changes made to the program or the significant improvements we are making to the asylum system in Bill C‑12. This work is already well under way. We are reducing costs and we will protect vulnerable people.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to point this out to the member, who I respect quite a bit; last session we were on the same committee. In 2014, it was a Conservative government, and the Supreme Court ruled that its changes were unconstitutional. It took away health care coverage for the most vulnerable, including children. This is not something we will do on this side of the House. Again, we are curbing misu…
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome the member to this important discussion. We have already introduced and made changes to the interim federal health program that will considerably reduce the costs. We are also making significant changes and have introduced Bill C-12, which would curb the misuse of asylum. We will control costs and we will truly protect those who are vulnerable, in line with our international…
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Mr. Speaker, to keep our program sustainable, we have made and are making measured changes to the health coverage. We have already introduced copay to the system. We are already curbing the misuse. We have introduced a lot of integrity measures. Bill C-12 is currently in front of us, and I thank the Conservatives for supporting that. That would also reduce misuse of the system. We also have intern…
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are working hard to ensure that our system integrates asylum seekers. We have reduced asylum claims by a third. We also introduced Bill C‑12. I want to thank my colleagues for helping us with this bill. The good news is that asylum claims are down by a third and we are making adjustments to our program to keep it sustainable. We will continue to work hard…
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